Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1899-04-28
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
The Head Know-It-Aii OF tn. Adj
IninIstratIun D'ss-inInnt-s
Trust Wisdom.

Arust WISDOM.
Once in a while the Attorney Gen.
eral Of the United States. his name Is
Grgga. announces something. lie
feels that he shoul,l earn something.
but ns lie puts high value ON his
knowledge of the law. he does not
have to appear very often before the
public in his OIL ial capacity to bal.
unce the account between himself
and the Government. But when he
does open his official mouth nothing
but profound wisdom cometh forth.
II n also true that Grigss thinks TINT
what Griggs dUesu't know isn't worth
knowing. Therefore, when he con
de :esnds to enli shicn tho country the
country knows, or rather he thinks
it should know. that Nhut il hears
comes frum the ro ITS Of all kno ldse
AS losician Grig.s may or may not
be all wool and yurd WI Il. lie new
er deals III the article. He prefers
Dol assertion. 1t sounds more like
10y authority" he sides what do the
pc Iple know hb Iut logic, anyway?
In reply To Il request tn define the
me ming OF the wor -trust" us use q
iii the sherman antitrust law. the
Attorney General says tlInt "corn.
plnies orr tniz ID To secure complete
or partial control OF the different
branches Of manufacture, ARE similar
tO the sugar combination aud are not
within the jurisdiction Of the FEEDER
ii Courts" What the Attorney Cen
al ID trying to IN into the obtusc
minds Of the pc Iple is that there are
no trusts in the Unit ID States. and
hence the Sherman antitrust law Is
a me Ining less and f"oli-h legislative
enactment. There are no trusts;
what are called tru It. are ment nj hal
lucunations. nnd hence there he ing no
su IA thing M trusts there should
be no anti.tiult law--one cannot op.
p1se .Ie monrIis'cnt. In pouting to
the sugar combination to prove that
the e is no such thing as an indus
tri,l trust. Mr.. Gri .gs kills two LirI4
wi Ii ono Stone so to speak. The
charge az inst certain Senators that
their ucqu 'intance with tie Wall
street en- ~ the friends Of sugar.
was 70 81 for their 20 :kct b 'oks full4
to the ground, because they were
chargel with beng close to the sugar
trust when there ia not nor could not
be II sugar trust.
But the AttOrncy.GcncraI's knowl.
edge Of the law does not loum up IN
all of it4 vilsfncss until he trikcs the
jnrisiiction ni the States. lTc says
tho whole business is "enirrly u mat
ter ~ SiAtr control" lie knows thal
Congress on Irtcd and the President
approved the uct called the Sherman
antitrust law. Tho presumption is
that he means That tho States must
go up aguinst trusts under an enact.
ment Of Congress; for the constitu
tisnality oi Sherman act has been
iir,I b I the Federal Conris md hence
1t ia Il sure enough law. But since
when has Congress Ind the right To
onuct laws TINT are excluded FROM the
jurisdiction Of the Federal CourtrY
Mr.. GriggS rs much M udmits That
trusts may exist in the Stntes md
TINT they may be controlled by tho
Siate courts under II national Inv.
but that the nation itself denies TINT
thoro in such u thing as trust.
However. tho Attorney. General ia
n repro entative Mckinley cabinet
man. lhoy wo o all cut from the
same pioco ~ hi thly p 'otectrd mo IT.
nj barreneas .-Knnsns City Times.