The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1900-03-09

MonopSIie. Protected from Prosees-
tion by the President ana At
torney General.

AZ frequently haPP'-' 'h"s $3.50
who is hunting for something VAL
overlook the desired article when II Is
under his very nose. This is true OF
most of the delegates to the anti
trust conference who are looking Tor
a method OF curbing the trusts. Near
ly every delegate has a plan OF MS
own-more or less complicated ana
impracticab le-but il has remained Tor
Mr.. Frank S. Monnett, late attorney
general of Ohio, and Mr.. Williams, OF
Massachusetts, to point out the ob'i-
Gus remedy for trust aggression
Messrs. Monnett and Williams suggest
no new legislation, no constitutional
amendments. no commissions o. other
ouasi-executiye bodies to deal with
the matter. They point out that the
remedy already exists. The only ne
ccssity is to utilize 1t.
That is TO say. Mr.. Monnett declares
that the sherman law, if enforced, Will
reach the trusts. Mr.. Williams adds
the corollary statement that the peo-
pie can have the Sherman law enforced
bv elccting officers who will enforce IL.
Neither statement can successfully De
controverted. The trusts now nourish
unchecked not because there Is no la"
which will reach them, but because the
laws already on the statute books are
not enforced by the president OF the
United States and his attorney gen.
eral. Those officers nullify the Sher-
man law. They would nullify any
similar legislation that might be en-
acted. The fault is not with the law
but with the officers who refuse 10
enforce it-who beg the question by
declaring that it can't be enforced.
The president, through his attorney
general, has paralyzed the energies OF
every United States district attorney
; in the country. Among those otiicers
are no doubt many men like Mr.. 5. ii
Bethea-active. ambitious and desir
Gus of enforcing the federal statutes
But no matter how energetic they may
be they dare not attempt to attack thu
, trusts by means of the Sherman law
because Mr.. Griggs, usurping the func
!, tions of the United States supreme
court, has repeatedly declared that tn
!, Sherman law does not apply to tn
trusts and that it is, therefore, use
less to proceed under its provisions
No district attorney will risk the dis
pleasure of his superior officer by In
shutting Sherman law prosecutions i
the face of such a deliverance. Tn
= trusts are protected from prosecution
by the president and the attorney gen
eral. The obvious remedy is to cleo
a president who will enforce the law
= instead of multiplying them.
= The administration can make no III
. tense for its attitude. 1t stands b'
~ tween the trusts and the law. Eve
y If it be conceded that the Sherma
- law might be held invalid by the court
- what excuse can the Administrative
make for denying those tribunals II
- opportunity of passing upon 1t? IL
presidents position is that of state
attorney who should turn all the mu
derers out of the county Jail and a
~ swer public protests by the declarati'
. that the statute against murd
couldn't be enforced and that
-, wasn't going to try TO enforce it,
~ is a notification of the law of Z
az land and an invasion of the right
-, the judiciary 10 uc VIC S'asue
1. Nothing else can be made OF it. i
!. president and his party protect I
- trusts. Nay. they punish republic
- officers who prosecute the trusts.
- Mr.. Monnett himself can testify, n;
ing been denied denomination by
~ Hanna because he dared to instit'
-, and maintain a prosecution again
~ the Standard Oil combination e
trary to the wishes and instrucno
of the republican boss of Ohio.
:. If the people Of this country W
- to get rid of the trusts they must =
90 get rid of Hanna. Mckinley and Gr1g
~. who are owned. boCy. boots
breeches. by the trusts. With pre-
-, dent in the white house who Will
49,. force the laws the trust question
.pr quickly be settled.-Chicago Chrome