Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-11-01
OPPOSED In OFFICIAL DUTIES

II:
Every Obstacle Thrown in His Way by
Republicans When Trying to En-
force the Laws Against
Combinations.
Columbus. o.. Oct 24.-About 200
people attended meeting at the Cos
lumbus auditorium, addressed by Hon.
Frank S. Monnett, former attorney
general of Ohio; John r. Sovereign,
former grand master workman of the
knights of Labor, and Val Fitzpatrick,
jr., vice chief of the Order of Railway
Conductors.
Mr.. Monnett's speech was devoted
wholly to trusts, and contained the
first public declaration of his intention
to support Mr. Bryan. Mr.. Monnett re-
viewed the prosecutions against the
nopolies which he. had Undertaken
While attorney general of the state,
saying:
became my privilege and duty to
institute upward of twenty-four suits
against these combinations monopolies
and trusts as your sworn officer of the
law, calling upon the highest courts of
the state to electrocute these law vio-
lators that pillage your sugar bowl,
your Oil can, your tobacco pouch,
exact excessive freight and telephone
charges, and to protect you in Your
rights of private property under. the
constitution and laws of the state. We
labored to accomplish this, anui was
our duty to do SO. We We're badgered
and INSTRUCTED by republican leaders,
United States senators and political
bosses and a subsidized press. One
hundred and ten newspapers accepted:
Standard Oil money to cultiyatespub
sentiment wrongfully in their favor
and against the prosecutors The mo-
nopolists sent the bribers with their Sc
auctions of gold and with promises of
position and salaries, and procured the
leading governmental officials to de-
fend them, and last, but not least,
driven from pillar to post, they came
into court and with uplifted hands
swore that they did not and could not
answer the interrogatories or produce
their books, for If they did 1T Would
subject their corporations to civil
deaths for violating the laws of their
creation; and lastly, that 1T would
criminate the college fostering church.
erecting, campaign-contribut mo-.
nopolists.
A like experience was encountered
against the salt trust at Pomeroy, o.:
the same lodging and skulking. from
the avenging law was adopted. there. ;"
Mr.. Monnett then went into the sub
ject of
Federal Legislation
against the trusts and discussed the
Sherman antitrust law. He dwelt, es-
peclally upon the "evils of combina-
lions in restraint of trade" Referring
to the decision of the supreme court
sustaining the constitutionality of the
Sherman law, Mr.. Monnett said:
This brought the trusts and mo-
nopolies to the last ditch in. the contest
so far as the court and congress We're
concerned; so far as the legislative and
Judiciary We're called upon to act. All
of us who had earnestly fought and
contended for this principle felt that a
great victory had been won. A repub-
lican from Ohio had introduced a bill,
a republican house and senate had en-
acted it into law, democratic solicit
tor general and an attorney general
from Ohio had with great learning and
ability sustained the law before the
United States supreme court
Pooling of railroads and of railroad
rates, joint traffic associations. the mo-
nopoly of the Standard Oil company,
both in it's producing and transporting
of the raw product and distributing the
refined product should now come under
the control of the legislative act, so far
as it interferes with state COMMERCE. :,
Thirteen suits had been begun, two
of them under Mr.. Cleveland's admin
istration, but they We're delayed await
ing the final decision as to the consti-
nationality of this act.
I'VE nominated a president who
promised the people in fair pharscs
that he would enforce the antitrust
flaws of the United States, including
the Sherman antitrust act. How has
he enforced it? He went to New Jer-
sey, the state of the trust breeding
grounds, the cesspool and the spawn OF
all these Illegal combinations, and
placed at the head Of the attorney
generals department His Honor John
w. Griggs who has under him seven
ty-six district attorneys scattered
throughout the various states ffthe
union, the duty of each and every ono
of whom is to enforce the antitrust
act, and, according to his official re-
port of 1889 to congress, out of thirteen
suits instituted under this law three
have been begun under his admins
tration, one in the case of the United
States VS.. Anderson, begun June 3, 1897
decided against the government On lne
ground of want of jurisdiction. The
second one was the United States VS.
Coal Dealers association, decided Jan
s, 1898; the third the United States VS.
the G. and o. Fuel company, not ye
decided.
This is the magnificent record of thu
present administration and the' com
plete notification of the. most impor
tant law upon the statute books upol
this subject since the beginning of oul
government. The trusts utterly failed
in defeating the Sherman anti-trus
act; they We're completely routed b,
the judiciary in the final test in the SUI
prone court. and they have now begun
the
Dangerous Policy
of paralyzing the executive arm b.
means that are so palpable that III
who runs may read. and none but thu
most skeptical can fail to be con
WINGED"
In conclusion, Mr.. Monnett said: e
believe that Mckinley and j. w
Griggs, his attorney general, and hi
executive officers, have willfully, pur
Grants Son Rcnounces Mckinley.