The evening times., 1900-02-27

that city of convention at Chicago, in
September, for the consideration OF the
whole subject seemed to open an oppor-
tunity for wide acquaintance with the
thought and sentiment Of leading men
from all parts of the country. and an IN
vitation that had been extended to the
Commission TO send representatives was
accepted. Representative Often and MI
c. J. Harris. with Prof jerks. attended,
but under the resolution directing their
attendance IL was expressly stipulated that
their participation was to be passive only
that they were to sit as listeners and not
as takers, and that nothing they might
say at the gathering was to be accepted
as in the least committing the Commits
sion on any phase of the subject. Prof.
jerks having been invited by the fe1era-
alton, the Commission consented that ne
lay the foundation for the discussion with
an impartial and n2p-committal state
nent Of the case at the convention, but
beyond that 10 one " no went on behalf
Of the Commission took any part in the
proceedings.
Hearing the Witnesses.
"In the conduct of it's enquiries the Com
mission divided the testimony periods OF
the months between the hearing OF trust
witnesses and the hearing OF witnesses on
general topics. The first of the trust wit
nesses was called on April T. 1899. at his
own request. at that early period in the in
vestigation for the reason that he expected
TO go abroad scon after and might not re-
turn to this country in time to be heard.
The systematic taking of testimony on the
question did not begin, however, until
month later, when State Senator James W.
Lee. of Pittsburg. Pa, appeared as wit
ness. He was followed by five others in
that month by twelve in June, by six in
September by fifteen in October, by sew
enteen in November. and by three in De-
cember. The testimony of two of the wilt
nesses heard in Boston by the sub commis-
sion on manufactures bore with enough dis
tinctness OH the trust question to justify
their inclusion here.
Apart from that which relates to the
topic of trusts in a general kind of way.
the enquiry, through the agency OF these
witnesses was on both sides into the stan
dard Oil Sugar. Tin Plate American Steel
and Wire. Federal Steel. Steel Hoop. Inter
national Silver. the National Shear, and
the Whisky combinations, with an inciden-
tai excursion into the corporation laws OF
the States of New Jersey from which very
many of the large combination derive their
chaTtersD, and of Delaware and West Viz
ginia.
The work has not been completed. There
are yet other combinations whose methods
and effects are to be studied, and the con-
temptation is that the taking OF testimony
Oh the yet unfinished branches OF the en-
quiry will be continued until late in the
. coming year.
Besides this testimony, a volume has
been prepared containing the trust laws OF
the United States and the States and Ter
ritoIies with a digest of the decisions
made hereunder aud several of the leading
common law decisions relating TO indus
trial combinations. and a second part con
tanning a digest of the corporation laws
which deal with the formation of indus
trial combinations.
In the conduct of the investigation the
agent had written to December I, 1899,
nearly 600 letters and kilograms, and had
| received more than ZOO In addition sew
eTai charts have been prepared, Sl2 blank
forms for information have been received,
filled out. and nearly or quite 1000 written
pages of material. statistical. and histori-
! cal. have been cOllated to aid in the eX-
animation Of witnesses. the aEnotatiou OF
| testimony. etc.