Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-04-20
HOW TO REACH THE TRUSTS.
Monopolies Protected from Prosecu-
ton by the President and At
torney General.

1t frequently happens that a man
who is hunting for something will
overlook the desired article when it is
under his very nose. This is true of
most of the delegates to the anti
trust conference who are looking for
a method of curbing the trusts. Near
ly every delegate has plan of his
own-more OF less complicated and
impracticable-bu it has remained for
Mr.. Frank S. NIonnett, late attorney
general of Ohio, and Mr.. Williams, of
Massachusetts, to point out the obvi-
Gus remedy for trust aggression.
Messrs. Monnett and Williams suggest
no new legislation, no constitutional
amendments, no commissions or other
quasi-eNecutive bodies to deal with
the matter. They point out that the
remedy already exists. The only ne
cessity is to utilize it.
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
~ SASSoi1lS olllSClS WIZ Will SulOlCC H.
Neither statement can successfully be
controverted. The trusts now flourish
unchecked not because there is no law
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 amy
similar legislation that might be en-
acted. The fault is not with the law,
but with the officers who refuse to
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 officers
are no doubt many men like Mr.. S. II.
Bethea-active, ambitious and desir-
Gus of enforcing the federal statutes.
But no matter how energetic they NAV
be they dare not attempt to attack the
trusts by means of the Sherman law
because Mr., Griggs, usurping the func,
| tons of the United States supreme
| court, has repeatedly declared that the
Sherman law does not apply to the
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 in
the face of such deliverance. The
| trusts are protected from prosecution
by the president and the attorney gen
| eral. The obvious remedy is to elect
president who will enforce the laws
instead of multiplying them.
The administration can make no de
Tense for its attitude. 1t stands be
tween the trusts and the law. Ever
if it be conceded that the Sherman
law might be held invalid by the courts
| what excuse can the administration
make for denying those tribunals tho
opportunity of passing upon it? The
| presidents position is that of state.
| attorney who should turn all the muir
derers out of the county Jail and an
swer public protests by the declaration
that the statute against murder
couldn't be enforced and that h,
wasn't going to try to enforce it. Il
is notification of the law of tn,
land and an INVASION of the right O.
the judiciary to construe the statutes
Nothing else can be made of it, TIL,
president and his party protect thu
trusts. Nay, they punish republican
| officers who prosecute the trusts, al
Mr, Monuett himself can testify. hpy