The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-15

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 Vlo-
lators that pillage your sugar bowl, your
oil can, your tobacco pouch, exact from
you excessive freight and telephone
charges, and to protect you in your
rights of private property under the con-
stitution and laws of the state. We
labOred to accomplish this, as it was our
duty to do. We were badgered and OBJ
structed by Republican leaders, United
States senators, political bosses and a
subsidized press. One hundred and ten
newspapers accepted Standard Oil money
to cultivate public sentiment wrongfully
in their favor and against the prosecu-
tors.
1.-The monopoIist sent the br'iber with
his seductionS of gold and with his prom
iSes of positions and salaries and pro-
cured the leading governmental officials
to defend them, and last, but not least,
driven from pillar to post, they came in
to court and with uplifted hands swore
that they did not and could not answer
the heterogeneous or produce their
books, for if they did it would subject
their corporations to civil death for vio-
latiDg the law of their creation; and
lastly, that it would eliminate the col
lege fostering, church erecting, cam
paign contributing monopolistS.
"A like experience was encountered
against the salt trust at Pomeroy, O.;
the same dodge and skulking from the
Mr.. Monet then went into the sub
ject Of federal legislation against trusts
and discussed the Sherman antitrust
law. He dwelt especially on the evils
of combinations in restraint of trade"
Referring to the decision Of the Su-
preme court sustaining the constitution
atty of the Sherman law, Mr.. Monet
said:
This brought the trusts and monop-
olies to their last ditch in the contest.
so far as the court and congress were
concerned; SO far as the legislative and
the judiciary were called upon to act.
All of us that had earnestly fought and
commended for this principle felt that a
great victory had been won-a Republi-
can from Ohio had introduced
the bill. a Republican house
to law, a Democratic solicitor general
and an attorney general from Ohio had
with great learning and ability sustain
ed the law before the United States SUI
preme court
Pooling of railroads and of railroad
rates, joint traffic associations, the mo-
nopoly of the Standard Oil company,
both in its producing and the progress
of the raw product and distributing the
refined product, should now come under
the control Of this legislative act, so far
as it interferes with interstate COM
merce.
Thirteen suits had been begun, about
two of them under Cleveland's admins
tration, but they were delayed awaiting
the final decision as to the constitution
ality of this act.
I'VE nominated q president from Ohio
who promised the people in fair phrases
that he would enforce the anti trust
laws of the United States, including the
Sherman antitrust act How has he en-
forced it? He went to New Jersey, the
state Of the trust breeding grounds, the
cesspool and the spawn Of all these IL
legal com binations. and placed at the
head of the attorneys generals depart
ment his honor. John W. Griggs, who