Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-08-21
ATTY. GEN'L ON TRUSTS
Answers the Letter Of the American Anti
Trust League,
Information Requested Not I'm His
Possession-Makes Some short
and sharp aepiie.

Washington, Aug. 2o.-Atty, Gen.
Knox today sent the following let
ter to the Joint committee Of the Ameri-
can Antitrust league and District
Assembly No. &C. Knights Of Labor in
reply to one from the committee re-
questing information from Mr.. Knox
regarding the United States Steel cor
poration:
Washington, Aug. 2O.-H. b. Martin,
Chairman Joint Committee American
Antitrust League.
"Sir--I have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt OF your letter Of Aug.
49, 1901. In which you request 70 obtain
for you certain information with ref
erence to certain alleged agreement
or agreements between the constituent
companies and individuals who organ
lied the United States Steel corpora
ton. You ask me to afford you all the
information that j may possess or can
obtain, and you specifically refer to
an alleged trust or syndicate agree.
ment which you state the president oil
the United States Steel corporation, c,
NJ Schwab. refused to furnish the
United States industrial commission
when on the witness stand before that
body and you further state that your
request for information is TO be under
stood as covering any other contracts
OF a similar kind with which you are
acquainted or which you can obtain for
US.
you also state that your request for
information is founded upon lnforna-
ton and belief that at the time this
contract, or contracts was or We're
made that | was In some way officially
connected with the Carnegie company
and you therefore assume that the in
formation which you request must be
in my possession or conveniently at
hand ! am therefore requested to give
you substantial facts, or, IL possible. a
copy thereof,
Primarily, permit me to say that
your request Is founded upon an ell
roneous assumption. / do not know who
the individuals are who organized the
United States Steel corporation. II they
are the persons referred to usually ia
the newspapers as the promoters Of
that organization with the single ex-
ceptlon Of c. NJ. Schwab. do not know,
never saw and never was in any way
connected with any Of them. ! never
heard OF any agreement between them.
and the constituent members Of the
steel corporation. .t
Neither at the time Of the formation
Of the United States Steel corporation,
nor at any time. was / officially con-
nected with the Carnegie Steel COM
pany. was formerly one OF its legal
advisers In the conduct OF its manuiac-
turing business, but was never con-
suited with reference TO the formation
Of the United States Steel company,
nor In relation 10 the sale 20 that COM
pany Of the shares Of stock held by the
stockholders Of the Carnegie company.
81 have never seen the papers OF
agreements 10 which you refer nor
have been Informed Of their contents.
| have no knowledge whatever Of their
existence, the terms or scope. am thus
specific. as | desire 10 cover both the
spirit and the letter OF your inquiry.
Il may say, however that | have no
access to the agreements or papers 10
which you refer | know nothing OF the
one TO which you especially refer ana
do not even know that such an agree
ment is In existence. The information
you request is not In ny possession or
conveniently az hand as you assJNie,
and II is therefore impossible for me
10 comply with any Of the requests set
forth In your letter All this information
you could at any time have acquired
through the usual method OF direct per-
sonal inquiry. thereby avoiding the
doubtful propriety Of addressing me
through the medium OF an open letter
which you concurrently delivered 10
this Office. Whether, II such papers were
accessible 20 me, II would be my duty
TO obtain them and furnish them for
use In legal proceedings 10 which YOU
are a party, and the nature Of which
you do not excplain is question which
do not care al this time 10 discuss
III | may regard the letter as nd
dressed 10 me ordinarily I would say,
II this department is under obligations
10 furnish information TO prosperity.
lltigants in undisclosed proceedings. it,
responsibilities and labors are neces-
sarily greater than they have ever heen
imainged from the time Of It's forma-
ton. Indeed, as there are generally two
parties 10 every controversy IL would
be difficult 10 discharge such alleged
duty to both parties in view Of COM
nicting interests This department was
not called into being to furnish lnfor.
nation 20 private lltlgants. Its duty
and It's object Is 10 enforce the fedora,
statutes as interpreted bv the courts
wherever there Is probable cause for
believing that they have violated
Very respectfully. p. c. KNOX.
uAffarua.. n....-, a.