The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-08-21
KNOX MAKES CURT REPLY
DENIES ALLEGED CONNECTION
 WITH THE STEEL TRUST.
ments Between Individuals Who Were Concerned in the Com bina ton Duty of the Attorney Generals De- pertinent Sharply Defined Can Take No Part in Private Litigation.

| Washington, Aug. 20.--Attorney Gen.
 eral Knox to-day sent the following
 letter to the joint committee of the
 American Antitrust League and Dis
 trict Assembly 66, K. of L., in reply to
 one from the committee requesting in-
 formation from MT. Knox regarding
 the United States Steel corporation: | Washington, D. C., Aug. 2O | H. B. Martin Chairman Joint Commit tee of American Antl- Trust League, | etc:
 | Sir: have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of August 19, l 1901, in which you request me to ob-
 tain for you certain information with reference to certain alleged agreement or agreements made between the con stituent companies and individuals who organized the United States Steel cor poration." You ask me to afford you all the information that may possess or can obtain" and you specifically re- fer to an alleged trust or syndicate agreement" which you state the presi~ dent of the United States Steel corpo-. ration, c. M. Schwab, refused to furnish to 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 understood 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 on information and belief that at the time this contract or these contracts, was or were made' that I was in some way officially con- nected with the Carnegie company and you, therefore, assume that the in formation which you request must be in my possession or conveniently at hand" T am, therefore, requested to give you the substance, or if possible, a copy thereof"
 Primarily, permit me to say that your request is founded upon an erroneous assumption. I do not know who the individuals are who organized the Unit J are the persons usually named in the newspapers as the promoters of that organization, with the single exception of c. M Schwab, I do not know. never heard of any agreement between them and the constituent members of the steel corporation
 Neither at the time of the formation of the United States Steel corporation nor at any time was I officially con- nected with the Carnegie Steel conn., pany. I was formerly one of it's legal advisers in the conduct of it's manufac- turing business, but was never consult ed with reference to the formation of the United States Steel company nor in relation to the sale of that company of the shares of stock held by the stock holders of the Carnegie company have never seen the papers or agree ment to which you refer nor have I been informed of the contents. I have no knowledge whatever of their exist ence, terms or scope. I thus specify as I desire to cover both the spirit and the letter of your inquiry.
 I may say, moreover, that I have no access to the agreement or papers to which you refer. I know nothing of the one to which you especially refer and do not even know that such an agreement is in existence. The infor- nation which you request therefore, is not in my possession or Conveniently at hand" as you assume and 1t is therefore, impossible for me to 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 personal inquiry, thereby avoiding the doubtful propriety of addressing me through the medium of an open letter which you concurrently delivered to the press.
 Whether, if such papers were accessi-
 lContinued on Sixth Page.)