The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-08-23
REBUKED THEM.
A Letter From Knox to
Antitrust Leaguers.
CAN NOT TAKE SIDES
Siaps at Them for Giving Let
ter to Prescribe Has Not
Information They
Request.

Washington, Aug. 20.--Attorney
General Knox sent the following let
ter to the joint committee Of the
American Antitrust League and Dis
trict Assembly sc. Knights of Labor,
In reply to one from the committee
requesting information from Mr.. Knox
regarding the United States Steel cor
;oration:
Contents Of knox's Letter.
Washington, Aug. 20.
Mr.. ii. d. Martin, Chairman Joint Commit.
tee of American Antitrust League, eac.
Sir-I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt Of your letter Of Aug. 49, 1901, In
which you request me to obtain for you
certain information with reference tp Ger.
tain alleged agreement or agreements
made between the constituent companies
aud individuals who organized the United
states Steel corporation. You ask me to
rfrord you all the Information that II may
pC ssess or can obtain" And you specific.
ally refer to an alleged trust or syndl-
cnte agreement" which you state the pres
ldent Of =. United States Steel corpora
ton, Mr.. c. NJ. Schwab, refused to fur.
h.sh tp the United States Industrial COM
iCisslon. when on the witness stand be-
fore that body" and you further state
that your request for Information Is to be
understood us covering any "ouher CON
tracts Of a similar kind with which you are
acquainted or which you can obtain for
U.S."
You also state that your request for In
formation Is founded upon Information
and belief that at the time tL.s contract
or these contracts, was or were made. "
that l was Sin some way officially con
Eccted with the Carnegie company" aud
you, therefore, assume that the informa.
tion which you request must be ln my
possession or conveniently at hand" l
| nm. therefore, requested to give you the
81 distance, or. If possible, copv thereof.
Primarily, permit me to say that your
request Is founded upon an erroneous as
sumption. i do not know who the indi.
,iduals are who organized the United
states Steel corporation. If they are the
persons usually named In the newspapers
AZ the promoters Of that organization.
with the single exception Of Mr.. C. NJ.
schwab, do not know, never saw, and
vas never In any way connected with any
Of them. I never heard of any agreement
between them, aud the constituent mem
bers Of the steel corporation.
Neither at the time Of the formation OF
the United States Steel corporation, nor
rt any time. was l officially connected
With the Carnegie Steel company. l was
formerly one Of Its legal advisers In the
conduct Of its manufacturing business, but
was never consulted with reference to the
formation of the United States Steel com-
pany nor In relation to the sale of that
company Of the shares OF stock held by
the stockholders of the Carnegie Company
l have never seen the papers or agree
nents to which you refer, nor have been
IL formed Of their contents. have no
knowledge whatever of their existence,
terms or scope. | am thus specific, as I
II tn. hnth fIN NIrlt "A a A..
ter of your inquiry.
Has No Access to Agreement.
] may say. moreover, that have no ac.
cess to the agreement or papers to which
you refer. | know nothing OF the one TO
which you specially refer, and do not even
know that such an agreement Is In exist,
ence. The information which you request,
therefore. Is not In my possession or ''o,n-
ycniently at hand" % you assume, and
II is, therefore. impossible for me to com.
In your letter. All this Information you
could ut any time have acquired through
the usual method Of direct personal In.
culry. thereby avoiding the doubuful pro.
Eriety Of addressing me through the me-
dunn Of an open letter. which you con.
| currently delivered to the press.
Whether, II such papers were accessible
TO me, 1t would be my duty TO obtain them
and furnish them for use In legal proceed.
hgs TO which you aye party, and the
nature OF which you d. not explain, Is q
question which l do not care at this time
10 discuss.
If l may regard the letter as addressed
to me oricialy ] Will say
III this department 10 under obligations
10 furnish information to prospective Ilti-
gtnts in undisclosed proceedings, its re.
sponsibilitles and lab0rs are necessarily
. an AF than fhAu
ined from the time OF it's formation. In.
deed, as there are generally two parties
to every controversy, It would be difficult
TO discharge such alleged duty to both
PARTIES In view of conflicting interests.
1bis department. was not called into being
20 furnish Information to private litigants.
ITS duty and ite object Is to enforce the
federal statutes as interpreted by the
courts wherever there is probable cause
Tor believing that they have been violated.
(slgned( r. c. KNOX.
~ Attorney General.
Reply by Chairman Martin.
In reply to Attorney General Knox,
Issued last night. Chairman Martin,
OF the Joint Antitrust league and
knights OF Labor committee. says:
DOCS the attorney general desire
TO put himself In q position before the
people OF the United States of saying
that If the papers containing the in.
crimnating evidence of the Violations
Of the law Of the United States, which
be is sworn to enforce and punish VIC.
lators OF, were accessible to him, 1t
Us a question whether he would fur.
htsh them for use in legal proceed.
ings, instituted by citizens for the pur.
pose of Furnishing violators of the
law? And yet the attorney general
lntmates to us that there is a cues.