The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-12-14

AN0 ~ w OAehA Mn AAAN0-Nf
We have it on the authority of the
/ Washington Post that the President is
| indignant because the Senate Judiciary
! Committee has held up the nominal
ton of Attorney General Knox pending
the investigation of charges made
| against him by the Antitrust League.
It is not entirely clear why the Pres
ident should be indignant. The Anti
Trust League appears to be composed
of reputable citizens, and they have a
right to make charges against the At
torney General if they want to. The
that committee recognizes that right,
and it is probable that he is as good
authority as to what ought to be done
under such circumstances as the Pres
ident.
Mr.. Knox was appointed to the of
fee which he now fills after the ad-
jeurnment of the last Congress, and
hence his nomination has to go before
the Senate of this Congress for con-
frmation. 1t seems, however, that
there are citizens-most of them prob
ably are members of the Anti Trust
League-who do not think he is as zeal
Gus as he ought to be in prosecuting
those huge combinations of capital
called trusts. In fact, they are in
clined to the belief that he is in sym
pathy with trusts, and therefore they
do not think he is a proper person to
be at the head of the department of
justice. There are seventy-five United
States District Attorneys, and no one
of them can move against a trust ex-
cept by authority of the Attorney Cen
eral. He is therefore in a position to
prevent trusts from being prosecuted
under the laws of the United States.
1t is not to be understood of course
that the charges which have been filed
against the Attorney General are true.
The chances are that they are not.
The Anti Trust League is composed
of men who are so Jealous that they
are likely to accept unsubstantiated re-
ports for facts. The animus of the at
tack on the Attorney General is found
in the fact that when the great strike
against the billion dollar steel trust
of the Antitrust League undertook
to have the legality of that trust tested
in the courts, and they applied to At
torney General Knox for certain in
formation, and, If we are not mistaken,
wanted him to begin proceedings
a he cst..
Antitrust law. 1t seems that his
response to their advances was not to
their liking, and so they came to the
conclusion that he was in league with
the trusts. 1t was understood from his
reply to the Antitrust League that he
knew of no ground ON which he could
begin an action against the trust.
There is no doubt that he was sincere
in the. position which he then took, and
doubtless he will demonstrate that he
was right when the matter comes be-
fore the Senate Judiciary Committee
tits not improbable that the question
of the confirmation of the Attorney
General will be made an excuse for a
very general discussion of the trust
question in the Senate. The Congress
sional campaign has practically begun,
and there is a good deal of political
ammunition in the trust question. 1t
viii not be surprising therefore if the
confirmation of the nomination of Mr..
Knox should not be prompt when it
comes before the Senate. There is a
chance for good deal of talk intended
for constituents. 1t is a safe predic-
ton, however, that the nomination Will
be confirmed when a vote is reached.