Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-11-15
LOOKOUT /!
Courts Are Going
After Trusts.
Order Issued From De-
partment Of Justice.
Offending Combines Located In
Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Washington, Nov. 15.-Instruc-
tions have gone out from the Depart
ment of Justice to three United States
District Attorneys stationed in as many
different districts to begin proceedings
as soon as possible against certain
specified trusts concerning whose
methods Of operation complaints have
been received by the Attorney Gen
efal.
One of these trusts has it's head
quarters in Pittsburg, and several Of
its constituent factories are located
in Western Pennsylvania and Western
Ohio. 1t also has branches in some
of the Middle Western States, includ-
ing Missouri and Kansas. For rea-
sons which will appear obvious | am
not at liberty to disclose its identity
at this time. Its capitalization, how
ever, runs into the tens of millions
of dollars. Nearly three months ago
| the Department of Justice undertook
to investigate complaints made against
this particular trust, and against two
Others. One District Attorney, acting
under directions from Washington.
has carried his investigation to
point where effective results are ex-
| pected to follow. In the Southern
! district of the State of Mississippi
he obtained indictments last night
against officials of the Cottonseed Oil
trust, and 1t is presumed he has evi-
| dence sufficiently strong to convict
| them of violating the antitrust law
If the expectations of the department
are realized with respect to the Pitts
burg combination several of the most
prominent figures in business circles
IN that part of the country will also
be indicted, or be made defendants
III q civil action. Prosecutions under
the Sherman antitrust law NAV be
either civil or criminal, or both. The
civil action would be In the nature
OF suit to enioin a trust from CON
ductlng Its business In violation of
the statute. The criminal proceeding
would have as its object either the
Imprisonment or the fining of persons
found guilty of its infracton. The
Sherman law provides that persons
round engaging in trust or monopo-
llst1c business "shall be deemed
guilty or misdemeanor, and on con-
viction thereof shall be punished bv
fine not exceeding $1,000, or by i'm
prisonment not exceeding one year,
or by both said punishments. in the
discretion of the court"
Section z of the law reads: "Any
person who shall be injured in his
business or property by any other
person or corporation by reason of
anything forbidden or declared to he
unlawful by this act, may sue there
for In any Circuit court of the United
States In the district in which the
defendant resides or is found, without
respect to the amount in controversy
ana shall recover threefold the dam
ages by him sustained and the costs
Of tho suit including a reasonable at
torney's fee"
This section of the antit trust law is
quoted inasmuch as the complainant
against the Pittsburg combination
claims that his business has been hmm
pered and restrained because of the
refusal of the trust to sell him Ger.
tain products OF its manufacture for
the alleged reason that he declined to
consider proposition to enter sub
sidary combination which is depcnd-
cnt upon the trust for its raw ma
terial.
AT the Department of Justice n re-
port IL expected almost daily now
from District Attorney in the Mid
die West, announcing that he is reodv
TO proceed against the combination in
question.