The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-08-21
HEARD FROM KNOX
Antitrust League and Knights
of Labor
Receive a Reply to Their Letter
of Inquiry.
is NOT ENCOURAGING.
Attorney General DiscIaims All
knowledge of Trust Deal.
Incidentally He Administers a
Roast to His Questioners.

Washington Aug. 21.-Attorney Gen
era1 Knox has sent the following letter
to the joint CON mission Of the Ameri-
can Antitrust league and district as
sembIy IS. Knights of Labor. in reply
to one from the committee asking for
information from Mr.. Knox regarding
the U s. steel corporation
Washington, Aug 21--H. b Martin
chairman joint committee of American
Antitrust league:
Sir: I have the honor to acknowl-
edge the receipt of your letter OF
August 10. 1901, in which you request
me TO obtain for you certain infOrTna-
ton with reference to certain alleged
agreement or agreements between the
constituent companies and individuals
whP organized the L. s. steel corpora
ton You ask me to afford you all the
information that I may possess or can
obtain, and you specifically refer to
an alleged trust or syndicate agree
menJ. wnieh you state the president or
the Z. s steel corporation. refused TO
furnish the Z s industrial con mis-
sion 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 con-
tracts of a similar kind with which you
are acquainted or which you can OBJ
tain for US
You also state that your request for
information Is founded upon belief
that at the time this contract or these
contracts, was or were made that
was in some way officially connected
with the Carnegie company and you
therefore assume that the information
which you request, must be in my pos
session or conveniently at hand I am
therefore required to give you sub
stantial facts, or, If possible a copy
thereof.
Primarily. permit me to say that
your request is founded upon an enron
e0us assumption. I do not know who
u s steel corporation If they are the
persons referred to usually in the
newspapers as the promoters Of that
organization, with the single exception
Of c. NJ Schwab. I do not know, never
saw and never was in any way con-
nected with any of them never heard
of any agreement between them and
the constituent members of the steel
corpora ton.
Neither at the time of the forma-
ton OF the U s steel corporation nor
at any time, was I officially connected
with the Carnegie Steel company
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 T. 5.
Steel company, nor IN relation to the
sale to that company OF the shares of
stock held by the stockholders of the
Carnegie company
I have never seen the papers or
agreements to which you refer nor have
I been informed Of their contents I
have no knowledge OF their existence.
or scope I am thus specific. as de-
sire to cover both the spirit and the
letter Of your inquiry
Il may say. however, 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 is not in my
possession or conveniently at hand as
you assume, and 1T is therefore impos-
sfbIe for me to comply with your re-
quest All this information you could
at any time have acquired through the
usual method OF direct personal in
Quiry, thereby avoiding addressing me
through the medium of open letter
which you concurrently delivered to
this Office. Whether. If such papers
were accessible to me. it would be my
duty TO obtain them and furnish them
for use in legal proceedings to which
you are a party, and the nature of
which you do not explain, is a question
which [ do not care at this time to dis
cuss-
IF may regard the letter as ad-
dressed to me officially I will say II
this department is under obligations to
furnish Information to Htigants its re-
sp0nsib1lities and labors are necessar-
iiy greater than they have ever been
imagined from the time of its formation.
Indeed, as there are generally two par
ties to every cOnIfOFefSyU II WOulO De
difficult 10 discharge such alleged duty (
to both parties in view of the conflict /
ing interests This department was not
called into being to furnish information /
to private 1tigants. It's duty and its |
object is to enforce the federal statutes /
as interpreted by the courts wherever
there is cause for believing that they
have been violated
Very respectfully
@P. C. KNOX.
rtor-~oxy CSaT7a,-.1 -