The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-01-23
TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
Prosecuting Attorney e. o. Petit
Replies TO the Cunning Sheets.

LcGAN, o., Jan. /, 1902.
Hon. ]. M. Sheets, Columbus, o.;
Dear sir--The public press of
the 3lst ult., credits you with hav-
ing violated all ordinary profess
ional courtesy by rushing into the
print with defense of the Hook
ing Coal trust, and echoing the
allegations or statements that the
railroad companies and the coal
companies involved in this COM
bination would certainly be pleased
to have promulgated.
If you are correctly reported,
you have given an opinion to the
citizens of the state of Ohio with
out being apparently asked for the
same. You have given it in ad-
vance and without having read the
three grounds or causes of action
in the petition in quo warranto
filed by the state of Ohio in our
courts. You have given this gratis
and semi-judicial decision, and
passed upon the merits of the case,
in every detail, without having
heard any of the evidence, except
such as you have gathered by
'living in sight of the Hooking
Valley road" and having seer
enormous train loads of Goa
hauled over its tracks," etc.
From this careful examination
you assert that "no suits agains
the companies could be maintain
ed"
You say that "you are willing
that every company and bushes
shall make fair profit" etc. Yo,
further find in the conclusion o
your opinion that these companie
complained of, to-wit, The Hook
ing Valley and the Ohio Contra
lines, are, and have been eco
operating" for the mutual benefit
etc. Did it not occur to you whel
you had found evidence to satisf,
you that this was fact, tina
these two systems, having tn
same termini on Lake Erie and tn
Ohio river, and paralleling on
another throughout the state o
Ohio, are expressly forbidden b,
the law of 1882 to so cooperate
and that it was your duty lonl
since to have taken action in th'
matter2
| Did 1t not occur to you that ,
railroad company which came be
fore you as one of the taxing off
GERS of railroads, was violating tn
law of the state when it made
false report for the years 1900 ant
1901 Of its property, for the pur
poses of taxation, to-wit, when j
reported to its bondholders that i
owned $45, 6S5, sos worth of prop
| ty, and that it's chief Office was il
Columbus, Ohio, stones throy
from your own office-with al
these facts at your command, an,
yet you found officially, in each o
these years, that its propert
valued at its true value in none
was worth only $4,696,O80? Di
not little discrepancy in valua
tion of $40, 9S9, 545 suggest to yo
that they were doing somethin
that demanded your attentio
other than standing on your bac
porch looking at the freight train
hauling coal?
Did you not figure the amour
of taxes lost to the counties in tn
state of Ohio by this concealmen
Of the true values of the assets G
the Hooking company alone, whic
at twenty miles as an average ia
rate enabled this company to Ell
cape paying 100000 yearly, an
which amount the farmers an
merchants and other tax payers {
Hooking county and Frankli
! county and other counties had
pay for this company, beside pay
ing the monopolistic price fc
transportation for their commod
ties?
Did it not suggest itself to yo
that there was something for yo
TO do when Won were watchin