The Minneapolis journal., 1902-06-28
AFTER COAL TRUST
It Is Probably Next on the Govern
ment's Little List. :. :.
ROOSEVELT STARTS AN INQUIRY
He % Is Anxious to Settle the Strike
i Which He REGARDS as a .-....: - !. : ;.
3.u4 <JI = Foolish One. ..>.n.z.. a.
Special to The journal.

; = -
Chicago June 2s.2-Walter Wellman, In
his Washington correspondence TO the
Record Herald sosays:r There is now a
brighter prospects than ever before that
the anthracite coal. trust may be prose-
cuted by the federal government. TO
day President Roosevelt took the first
step toward hauling that trust before the
courts. He referred to the department Of
justice the charge that the coal COM
bination is operating in violation Of the
Attorney General Knox to Investigate the
charge and to make report thereon
The matter which the president turned
over to the attorney general was dis
patch from Wilkeebarre containing a re-
view of the methods pursued by the trust
in controlling, the market, the output and
the price of coal. Parts Of the article
which the president referred to the de-
partment Of justice for Investigation were
literally underscered. blythe presidential
pencil. Although no official adnis sion. to
this effect can, be secured, 1T is believed
the special report OF Labor Commissioner
Carroll D.. Wright; now in the presidents 9
hands, sustains the charges made that
there is a coal trust whose operati ions
are In violation Of law. -.
It will not be. safe ITO conclude that a
prosecution of: the coal trust is assured
There may be a prosecution and there
may not. An investfgat ton by the de
partment Of Justice has already been or
dered and thus the first step has been
taken. >....s F.. r. -.
Attorney General Knox is not in favor
of a prosecution at, this time. 1t is un-
derstood that he claims the legal question
involved in the case against the coal trust
are in many. respects similar,yto those In
volved :, in the Northern Securities and
beef trust suits, already Instituted. AS
a cautious lawyer, Mr.. Knox would
naturally like to secure: decision of the
courts of the important points before pro-
ceeding to bring other cases. Meanwhile e
an Investigation will be made. The attor=
ney general. will inquire into the coal
trust and its methods. An official of the
department of justice said to-day If the
government could secure favorable de-
cision from the federal courts in the rail
way merger and beef combination cases,
or one of them, It. would not be necessary
to begin a prosecution of the coal trust.
With such decision in hand it would be
only necessary to; point the finger Of the
law at the coal combination and 1t would
come down like DaYy Crockett's coon,
without any shooting
It is an open secret that the president
is exceedingly anxious to have the strike
in the anthractte regions brought to an
end. He looks upon that strike as a
senseless one. y He has been assured by
Senator Hanna, Mr. Gompers and others
who know the facts, that the railway
presidents could have averted a strike
by making a very small concession to the
men,, a concession which they could well
afford to make out sof their profits, and
which would involve no surrender Of any
principle worthy OF preservation. Since
the president began to1ook into this mat
oYfa nj
J, Pierpont Morgan, has paid two visits
to- Washington. He has seen the presi
dent and talked the matter over with
him. Mr. Morgan Is the greatest indi-
vidual factor In the coal trust. In fact,
it was his genius that organized 1t. Be-
fore he took hold of the anthracite fields
there had been efforts to form combi-
nation and control the output and fix the
prices. Circular prices were fixed. but
they were secretly cut. 1t was MT. Nor
gan who formed q combination so tight
that the cutting of prices was stopped.
!. The Morgan company controls 68 per
cent OF the coal output Of the anthracite
regions, and naturally Mr.. Morgan does
not want prosecution by the govern
ment. Mr.. Perkins has been here to see
about it.
4, The coal trust is charged not only with
violating the law by yuppressing compe-
LlLlOQ, 5QuC IL WOThS al Injury W IAo PoO
lie by putting up the price Of coal. At
this time itais engaged in working an un-
usual and extraordinary injury to the
public by permitting strike to go on. a
strike which threatens to involve the
most serious consequences and which has
already caused great inconvenience and
loss. No one would be justified in saying
that the president Is using the threat OF
prosecution as club with which to force
"a setflement of the strike. And yet It is