The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-10-11

New York, Oct. 5.-The "Ameri-
cans proofs of the existence of a local
trust and petition for the prosecu-
ton of the com bination under the
Sherman antitrust law are todav
before President Roosevelt and AT
torney. General Knox.
Mr.. Knox lately reported to ths
president that he could fnd no ev.
idence against the coal roads as a
trust to bring them within the scops
of the Sherman law.
"The "American" now supplies
the proof from documentary evil
dence.
The Industrialj Commissioner
report, filed this year, after investi-
cation of the trusts, expressed the
belief that only an illegal combina-
tion of the coal roads existed. The
"American" is able to put into the
governments hands the actual facts
of the combinations formation and
unlawful operations. The very sig
natures of the officers of the COM
panies in the coal trust to an agree
ment made for the illegal purpose
of monopollzing the anthracite trade
are part of the evidence.
It is then shown that these COM
panies, prior to 1901, mined and
sold 70 per cent. of the supply and
individual operators the remainder.
The railway, then by agreement,
charged as freight 40 per cent. of
theft o. b. price of coal at tidewater.
Application was made to the New
York State Railroad Commission
ers for charter for the Delaware
Valley and Kingston Railroad. to
run from Kingston, on the Hudson
river, to Lackawanna, and connect
ing with the railroad owned by the,
Pennsylvania Coal Company. which
has branches throughout the Wy
oming coal field. This new road
would have broken the control of
the railroad trust over freight rates.
The railroads in the coal combine
took steps to throttle this competi-
tor.
The Temple Iron Company was
a Pennsylvania corporation that
operated furnaces at Reading, Pa.
1t had nothing to do with coal min
ing. The coal roads bought con-
troll of the company's stock. 1t had
a capital stock issue of $4,000.
These railroad companies executed
and signed an agreement with one
another and had the Guaranty
Trust Company of New York to
guarantee the stocks and bonds of
the following companies: Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Company, Centrel Railroad of New
Jersey, Reading Company, Lehigh
Valley Railroad Company, New
York, Susquehanna and Western
Railroad Company.
The purpose of this increase of
capital was to buy up the principal
independent coal mine operators
who were behind the new rival rail-
road scheme.
The "The "American" will also
prove, for the sake of furnishing
concrete acts of the trusts in viola
ton of the Sherman antitrust law,
that in March, 1901, meeting of
the Iron Temple Company's direc-
tors was held, at which it was a.
greed to maintain uniform price
for coal mined in Pennsylvania,
transported from Pennsylvania to
New York and sold within the state
of New York, during the month of
April, 1901, the price per ton to be:
Crate, 81; egg, $4.25; stove, $3.50,
and chestnut. $3.50. Coal was sold,
according to this agreement.
throughout the month of April,
1901. These prices were higher
than would have prevailed but 70,
the excellence of the combination
described, and higher than in the
year previous. Like action, takel,
in April of this year, is also shown.