The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-04

Securities company and it's control of the
railroads mentioned was a combination in
restraint Of trade and was attempting a
monopoly in violation Of the national anti
trust law. Thereupon q suit in equity,
which is now pending, was begun by the
government to test the validity of this
transaction under the Sherman law.
= The Beef Trust Case.
j. At nearly the, same time the disclo
joyed by the great packing house COM
panies, coupled with the very high price
of meats. led the attorney general to direct
an inVestiga ton into the methods OF the
so-ca1led beef trust The result was that
he filed bills for Injunction against six Of
the principal packing house companies,
and restrained them from combining and
agreeing upon prices at which they would
sell their products yin states other than
those in which their meats were prepared
for market. Writs of injunction were is
sued accordingly. and since then, after
full argument, the United States circuit
court has made the injunction perpetual.
+ 49, The Cotton: Roads Case.
The cotton interests Of the south; in
, cluding growers, buyers, and shippers,
made complaint that they were suffering
great injury in their business from the
methods Of the southern railroads in the
handling and transportation Of cotton.
They alleged that these railroads, by
| combined action under a pooling arrange
ment to support their rate schedules, had
| denied to the shippers the right to elect
| over what roads their commodities should
be shipped, and that by dividing upon a
fixed basis the cotton crop Of the south
| all inducement to compete in rates for the
| transportation thereof was eliminated
! Proceedings were instituted by the attor-
ney general under the anti trust law
! which resulted in the destruction of the
pool and in restoring to the growers an6
| shippers of the south the right to shiI
their products over any road they elected
thus removing the restraint upon the free
dom Of commerce.
The Federal Salt Company Case.
In November, 1902, the attorney gen:
leral directed that a bill for an injunction
be filed in the United States circuit cour
at San Francisco against the Federal Sal
company-a corporation which had beer
Iorganized under the laws Of an eastern
state, but had it's main office and prin
lcipal place Of business in California-ant
against a number of other companies an<
persons constituting what was known al
the salt trust. These injunctions wer,
to restrain the execution Of certain con
tracts between the Federal Salt compan,
and the other defendants, by which tn
latter agreed neither to import, buy, no
sell salt, except from and to the Fedora
Salt company, and not to engage or as
sist in the production of salt west Of tn
Mississippi river during the continuanc
Of such contracts. AS the result Of thes
agreements, the price of salt had bee1
advanced about 400 per cent A tempo
rary injunction order was obtained, whic
the defendants asked the court to modtf
on the ground that the antitrust law haU
; no application to contracts for purchase
and sales within a state. The circuit cour
} Foverruled this contention and sustalne
the governments position. This practic
ally concluded the case, and it is urlder
stood that IN consequence the Federal Sal
J company Is about to be dissolved and tina
no further contest will be made.
~ Substantial Achievements" ..s
The above is a brief outline of the mos
: important steps, legislative and admins
trative. taken during the past eightee
months in the direction Of solving, so ia
as at present it seems practicable by ma
tional legislation or administration
solve what we call the trust problem
They represent sum Of very substantfs
achievement. They represent a successf,
effort to devise and apply real remedies
: an effort which so far succeeded becaus
it was made not only with resolute purpos
and determination. but also in a spirit
common sense and justice, as far remove
as possible from rancor, hysteria, an
unworthy demagogic appeal. In, the sam
spirit the laws will continue to be er
forced. Not only is the legislation recent
ly enacted effective, but in my Judgment
was impracticable to attempt mere. Notf
ing Of value Is to be expected from ceas.
less agitation for radical and extren