The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-05-07
Correspondence OF The Times.

Nuil SlIftl Interest anu ulSo wal
on the Republican party after the
nominations next year. They
| did not know that it was IA part Of
the play hy the tariff interest to
scare Rooscyrlt aud stop any fur
ther attack on the trusts by his
administration. Although his as =
sault SO far on the trusts have been
popgun attacks and have not in
the least injured them, yet the
trusts want him to let them Sc
vcrcly alone aud do nothing that
will in any way attract attention
to them whether they are hurt or
not. Ia order tu do this they are
to frightcu him and his friends.
So far the attacks of the admins,
taatiou on the trusts have been
confined to the beef trust and TO
the northern securities merger.
To show that neither has been
effective Of good to the public it is
only necessary to remind the people
that thr northern securities mer
ger decision has been so modified
that they are still enabled to pay
dividends to the stockholders, and
the beef trust, after paying some
fines, has advanced the price
Of meats from s. to So per 100
pounds and the public will have to
pay the fines in the end
There is an eager interest here
III all circles anent the proceedings
before the Interstate Commerce
Commission in New York in con.
nection with the Coal Trust The
Importance Of the investigation is
evidently appreciated. but in some
quarters there is Il lack Of infor-
nation as to the origin of the in
vestigatIOn a number Of papers
have stated that the Interstate
Commerce Commission set itself
in motion at the instance of At
torney Gen. Knox. Tint is an
extraordinary misapprchension Of
the situation. The truth is that
THE INVESTIGATION Is BEING HELD
BECAUSE ATTORNEY GENERAL.
KNOX COULD NOT RE INDUCED TO
TAKE ACTION AGAINST THE COAL
TRUST on precisely the same evi
dcncc that is now in course of
being made public at the sessions
of the Commission.
On October last, Representa-
tive William Rondolph Hearst in
formed President Roosevelt by
open letter that he had petitioned
the Attorney-Ge for permis-
sion TO supply the latter with Doc.
UMENTARY EVIDENCE of the exist
ence OF the Coal Trust, in order
that he, Mr.. Knox, might be en-
abled to proceed against it for its
disruption under Federal law. A
few days subsequently Mr.. Hearst
was formally requested by Mr..
Knox to submit his proofs to
United States Attorney Burnett
for the Southern District of New
York, who would report thereon to
the Department of Justice.
Mr.. Hearst placed General Bur
nett in possession Of evidence
which established the facts that
the coal-carrying railroads are in
illegal combination for the sup.
preston of competition in mining,
for tho arbitrary regulation of
supply, and the fixing of prices.
Attorney General Knox received
Mr.. Hearst's proofs, with General
Burnett's report upon the same,
but neither brought suit against
the Coal Trust nor gave Mr..
Hearst's evidence publicity.
Last winter a number of United
States Senators endeavored to com
pei Mr.. Knox to reveal the nature
of the evidence transmitted to him,
but their efforts failed, the Attor.
ney Generals friends in the Sen .
ate taking the ground that te
force him to disclose the case
! against The Coal Trust might in.