The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-04-04

deeply affected held a meeting to con- sider how to prevent the merger be- coming effective and passed resolutions calling upon the national government to enforce the antitrust laws against the alleged combination. When these resolutions were referred to the attor- ney general for consideration and ad- vice, he reported that in his opinion the Northern Securities company and its control of the railroads mentioned was a combination in restraint of trade aild was attempting monopoly in violation of the national antitrust law. Thereupon suit in equity. which is now pending, was begun by the government to test the validity of this transaction under the Sherman law. azss..
 a At nearly the same time the disclos- ures respecting the secret rebates en- joyed by the great packing house com panies, coupled with the very high price of meats, led the attorney gen. eral to direct an investigation into the methods of the so-called beef trust. The result was that he filed bills for in junction against six of the principal packing companies, and restrained them from combining and agreeing upon prices at which they would sell their products in states other than those in which their meats were pre- pared for market Writs of injunction were issued accordingly, and since then, after full argument, the United States circuit court has made the in junction perpetual. s s.
 The cotton interests of the south, in cluding growers, buyers, and shippers, made complaint that they were suffer- ing great injury in their business from the methods of the southern railroads in the handling and transportation of cotton. They alleged that these rail- roads, by combined action under a pooling arrangement to support their rate schedules, had denied to the ship pers 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 ratse for the transportation thereof was elimfn- ated. Proceedings were instituted by the attorney general under the ariti- trust law, which resulted in the de- struction of the pool and in restoring to the growers and shippers @of the south the right to ship their products over any raod they elected, thus remov- ing the restraint upon the freedom of commerce. Y
 In November. 1902, the attorney gen. eral directed that a bill for an injunc- tion be filed the United States circuit court at San Francisco against the Federal Salt company-a corporation which had been organized under the laws of an eastern state, but had its main office and principal place of busi- ness in California-and against num- Der of other companies and persons constituting what was known as the salt trust. These injunctions were to restrain the execution of certain con- tracts between the Federal Salt com- pany and the other defendants, by which the latter agreed neither to i'm port, buy. or sell salt, except from and to the Federal Salt company, and not to engage or assist in the production of salt west of the. Mississippi river ! during the continuance of such con tracts. As the result of these agree ments the price of salt had been ad. vanced about four hundred per cent A temporary injunction order was ob. tained, which the defendants asked the | court to modify on the gronud that the antitrust law had no application i to contracts for purchases and sales within a state. The circuit court over ruled this contention and sustained the governments position. This practi. cally concluded the case, and it is un- derstood that in consequence the Fed. eral Salt company is about to be dis solved and that no further contest vii s-be7 made.