Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-11-05
ADMINISTRATION ACTS
Department Of Commerce and Labor
Has for Weeks Been Carrying on
Secret Investigation Which May
\ End In Prosecution Of Meat Trust. 4
[BY H. ]. MAHIN.l
Washington Bureau of the Courier.


While Judge Wade, democratic cane.
didate for congress in the second dis
trict, is telling his hearers that the rel
publican administration is permitting
them to be robbed by the beef trust,
that same republican administration
has been quietly conducting one of the
most searching Investigations into the
doings OF the trust ever known in the
history OF great corporations.
This Is being done by special agenta
in Chicago, Omaha and other westernI
cities, appointed by James r. Garfield
commissioner of corporations The ,in-
vestisation is being conducted under
the provisions of the resolution offered
last session by Representative Martin,i
a republican from Minnesota.
Trust Still Operating.
Commissioner Garfield told the
Courier representative today that the
Investigation will probably be con-i
cluded and the result sent to the Presi.
dent within the next four or five weeks,
If the investigation shows that the
trust is still operating as has been
charged the President will immediately
turn the evidence over to the attorney
general and he will prosecute the beef
combine managers for contempt Of |
court for violation of the Injunction
granted by Judge Grosscup in Chicago
two years ago.
Prosecution ls Likely.
1t is learned on good authority that
the evidence gathered by Mr.. GarfAe1Q
goes to show that tlfe trust hasrj5ean
operating. 1t is said that many of
| Representative Martins charges VIII
be proven. If this Is the case tho
trust will be promptly prosecuted.
Persons in Washington who are ac-
uuainted with the details of Judge
Wade's action in the beef trust matter
in congress last session are at a loss
to understand how he has the nerve
to bring the matter into his campaign
this fall Scarcely anything that Judge
Wade ATTEMPTED in congress last year
met with a flatter failure than his beef
trust bill. The bill was in the first
place such an absurd and socialistio
document, that had it been enacted 1t
would have been ineffective because
of its unconstitutionality 1t hal abb
solutely no attention in the committee
to which 1t was referred. Even Judge
Wadc's democratic friends were
ashamed to try to push It. It was obs
vious that Judge Wade did not intro.
duce it for action. 1t was evidently
done for effect and to give him tha
chance to make the speech on the mat
ter which he delivered on the floor Of
ths house.
! Judge Wade then went to the depart.
ment of justice to ask them what they
were doing in regard to the beef trust.
He says In recent speech that he
saw there the papers in the case lying
idle and untouched. This could not
be the case since the department OF
| Justice has no papers in the beef trust
before it, This evidence is now be-
ing gathered by the department OF
commerce arlc labor and will not be
j turned over to the department of JUS.
tice until complete.
The department Of Justices an.
swer to Judge Wade's TRADE on the
! floor was that If he would furnish ev-
idence that could be acted upon
showing the beef trust guilty OF the
charges he made the government
1 would take immediate action. Judge
I Wade was SO positive in all his state.
4 ments that it was expected that had
he been really working in the interest
of the people he would have obtained
this evidence and turned 1t over to
|, the attorney general. The department.
of justice is not authorized to make
such investigations. The new depart.
ment of commerce and labor has this
4 right. 1t was left to republican con-
gressman, Representative Martin to
draw up proper resolution the re.
suits of which have been this search
/ ing investigation Of the alleged meat
combine.
The fact that Judge Wade knew
very little about the subject when
he went into 1t is shown by his igno-
rance Of the fact that an Injunction
had ever been granted. This informa-
ton was impaired to Judge Wade by
the writer much to the congressman's
surprise.