The Western news., 1904-04-20
GOAL TRUST SUIT
Supreme Court
Decides For Hearst
The Trust Must Produce Its Con.
tracts and Show Its Books. Say
light of the Nine Justices Of the
Court.

washington, -. C.-Ile Hearst suit
mas been won and the coal trust beat
en-. By it's decision against the trust
the United States supreme court has
decided that there is a limit to the
power of the trusts, great and power
rul though they be, and the law Of the
land is Still mighticr.
The decision of this same court in
the Northern merger case was con
sldered staggering blow to one kind
or trusts. but the decision of the court.
rendered as Il result of Representative
| William Randolph Hearst's suit against
the coal trust, sounded the death knell
| OF every predatory trust in the country.
1t means that the interstate COM
| merce commission can compel trust
magnates to bring out their books for
inspection and disclose their unlawful
methods for doing business.
1t means that the milionaires of the
| criminal trusts can be compelled by
the commission to make confessions
which will bring them under the opera
ton of the Sherman antitrust act,
1t means that the fence Of technical
tiles behind which the trusts have been
hiding has been broken down.
1t means that Attorney General
Knox has been deprived of the last
shred of pretended excuse for not act
Ing upon evidence OF the coal trusts
guilt with which he was furnished by
MIR. Hearst a year and a half ago,
which evidence will now be furnished
to him again by Baer, Truesdale and
other managers of the coal carrying
roads when they unwillingly remount
the witness stand and hand to the in
terstate commerce commission the con-
tracts which they so desperately and
unsuccessfully endeavored to shield
from view.
If in the face Of the supreme courts
decision and this evidence President
Roosevelt shall permit his attorney
general to abstain from doing his
sworn duty it will be for one Of the
two reasons plain to the whole coun-
try:
First, that the administration is
afraid to offend the coal trust and it's
allies in presidential year; or,
Second, that Mr.. Roosevelt cannot
bring himself to be ungrateful to the
coal trust, which in 1900 yielded to the
demands OF the miners in order to pre-
vent the strike from spreading to West
Virginia, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio
and arraying the labor vote of the ma
ton against the Republican national
ticket.
NOW that the supreme court has sus-
tanned the rights of the interstate COM
merce commission to prosecute the in
vestigation hegun on the petition of
Representative Hearst nothing can
save the coal trust from swift destruc-
ton except the defiant refusal of the
attorney general of the United States
to apply the laws of the United States
to proved eXtortionists and criminals.
The decision of the supreme court
almost took away the breath of all
washington. Representative William
X. Hearsts victory over the coal trust
was the only topic of discussion.
Members of both branches of congress
lett their seats to attend the supreme
court and listen to the reading of the
decision by Justice Day. Senators,
representatives and distinguished ju-
r1Sts fingered in the corridors after the |
last words of the decision had been ut
tered to comment upon the successful
termination of case brought in be-
half Of the most powerful trusts in
the country.
1t was conceded that the New York |
representative and editor had accom-
pltshed more to enforce the antitrust
and interstate commerce laws than
the entire staff of the department.
With but one dissenting opinion
Mr.. Justice Brewer-the supreme court
reversed the United States circuit
court for the southern district of New
York and ruled that the coal oper-
ators must bring their contracts with
the railroads before the interstate COM
merce commission when ordered to do
80. Recalcitrant witnesses. members
Of the coal trust. who defied the au-
thority of the commission and refused
to testify, can also be compelled by
this decision to go upon the witness
stand and answer questions.