The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1904-10-22
LOOK AFTER TRUSTS
THEIR INTERESTS PROTECTED
cY REPUBLICANS.
No Ec.::of fer The People Need Be
Locked For-Enforcemen of Anti
Trust Laws Would Bring the Mag
G.-..o5 to Time.

bECSt Laws SSOIlu OIIIS lIlS way
G-..o5 to Time.
ne packers strike and the high
price OF beef should stir up the adj
ninistrstion to some semblance OF
ictiNity against tie trusts. For months
,he Del artment OF Commerce and La
DOR has had a large force OF inspec-
.Ors investigating the beef trust which
he Department Of Justice about two
,ea.s ago discovered was a bad trust.
n feet the only bad industrial trust
t could discover. There is no lack
IF Len or money to fight the trusts
:or tic large army OF employees of the
Department Of Commerce and Labor.
aot counting the numerous special at
.orncys of the Department OF Justice
with its appropriation of 100000 is
AVAILABLE and has been for more than
.wo years. The lack of results, is
evidence that President Roosevelt Is
aot honestly trying to stop the depre-
dating Of even the one bad trust that
ae and Knox selected to try their hand
on. The injunction obtained against
The beef trust is evidently worthless.
IS far as protecting the people from
It's eXactions is concerned. Since the
injunction was obtained meat has been
aigher than before the legal proceed
ings were commenced.
The trouble with President loose
selt is that he is trying to run with
the hare--the peCple-and with the
hounds-the trusts.
Does anyone believe that if the
president was really intent On stop
ping the plundering of the people by
any Of the great predatory trusts,
that under his orders the attorney
general could not find a way to 10
1t and do it quickly? Only two efforts
have been made to protect the people
and those in only half hearted way.
As long as Knox was attorney gen.
aral, nothing else could have been eX-
pected, for his selection by the great
trust magnates of Pennsylvania %
bucceed Quay in the United States
) Senate, is positive evidence that the
trusts feel very kindly to him for his
iorbearance and rewarded him &C.
rrordingly.
If President Roosevelt was really
intent on bringing a few sample big
trusts to book, how easy and quickly
1t could be done. Not only the beef
trust, but the coal trust, the Standard
oil trust, the steel trust, the sugar
trust, IN fact any Of the big bad trusts
would soon cease their plundering as
far as combining and restraining trade
IS concerned if the following section
1t the antitrust law was enforced:
Section 2 Every one who shall
nonopolize, or attempt to monopolize
or combine with any other person or
persons, to monopolize any part of the
trade or commerce among the several
states, or with foreign nations, shall
te deemed guilty of a msdemeanor
and on conviction thereof shall be pun
lshed by fine not exceeding five thou
sand dollars, or by Imprisonment not
exceeding one year. or by both said
punishments, in the discretion of the
court"
The whole law will be found in the
twenty-sixth volume of the United
States statutes at large page 200 and
can be examined at any law library.
1t created sever different crimes re-
latlng to Interstate, foreign, or ter
ritorial trade or commerce, punishable
by-a penalty not exceeding $1,000, or
one years Imprisonment, or both, by
providing that every person who shall
make, (D contract in restraint OF
such trade, or CD engage in a CON-
DlnatlOn In form of trust or other
wise, or (3) in a conspiracy in re-
straint OF such trade, or ca monopo-
lie, or go attempt to mcnopolize, or
10Y combine, or CD coaspire to
monopolize, such trade shall be guilty
OF misdemeanor, to be punished as
stated.
There would be no delay in gath.
ering evidence against at least two
trusts. The evidence against the beef
trust and the coal trust is in the
archives OF the Department of Justice
and the names of those who could be
summoned as witnesses are also
known.
The advantage of proceeding under
section two of the antitrust law. is
that the United States courts are al
ways open to criminal prosecution and
the trust magnates could be indicted
and tried without delay.
Trust magnates in Jail, with the fear
OF further prosecution, would at once
break up their unlawful combinations
There would still remain the protec.
ton they receive under the Dinc,ev
tarin law, which prevents CONNECT
ton from outside and allows them to
plumber the consumers through high
prices. OF course no relief can be ex-
pected from Roosevelt from that
source. He believes with the Repub-
lican majority in congress and as the
Republican national platform de-
clares: 1--WE insist upon the mainten-
ance of the principles of protection"
There you have it. Protect the
trust magnates from the law espec-
tally made to punish them. Protec-
ton to the few at the expense of the
many is the alpha and Omega of mod
ern Republicanism.