The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-04-28
COAL TRUST INQUIRY
 ABOUT TO BE RENEWED
ATTORNEY GENERAL REPLIES
 TO HOUSE RESOLUTIONS.

No Criminal Prosecutions Instituted
 Against Persons Involved in the Re-
 cent Decision of the Supreme Court In
 Difficulty First Encountered in the Coal Trust Investigation.
 Washington, April 27.-Attorney Gen |eral Knox to-day transmitted to the house replies to the two resolutions of Iinquiry introduced by MT. Williams of Mississippi relative to trusts. First replying to the question as to whether any criminal prosecutions had been begun by him against persons in- volved in the decision of the supreme court os the United States in the Northern Securities case, as guilty of violating the laws by entering into |combinations in restraint of trade, the lattorney general says:
 T have the honor to say that no Icriminal prosecutions have been insti- Ituted agains the persons referred to lin the resolution and further than this, II do not deem it compatible with the public interest to comply with the res- olution.'
 The other resolution asks if any in- Ivestigation ever was made by the de- lpartment of justice of the so-called an- thracite coal trust, consisting of the an thracite coal carrying railroads. The at torney general replies to this as fol- lows
 II have the honor to say that during lthe time of the anthracite coal strike, the department of justice began an in- Ivestigation for the purpose of deter mining whether the anthracite coal business was conducted through a com bination or conspiracy in violation of the anti-trust act of 1890.
 This investigation had not proceed ed far until I discovered that if such a lcombination existed, the evidence of it's and that if it was to be established it would largely depend upon the gov ernment's ability to secure evidence on a chain of circumstances which. in the aggregate, would establish a combina- tion.
 In view of the fact that this depart ment possessed now powers to compel the production of books and papers, to examine witnesses under oath, I opened up the subject through a representa- tive of the department of justice with a representative of the interstate com mission as to the advisability of the interstate commerce commission mak- l ing a general investigation into the general question as to whether the anthracite coal roads were engaged in pooling, charging exorbitant rates for the coal from reaching it's natural markets, and, in short, of obtaining through the powers of the commission evidence of the facts, the suggestion being that the commission should in this respect and within its functions, repeal it's action which led to the de- velopment of the facts upon which the government based it's case against the Joint Traffic association, and later eNto aAHol lllG NOl OGCUE1lleS COnl- lDany.
 About this time complaint was made before the interstate commerce commission. raising the question above referred to"
 l The attorney general adds that this was decided on appeal in favor of the powers of the. commission to compel the production of the testimony and says .as I am informed, the commission is about to renew the hearing which when lcomnleted. will lay before the depart ment Of justice all the available infor- nation in relation to the alleged com ibination.
 Further than this I do not deem it compatibile with the public interest to comply with the resolution Sold tn .Vanuu