Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1904-10-26

COOKS oil This country. While Grover
Cleveland was president his attorney
general. Richard Olney, was called up
on for a judicial opinion regarding the
constitutiOnality OF the antitrust law,
and Mr.. Olney gave II as his opinion
that IL could not be enforced. Two
years ago last summer when the men
who were behind the meat-packing in.
dustries in Chicago, ST. Joe and Kan.
sas City. had formed the scheme and
combination which had for its yow
ed purpose the controlling of the
price of meats and the price OF stock
on the ranges Of Montana and else
where in the west: when no executive
officer in any of the states of the I'm.
ion, Notwithstanding the Industrial
and live stock interests of the west
we're threatened. could do anything
because the matter came under the
interstate commerce act and could
not to be reached by state government;
when the matter was brought to the
attention of the president of the Unit.
ed States he instructed his attorney
general to bring suit in the federal
court in Cook county, Illinois. to test
the validity or legality of what was
known as the great beef combine"
A temporary injunction was ISSUED
under the provisions OF the Sherman
antitrust law and was afterwards
made permanent. The gentlemen be
hind the combination took an appeal
TO the supreme court of the United
States, where IL now rests, and the
matter will be decided In two or three
months. That was chapter two. Now,
| want to tell you about The greatest
railroad inancier Of this age, James j,
Hill. He conceived the idea Of form
ing a great stock.holding company To
take hold of and manage the Great
Northern. Northern Iacihc and Eur
fington lines OF railroad. which was
..Dsolutely in defiance OF ne consti
tuition Of the states of Minnesota, Mon
tana, Idaho and Washinton. through
which these great lines run that there
| should be no combination Of Compel
ing lines Of railroad. The cOmbina
ton known as the Northern Seculi
ties company was formed and the
stock of these three lines was taken
over. WITCH tnlS UldtttI ndu bt'I
brouhSt TO the attention Of the au
thorities at Washington, when all oil
the governors Of the states affected
were absolutely powerless, when nCi
one of the governors except, | believe
Gov. Van SAINT of Minnesota. had the
nerve 10 even attempt To throttle III,
scheme, then IL was that the pres,
dent instructed his attorney general
10 bring suit down in st. Paul. The
suit was brouht and won by the gov
eminent; the Northern Securitic:
company took an appeal 10 the su
prcme cOur at Washington and II
came up for hearing and final determ
nation in the early part Of lasl
March. was fortunate enough "a
' hear a part of the argument Of the
attorney general in thar great case;
saw assembled there the greatest al
ray of legal talent this country has
ever seen in a single court room
since the bred Scott decision in 1857
For Two days the supreme court room
was 80 thronged with the reprcsen
tatives of this great aggregation ol
capital, both as attorneys and person
ai representatives. and the corridol
so crowded. that II vas difficult T.
bass from one end Of the capital Il
the other. On the 18th of las; Marof
the supreme court OF the Unite,
otatcs handed down It's dcolsion ~
that great question. which meant alb
solutely whether the republic was 10
ing 10 control these combinations OI
whether tine great trust combination
en- Manhattan island was soins to con
ltrol the future dostinies of this Tcpub
tic. The next morning after the dc
cision OF the supreme court, the grea
independent daily paper in New YoIl
known as the New York World, con
tanned the following editorial. Il 4
short and | want 10 read II to you
II was a bomb shell in the polltica