The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-04-16
COAL TRUST slit
Supreme Court
Decides For Hearst

DeC|0eS Tor Hearst
~!
The Trust Must Produce Its Con.
tracts and Show Its Books. Say
Eight Of the Nine Justices of the
Court.
Washington, D. C.-The Hearst suit
has been won and the coal trust beat
en-. By its decision against the trust
the United States supreme court has
decided that there is limit to the
power Of the trusts, great and power
ful though they be, and the law Of the
land is still mighter.
The decision Of this same court in
the Northern merger case was con-
sidered staggering blow to one kind
OF trusts but the decision OF the court,
rendered as a 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 millionaires 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.
It 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
Mr.. Hearst a year and 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 its
allies in presidential year; or,
Second, that Mr.. Roosevelt cannot
bring himself ito be .ungrateful to- tho
coal trust which Ii 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 CON-
merce commission to prosecute the in
vestigation begun 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
r. Hearst's victory over the coal trust
was the only topic of discussion.
Members Of both branches of congress
left their seats to attend the supreme
court and listen to the reading Of the
decision by Justice Day. Senators,
representatives and distinguished ju-
nsts fingered in the corridors after the
last words Of the decision had been ut
tered to comment upon the successful
termination Of a case brought in be-
half Of the most powerful trusts in
the country.
It was conceded that the New York
representative and editor had accom-
pl1shed 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 60 upon the witness
stand and answer questions.
President Baer and his trust associ-
ates have been brought within the op-
GRAFTON Of the federal laws which they
repeatedly and insolently defied by the
'lnrelenting persistence of w. r.
Hearst, who instituted proceedings un-
der the interstate commerce laws In
behalf Of the people, who were COM
PEELED to pay unjust exactions in pur-