Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-01-03
COURIER EDITORIAL CRED
WITH INFLUENCING NOV.
AGAINST PAPER TRUST. I
WAS WIDELY DISCUSS
Declaration That Competition in
Business Has Been ThrottIed in II
United States With Citation Of Pro,
Carries Weight With President.
tBY H. j. MAHIN.]
Washington Bureau Of the Courier.

washington bureau OF the courier.
Washington, D. c., Dec. 81.
One of the most interesting moves
made by President Roosevelt since the
Northern Securities case is the recent
announcement of action against the
paper trust Of the northwest
The administration has received
complaints regarding this trust for
some time. It was however scarcely
month ago that the mater was more
forcibly brought to the attention of
the administration by an editorial by
A. w. Lee which appeared in the Lee
Syndicate of Iowa Evening Newspa-
pers. Copies of this editorial reached
and had the particular attention of all
members of the Iowa delegation and a
copy was sent to the President. It
went more directly to the point than
any Of the protests he had heretofore
received.
Competition ThrottIed.
In this editorial it was plainly stated
that competition in the paper business
had been throttled in this country.
The argument was made on the ques-
ton of the tariff and it was asked why
as long as there was no competition,
there should be tariff of three-tenths
of a cent per pound on white paper.
This was named as one Of the sched-
ules which should have attention
should the tariff be revised.
The argument was unanswerable.
The editorial was discussed consider
ably by the members of the delegation
and most of them addressed Mr.. Lee
on the subject, some of the letters be-
ing printed in the Lee Syndicate pa
pers. The President has discussed the
question with many Of the western
congressman and senator's including
the Iowans and it is very evident that
his recent action was largely respon-
sible to the talk which has arisen in
the last few weeks.
Mr.. Lee in his editorial when re-
ferTing to the paper trust said:
Competition in the manufacture
and sale of white print paper has
been throttled in the United States,
and this product is beingSs sold at an
average Of 25 cents per 100 pounds
higher, as we have reason to believe,
than is necessary to return a fair and
reasonable profit to the mills and deal
ers. The writer recently placed an or
der for many thousands Of dollars
worth of this commodity He found it
impossible to get competitive bid
or proposition that could be consid-
erred from any source except from
what is known as the paper trust,
which dictated the price and indicated
with what jobbers to place the order"
Has Had Sufficient Facts.
The department of justice has had
sufficient facts for action in its hands
for some time. They were gathered
by an Investigating committee. But It
was only in the last few weeks that
the President made UP his mind to be-
gin action.
The fight around the case promises
to be most obstinately waged on both
sides. 1t is interesting to Iowa from
tie fact that capital from the state is
largely interested in some Of the de-
PENDANT mills. In fact the mill at Clio
quet. MINI. is owned almost entirely
by Muscatine capitalists.
A Long Step.
A cabinet officer said today that if
the government won this fight it would
be the longest step in the matter Of
government supervision of interstate
commerce that has yet been taken It
must be admitted however, that the
government has difficult contest
ahead. 1t is regarded here that the
paper trust case is similar to the case
Of the United States VS.. q. C. Knight
a. HOOK q fhn cyr,c n,
trust case. This was brought under
the Sherman antitrust law and went
against the government because the
regulation Of commerce applies to the
subject Of commerce between the
states and not to internal police.
1t was held on that case, as it will
undoubtedly be held in this. that the
defendants were engaged in nlanufac-
1 ture and not in interstate commerce
keep the little hall from being crowded
to suffocation. And beyond on the
pavement, eddied the crowd of the
bereaved and of the ever present cur
ious. Above the clamor of, the truck
ridden street rose the voice of a
hawker selling black wreathed ilIhs-
trated memorials Of the Iroquois dis.
aster.
Service Simple and Impressive.
The service in Willard hall was con-
Quoted under the auspices OF the sIro-
quois Memorial association, which, be-
fore the public meeting, held a bust
ness session to take stock Of the plans
for memorial hospital and to elect
Officers for the coming year. Several
score more names, chiefly of out Of
town mourners, were added to the en-
rollment list.
The public service was simple, inn
pressive. touching The handful of
mourners who were able to be present
gathered as in family whose bonds
were a common sorrow. Many Of
them, of diverse stations in life, were
strangers till their common bereave-
ment came upon them, and are friends
now through meetin ~ work Of
Z, 1or,11riaj q rni. ~