The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-29
CONGRESS SCENTS
new TRUST TRAP
Continued From First Page.

Continued From First Page.
vestigation securing complete publicity
about abuses, and giving congress the
material on which to proceed in the en-
actment Of laws, is more useful than a
criminal prosecution can possibly be;
but it should not be provided for by law
without clear understanding that it
may be alternative instead of an addi-
ticnal remedy-that is, that to carry
on the Investigation may serve as a bar
to the successful prosecution of the Of
lenses disclosed. : The official body di-
rected by congress to make the investi-
cation must, Of course, carry out its
direction, and therefore the direction
should not be given without full appre-
citation Of what it means.'
: - About to Prosecute. so
In 1904, when the Martin resolution
passed the house of representatives, or.
dering the Garfield inquiry, the admins
tration was at work, and it had been at
work for almost year previously, on
the, securing of evidence against the
packers, which would lead to indict-
ments. This work was conducted thru
the department Of justice, and the de-
parttm1ent of commerce and labor knew
nothing about it. By the summer of
1905, when Mr.. Garfield was ready to
20 to Chicago, this work had enmeshed
the packers, and it was the confident be-
lief OF the administration that indict-
ments and convictions would surely fol-
low.
This was the situation, the packers
being fully advised regarding it. when
MIR. Garfield, after receiving his in.
structions from the president in person,
landed in Chicago. He called first on
charles G. Dawes, formerly controller of
the currency, now at the head Of the
Central Trust company Of Illinois. He
outlined to Dawes, who was an old-time
personal FRIEND, what he, wanted to do
lie dldn It want to make any moves that
would permit the immunity plea to be
raised, and so he said all he would do
would be to let the packers know he
was IN Chicago and would hear them if
they felt willing to come before him.
The Packers Romancing.
Thru Dawes, Garfield met at luncheon
the attorney for the packers, to whom
n" told the same story, and thru this at.
torney it was arranged that numbe,
OF the packers should appear before
Garheld. They did appear, and the tale
they put up of how they were doing
business at loss was enough to make
angels weep. When Garfield wrote his
report to the president, based entirely
on this tale, and told how the poor pack
ers We're losing money hand over fist
everybody in the country wrote him
down as an ass Of the Dogberry type.
But the packers were playing a care
full game. They knew that prosecution
were coming, and that the government
detectives and experts had secured i'm
portant evidence. If the farce which
had been enacted before Garfield couli
only be made to take on the light OF
testimony within the meaning Of the
Immunity statute, all would be clea1
sailing. This thought no doubt gave
Mr. Garfield a good many more wit
h hesses than otherwise he would have
mad, and no doubt brought about gOOC
many more fairy tales than would have
been told in the ordinary course of =
bona ide conference-bona fide 80 ia,
as the packers were concerned, for Mr.
STtrheld was deeply serious, altho fol
the time being he was made to act the
part OF clown. He was being directed
day by day by the president himself.
Roosevelt Felt Secure.
The only question for the packers to
determine, after they had given Mr.
Garfield the Ftrazzle dazz1e,'' was
hola their mm nansls1 MSu.a
already appears, from the quotation
made from the president g special mes
sage. that the administration did not be-
ne eye td daEs such m Judge could be found
months passed merrily by, and at last
me packers, cases came up for trial il
Chicago. Judge Humphrey had been Sc
lected to hear them. At once the pack
ers. raised the immunity cry, based or
the Garfield inquisition, and the gov
eminent, aware that that inouisifior
was all a farce, deliberately planned
to be such, for the very purpose of pre
venting the successful raising of thi.
cry, opposed the packers contention.
with all the force at its command. The
attorney general appeared in person t<
plead the government case, and there
were able attorneys on the other side
also.
The Humphrey Blow.
! AS soon as the arguments had ceased
without waiting for moment t.
eiapse, Judge Humphrey, so clear wa,
the case in his own mind, began to hant
down an oral decision, to the effect tina:
the packers, as individuals, were en-
titled to immunity on account Of wha
had taken place before Mr.. Garfield i,
the previous summer, but that the cor
poratlons as such were not immune, In
asmuch as 1t was the individuals tn,
| government was after, and not the i'm
personal corporations, this decision in ;
moment overturned the CAREFUL,
Planned work of many months.
=, The suspicion is well grounded tina
the. Tillman resolution of inuuir,
against the Pennsylvania and certa !;
other trunk lines and against certai,
coal roads, may, under Certain condi
tions. be as heavily loaded as was tn,
be, provided Another r. i Hsdea,nl befo 1,
whom proceedings may be brought
should be Of the same opinion as judo
Humphrey. = g
The conditions surrounding the tw
cases are, very similar. The govern
ment had been quietly investigator
the beef trust with view too prose
BUTTONS months before Mr.. Martin
either on his own motion or at tn
suggestion of others and, in eithe
case, 1T was from honest motives, g.
Tar as ne was ned-suddenly be
thought himself that it would be
fine thing to have the limelight O
publicity turned on that trust Th
result was that one branch of the ad
miinistration, not desiring to confiic
with or to imperil the work which an
other branch was doing, sent its repre-
/ sentative to Chicago where some idle
and, as the government thought. be,
fectly harmless-hours were passed i
an Interchange Of condolences betwee