Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-18
AFTER ANOTHER TRUST
Fertilizer Trust Will Be At
tackled by the Agents of the
Government
THE GRAND JURY MAY ACT
Farmers in Number Of States Depend
Entirely Upon Use Of Fertilizer to
Secure Crops and Combination of
Companies Works Hardship - In
quiry Has Reduced Prices.

|
| ing the Sherman anti trust law.
| In making this attack. the admins
| tration is assailing combination that
| in the extent of its capital Is bigga;
| than the Standard Oil corporation. Ths
enormous amount of s100OOO,O00 is the
approximate sum represented by the
combined concerns in the fertilizer
trust against which the government IS
proceeding.
A few days ago the grand jury in the
United States circuit court for the
middle district of Tennessee returned
an indictment against the Virginia :
Carolina Chemical company ct al. The
Virginia Carolina Chemical company is
corporation with capital of $50
o0o,ooo, incorporated under the laws OF
the state of New Jersey. With it in the
gigantic fertilizer combine which the
government has attacked. are allied 4
large number Of other corporations.
Thirty zone corporations in all are
made defend ats IN the Indictment and
twenty five individuals and firms.
Corporations Are Scattered.
The corporations are scattered over
the eastern and southern states and
run as far west as Chicago. Armour
& Co. and Swift & Co. OF Chicago are
included in the list of defendants
against which Indictment is return-
ed. A large amount of New York Capt.
tai is represented in the combination.
Aside from the corporations named
there are the following in the list OF
defendants: Acme Manufacturing
company of North Carolina, Alabama
Chemical company of New Jersey. An
derson Phosphate and Oil company of
South Carolina. Ashepoo Fertilizer
company of South Carolina, Blackshear
Manufacturing company of Georgia,
Etiwan Fertilizer company of South
Carolina, Federal Chemical COMPANY
OF Delaware, Federal Chemical COM
pany of Kentucky, The Furman Farm
implement company of Georgia, Could
ing Fertilizer company, limited, of
Great Britain and ireland, Goulding
Fertilizer company of Florida, The
Gulfport Cotton Oil Fertilizer auG
Manufacturing Co. of Georgia, The
Home Mixture G,lano company of
Georgia, The Jackson Fertilizer COM
pany of Mississippi, the Marietta Fer
tiiizer company of Georgia the Merid-
IAN FERTILIZER company of Mississippi,
National FERTILIZER company of Tenne-
Nalional FERTILIZER company of Ten
nessee, New Orleans Acid and Fertiliz-
er company of New Jersey, The Old
Dominion Guano company of Georgia,
Planters Chemical company of Ala
bama, Read Phosphate company of
West Virginia, f. S. Royster Guano
company of Virginia, Savannah Guano
company of Georgia, Southern States
Phosphate and Fertilizer company OF
Georgia, Standard Chemical and Oil
company of Alabama, Tennessee Valley
Fertilizer company of Alabama. Addi-
tional to these the certain firms and
Six Counts Made.
There are six counts in the indict-
ment. Four counts are for alleged vio-
lations of the Sherman antitrust law
and two are for conspiracy under Sec
ton $40 of the revised statutes. The
penalty for violation of the Sherman
law is $1,000 fine and one year i'm
The maximum penalty
for conspiracy is fine of $4,000 and
Imprisonment for two years. The i'm
and fine penalties, Of
course, apply only to individuals and
the fines to corporations.
The operations of the fertilizer COM
bine have been Of vast proportions So
FAR as the indictment is concerned. they
have been confined to North Carolina.
South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mis-
sissippi, Arkansas, Alabama and Ten
aessee. In those states the use of fer
tilizer is indispensable in order to
raise the crops of corn and cotton. The
combine, it is alleged, as wholesale
dealers in complete and alkaline fertil-
zer and in acid phosphates, nitrates,
and potash salts suitable for fertilizer.
controlled 80 per cent of the business
in the eight states named. The oper-
atoms covered by the Indictment ex-
tended from July s, 1903, to Sept. 1,
1905. 1t is declared by the government
agents who Investigated the facts, that
the fertilizer trust sold in the eight
states named about 100000 tons of
fertilizer each year, and by reason of
The combination was enabled to charge
rom $3.50 to 81 per ton more than
he price would otherwise have been,
.hus mulching the farmers and planters
put of from $4.000,000 to $5,00O,000 a
year more than would have been exact
I'd from them in payment of fertilizer
unaffected by the operations of COM
Dine.
Eight States Interested.
The burden on the inhabitants of
he eight named states because so great
hat complaints in large numbers be-
gan to pour into the department of JUS
ice. A year ago last February special
agents were sent into the fields-to look
nto the facts. In April of this year
he facts were laid before the grand
Jury in the middle district of Tennes-
see, and after a thirty-one day ses-
sion Of the grand jury and examination
# 141 witnesses, the indictment was |
as described.
1T is declared the effect of the prose-
,ution is already manifested in the
lropping of the price of fertilizer in
he eight states mentioned by from So |
o SIS per ton.
Low Rates to San Francisco and Los
Angeles.
Via the Northwestern Line. An ex-
eursion rate of one first class limited |