The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-06-29
HIS BRILLIANT CAREER
In Fighting Combines inTheir
Own Stronghold.

clans OF foresight would not be sur
p,iseJ if a movement having for its
object the placing OF Wade H. Ellis,
the present attorney general OF Ohio
liza the governors chair would be
formally launched when the time is
ripe. Mr. Ellis is easily the most
conspicuous official Of the present
state administration While he de-
cHnes to discuss the matter it is
generally believed that he would not
be ayerse to becoming a reform can
didate Tor governor
The success Of his gubernatorial
aspirations viii depend in a large
measure on the ultimate outcome OF
the fight he IS now waging against
the so-called bridge trust and other
alleged unlawful combinations doing
business in Ohio So far his efforts
have been attended with gratifying
Success and in his fight he has dis
played aggressive qualities that have
brought hirS into wide prominence
MIR. Ellis is a native OF Kentucky,
born in 1866. and early in his career
he was Democrat Ten years ago
he was engaged in newspaper work
in Cincinnati. He left the EDITORS
chair to be assistant attorney OF Gin
cinnati and from that position made
a long jump to the Office of attorney
general of Ohio Thought he was
elected the first time by the Hanna
combination he had not been long in
office when he began campaign to
regulate the combinations Of capital
doing business in Ohio
Twelve years ago the Valentine
Stewart antitrust law was enacted
by the Ohio legislature. 1t was as
the name indicates, an act against
the unlawful combinations. and it fol-
lowed to a certain extent the lines
of the Sherman antitrust act But
the law remained dead letter un-
til about a year ago when II was
resurrected by the prosecuting attor-
ney of Delaware county in order to
prosecute a combine of coal dealers.
The prosecution was successful in
court. on appeal, held that the Grim
inal section of the law was uncon-
stitutional The case then came to
the supreme court
1t was here that Acknowledgement
Ellis stepped into the breach. He
asked consent to appear for the state
and he obtained a reversal OF the
circuit courts ruling that the law
was unconstitutional He not only
thus obtained the first convention un-
der the criminal section of the law.
but he established its constitutions
ality and found that he had a law of
great value TO the state The com
bine of coal dealers went out of bus
mess and SO did others
MIR Ellis then began his famous in
quiries into the workings of the
STANDARD Oil company and its subsl-
diaries. the wholesale grocers com
bne, the bridge trust and other COM
binations. He lad not proceeded far
when he found an almost insunmopn-
table obstable the fact that person
obstacle in the fact that person
could not be compelled to give testi-
mony that would tend 10 incriminate
] Lih elf 10 remove this obstacle he
weht before the legislature and after
great difficulty had passed the Deyes
immunity bill which provided, in ef.
feet that on order of the court any
person could be required to give full
information and that It could not be
used to ineriminate himself. In 9TH
er words Immunity was provided for
those who gave states evidence"
Provided with this new weapon the
attorney general recommend his
fight on the trusts The result Is
that the bridge trust is gone from
Ohio, though the posecution OF the
fourteen companies aud their agents
In the custer proceedings is not
to come up until September Prae.
tically all the agents have flown from
Ohio, some TO Michigan and Indiana,
others TO Oklahoma and the Indian
Territory. which localities have been
easy picking fields Tor the bridge
trust
Next came Ellis oil trust crusade
His successful campaign against the
Standards methods Of crushing out
competition has resulted In the
Standards already Withdrawing two
Of It's three decoy companies from the
Ohio field
Ellis has proceeded under the anti
trust act IN calling a halt on the Booth
FISH trust whish was bloekading leg
islation touching on the Ash pro
lection OF FISH IN the great lakes lie
also has begun proceedings against
\ TOekino Vallav railroad on tha