The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-20
+ FINED $4,000.
The Harvester Trust COnfesses
Judgment in q Suit
Brought By the Attorney Gem-
eFal of Arkansas.
AFTER PACKERS NEXT.
The State Is in Need Of the
Money 1t Is Said.
Collected a Similar Fine From
the Hartford Last Year.
PACKERS NEXT.


Chicago. June '20.-The Interna-
tional Harvester company admits that
At has violated the antitrust laws Of
the state Of Arkansas. and agrees to
settle by paying fines to the amount
OF $4,000 and costs aggregating
$4,000.
The compromise was arrived at in
q conference at the Wesley hospital,
where Attorney Henry Armisted is
recovering from an operation. Mr..
Armisted is the legal representative Of
dhe trust" at Little Rock.
The settlement marked the terni-
nation of proceedings instituted in this
city last ednesday by Attorney Gen
eral Robert L. Rogers of Arkansas, in
" hich it was the intention to intro
duce evidence before Lyle D. Taylor,
appointed a special commissioner to
represent Arkansas, that the harvester
company was a monopoly and had
taken measures to drive competitors
dn the manufacture of agricultural inn
.plements from Arkansas.
Mr. Rogers and his two assistants.
James H. Stevenson and F. G. Fulk,
have been tenderly cared for by the
harvester company's legal department
during their sojourn in Chicago They
shave been sWined and dined and taken
80 the thester. and everybody seems
to be satisfied over the settlement.
Mr.. Rogers and his assistants are by
mo means through with Chicago cor
operations. They are coming back
I7vheu they have rested d"-along about
July 10. Then they Will go after the
packers.
They will start proceedings against
Armour & Co.. Swift & Co. Nelson
Morris eco. and the Cudahy Pack
ing company for violating the trust
Ilaws of their state. They do not an
5ieipate any trouble they say. in col
uecting fines.
Arkansas needs the money. a year
go the state collected 100000 in
fines from the Hartford Insurance
company
Rssis OF Harvester Case.
The exclusive contract clause" for
bidding agents to handle anything but
the agricultural implements manufac-
.tured by the trust formed the basis OF
the harvester prosecution. The com
pany admitted that this clause was in
their contracts 1t also admitted that
st existed in the contracts for some
time after an extremely stringent anti
trust law was passed in Arkansas in
March. 1905. The attorney general of
the southern state had evidence that
the trust had conducted business in
Arkansas for 90 days in violation of
the lawZor. according to some evil
dence 1875 days
There were two cases one AGAINST
the International Harvester company
and the other against the International
Harvester company Of America. Each
corporation. under the compromise,
admitted to doing business in violation
CT the law for fifty days. The fine is
5000 day making total fine of
100000.
Two Views of Result.
They practically pleaded guilty to
operating p trust said the attorney
This. however. the harvester com
pany viii not admit While acknowl-
edging that the exclusive contra ct
clause existed in agreements with its
agents in Arkansas for some months
in 1905. representatives of the corpora
ton said that it had been stricken
from contracts in all states Texas
Missouri. and Michigan Ike Arkansas.
nave strong antitrust laws. In an Of
9ic.al la5enaent the company also made
the point that while there has been a
constant advance in the price Of ma =
terials, amounting to from 10 TO %. per
cent there has been no corresponding
increase in the cost of harvesting ma
chinery to the farmer
Mr.. Rogers said the illness of Mr..
Armisted had a good deal to do with
the settlement, together with the fact
tnat the Harvester people couldn't be
ms de to testify. After considera hi a
preliminary talk in which Mr.. Rogers
and his assistants and Cyrus Bentley
AID James G.. McNath of the general
legal department of the Harvest er
company took part Mr. Rogers went
"A Arnaisted has been since last FRIDAY
end tne Anal details were arranged
Mr. Armisted, on a bed of pain. said
he thought it was the best thing the
Harvester company could do and Mr.
Rogers, knowing that his state pro-
Fided trust busting fund" and
counting the cost of a long stay in Chi
cago, agreed.