The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-29
Humphrey Beef Trust Decision
Makes Members Wary Of
Trust Inquiries.
DID THE CORPORATIONS -
MAKE MARTIN A TOOL?
Tillman Move for Coal Trust
Probe Might Work Up
Another Fiasco.
By ~, w. Jsrmsne,


gress, in the Martin beef investigation
RESOLUTION of two years ago, been made
the tool of designing corporate inter-
ests. and. in the present session, has 1t
again been made to appear in that attl-
tude thru the Tillman Joint resolutlon,7
These questions come to the fore with
a good deal of emphasis in the light OF
the beef trust cases, in Chicago, grant
ing the packers immunity as individ.
uals, because they voluntarily appeared
before Commissioner Garfield, and,
without being placed under oath, gave
out certain information regarding their
may not have been true, and consid-
cradle portion of which, it is safe to
say, was not true, more particularly
that portion (which made it appear that
they were conducting their business at
q loss.
The Beef Trust Probe.
At the instance Of Representative g..
3. Martin of South Dakota, the house
of representatives. March L, 1904,
passed a resolution directing the bureau
of corporations of the department of
report regarding the "prices of cattle
and dressed beef. the margins between
such prices, and the organization, con-
duct and profits of the corporations
engaged in the beef packing industry
That was chapter number one. Chap
ter number two was written during the
summer Of 1905, when Mr.. Garfield
went to Chicago, acting in compliance
with the Martin resolution, and certain
packers appeared before him, ,@yolun-
tarily and without a stenographer be-
ing present, and romanced to- him at
great length regarding their business.
Chapter number three came recently,
when Judge Humphrey OF the federal
district bench in Chicago held that the
Chicago packers were immune from
prosecution by the government on the
strength of these light a"d airy ro'
manceS.
Way for Another Fiasco?
Is the way now being laid for just
such another fasco,- provided, OF course
that another federal judge can be founo
cision?
Early this month congress passed
foint resolution, introduced in the sen
ate bv Mr.. Tillman, directing the gov
eminent. thru the interstate commerc'
commission, to proceed with a thoro IN
vestigation Of the alleged merger be
tween the Pennsylvania, the Baltimore
& Ohio, the Chesapeake & OHIO an
certain other roads, and also OF tn
status of the coal roads Of Pennsylva
MIA and West Virginia their relation
to secret rebates, and the ownership b.
the railroads Of the coal mines who's
output they carried to market, etc.
On it's face, this Tillman resolution i
as innocent as the resolution intro
duced in the house two years earlier o.
Representative Martin, but in the hgh
of the Humphrey decision, which l
based on the Martin resolution, tn
raco1,,tion too ha lOA6e
to the muzzle.
Clear Martin and Tillman.~
Of course, nobody will accuse eithe
Mr. Martin or Senator Tillman of be
ing willingly or knowingly the tools 0
CORPORATIONS. On the contrary, every
body who knows either Of them WI
say at once that neither could possibl
be guilty Of an act of that kind. I'm
ouiitv persons in each case, provide
there has been any guilt, are the pc
sons at whose instigation, whethe
knowingly or otherwise, Messrs. Mart1
and Tillman have acted. >,
The Martin resolution, as it tlnall
worked out, after two long years, pave
the way for the Humphrey decision
large part; and the Tillman resolution
it is quite possible, may in another tW
years or less pave the way for anothF
IL. NSooA -
tive of administration plans as tt
Martin resolution has been.
Roosevelt Is Wary.
That President Roosevelt was qui
well posted as to the possibilities
the case is apparent from the specl
message to congress IN which ne e, a
nounced that he had signed the III
man resolution with hesitation,
Here is quotation from that speci
message, and it is of additional int
est since the Humphrey pronouncemen
81 call your attention to the ia
that if an investigation of the natu
proposed in this joint resolution is the
%olv and effectively conducted, it W
result in giving immunity from Grimm
prosecution to all persons who "a
called. sworn and constrained by col
pulsory process Of law to testify as WI
nesses, tho of course such lmmunl
from prosecution is not given to tho
from whom statements or informati
merely, in contradistinction to swo
testimony, is obtained.' r.
President Was Wrong
In, this conclusion, of course, t
president was wrong, for the case
fore Judge Humphrey showed, witho
fore Mr.. Garfield of their ewn motto
talked freely of their business, a
voluntarily, and that Mr.. Garfield {
not issue single subpoena while &C
Quoting the Chicago hearing or subie
any of the voluntary witnesses to a
questioning, nor was there any recc
preserved covering what was said.
Continuing his special message, 1
president said:
tn