Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-12-18
Garfield Already Conducting In
vestigation to Reveal Eyi-
dences of Combine
ATTRACTING WIDE ATTENTION
Considerable Time Will Be Occupied in
the Probe-No Oil Sensations Prom
ised in Report Of Commerce. Commits
sion-Awaitins Decision Of Judge
Lands.

washington, Dec. 1S..-Without wait
& Ing for congress to pass any resolution
on the subject, Commissioners OF Cor
porations Garfield has begun an inyes-
tieation into the opera tons Of the So
called lumber trust.
This investigation will add one more
1 to the number Commissioner Garfield
has instituted. For more than a year
he has been inquiring Into the tobacco,
steel. sugar and coal industries. All
this work Is we'll advanced, the tobacco
y inquiry being nearest completed, But
no statement regarding any of these
industries will be submitted during the
present session of congress.
The only report Of this character will
come from the interstate commerce
commission. That body will submit a
preliminary report on the oil industry
within the next few days. and will fol-
low it with further reports on the
grain elevator and bitulninous coal sit-
uations.
There will be nothing sensational In
4 the oil report. The commission will
state frankly that this subject was ex-
haustively treated by Commissioner
Garfield, and that no new facts were
developed throwing any additional light
on the conduct Of the Standard Oil
: Company.
In the opinion Of President Roose-
welt, the report will be valuable in inn
pressing upon the country. the high i'm
portance OF securing the disintegration
of the huge trust. AS a move in this
direction, the administration considers
1t essential that the corporation be
s punished for granting and receiving
rebates to and from railroads.
The administration is hopeful that
Judge Lands, should he believe the
contention Of the oil trust justifable,
s will decide to the contrary, in order
i that the matter may be brought before
the supreme court Of the United States
for final disposition.
It is hoped Judge Lands will not
follow the course OF Judge Humphrey.
But rather than risk everything on
him, President Roosevelt proposes to
make a special effort to have congress,
before its adjournment Thursday, pass
the bill adopted by the house giving the
government right OF appeal in criminal
cases
It is expected that the revelations
that will be made by the report of the
interstate commerce commission,
which, as, stated, will be confirmatory
of the facts and conclusions of Com
missioner Garfield will move the sem
ate to act promptly and perhaps in
fuence Judge Lands to permit the
case to go to the supreme court, even
should he conclude that Attorney Mil
ler's view is correct.
The operations Of the lumber trust
are receiving a great deal of considera-
i ton in congress. Senator Kttredge OF
South Dakota introduced resolution
4 in the senate some days ago directing
the commissioner of corporations to In
vestigate "the cause or causes of the
I high. price Of lumber In it's various
stages OF manufacture from the log
and to ascertain whether or not a lum-
Der trust exists. A resolution to the
same effect was introduced in the house
by Representative Miller of Kansas.
These congressman apparently did
mot know that the commissioner Of cor
porations already had begun an inves-
tigation to ascertain whether lumber
trust existed and its influence upon
prices.
Preliminary information shows that
during the last three years the price
OF lumber has advanced by regular
stages, indicating at the least unanim-
I ity OF control. The advances ranged
from SIS to $40 thousand feet.
It will be some time before the in
vestigation is completed, as there is a
great amount Of work to be done, as
sociations being located in all parts OF