Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-06-12
Jail for Wall Street Rulers.

With the announcement from the
attorney generals office that the ad-
ministration considers as most i'm
portant in antitrust law violation the
cases of the Standard Oil Co., sertil-
izer trust, tobacco trust, powder
trust, harvester combine and the
hard coal trust, comes the startling
statement by Atty. Gen. Chas. j.
Bonaparte, who fatty declares that
the remedy for trust evils is the i'm
prisonmcnt Of trust magnates who
violate the law.
In some cases where continued
violations Of the law involve large
number Of illegal acts, each one Of
them criminal, the total fines which
can S. imposed have proved suf-
fcierss sdeterrent. But mother cases
it is the opinion Of most prosecuting
officers that the law can be much
more clearly and effectively enforced
through the imprisonment of indi-
vidual defendants"
The attorney general in an inter
view declared that his position on
the trust question was summed up
in a magazine article written by him
some time ago and published over
his signature. At that time he said:
Every one in trade is supposed
by economists, and also by common
law, to be ever striving to reduce
the cost or increase the value of
what he has to sell. SO that he may
undersell his rivals, while yet earn
ing for himself fair profit; this
process is held wholesome and salu-
tary by the wisdom and experience
of mankind.
But our great trusts are usually
formed and maintained through
competition Of another kind alto
gether; they often, even habitually,
crush out dealers who will not join
without regard to profit or even them
by underselling the latter cost-in
short, by losing money themselves
that others may likewise lose, and
looking for their profits to their un-
disputed monopoly in the near fu-
ture, when they can charge the help
less public whatever may be needful
to recoup their temporary loss.
''In these contests Of willingness
and ability to lose money, the in
tluence, often amounting to absolute
control, of trusts over our great
transportation companies has been
freely used and very effective; re-
bates and 'differentials' and dis.
eliminating rates generally have
been the most useful weapons of our
hugh monopoGsts."
Action against the Standard Oil
trust with the possible imprison-
ment of kings of Wall street, for the
continuous violation of the antitrust
law, is now the most urgent matter
in the hands Of the attorney general.
In this regard he said:
The principal action against the
Standard Oil Co. is that pending in
the United States district court in
St. Louis, but there are other suits
in the districts of northern Illinois,
western Tennessee, western Louis
ianna, southern California and west
ern New York. The total number
Of counts in the various indictments
against the Standard exceeds 5000.
"No particularly new points are
involved in any Of these prosecu-
tions. In all OF them the questions
turn mainly upon the facts relating
to the antitrust and interstate com.
merce laws. The Standard raised
a point in st. Louis that had moi
been brought up before--whethel
we could make parties resident in
another federal judicial district par.
ties to a suit in the district named
The court handed decision tina,
the government could do 80.
''It has been and is the aim O
this administration-an aim pur.
sued with answering fidelity dur
ing the past two years-to show al
Americans, whether rich or paorane
of whatever class or condition il
life, that the laws made for thei
common good demand the promp
and unquestioning obedience Of al
alike. "-Des Moines Daily New
Special.