The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-08-01
Government Suit Against Powder
Trust Will Not Close Big Plant
In Pleasant Prairie
OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY
Powder Trust! Is, However, Ready
to Defend EItself Against the
Attacks O. Of the United
States Government


People of the village of Pleasant
Prairie and the surrounding territory
have heard with delight that the
Government has started suit to dis
solve the Powder Trust but their re-
joicing will be short lived as the Off
Gals of the big powder combine yes
terday sent out statement that even
it the government should win the
effect would not be felt on any plant
now owned and operated by the COM
pany as plans have been made to
operate all plants independently if the
government is successful IN the suit.
Within the past ten days ]. Amory
Haskell, who is accredited with be-
ing one of the biggest men ia The
Register of Deeds in this county by
which all of the property at Please at
Prairie was transferred to the Latin,
Rand Powder Company SO that at the
present time neither the Powder Trust
nor' none Of its officials is on record
as being many way the owner Of the
plant IN this county. The Latin,
Rand Power Company is named as
one Of the defendants in the suit filed
at Wilmington. delaware, but it is
stated that this company is one of the
smaller of the twenty-six companies
named in the complaint filed by the
Government. The plant at Pleasant
Prairie is acknowledged to be one.of
the largest owned by the company
and It is regarded as one of the west
ern distributing points for the Du
Pont Powder Accompany which is de-
clared to be trust by the United
States attorneys.
Subpenas asked Efor the govern
ment were issued returnable on the
first Monday in October.
The petition recites that all of the
defendants are engaged in interstate
trade and commerce in gunpowder
and other Il high explosives and are
violating the act of July Q, 1890, com
monty known as the Sherman anti
trust act. 1t seeks to prevent said
restrain the unlawful existing agree
ments, contracts, combinations, and
conspiracies In restraint of such
trade and commerce, 10 prevent and
restrain the attempts on the part of
the defendants to monopo1ize such
trade and commerce, and to dissolve
the existing monopo1ies therein.
The Court is asked to determine
whether public interests will be better
subserved by the appointment of re-
ceivers to take possession Of the
property Of the alleged trust with d
view TO bringing about conditions in
trade and commerce that will be in
harmony with the law. The prayer
IN this respect is Identical, with that
IN the so-cal1ed tobacco trust petition.
is stated in the petition that in
1872 all except three of the concerns
selling high explosives in the United
States organized with the object of
regulating prices at which such com
modities should be sold and of driving
the other corporations out Of business
by unfair ompetitive methods. This
association enjoyed an uninterrupted
operation, it is said, until 1881, when
a new agreement was entered nto
with the object Of preventing new
manufacturers from engaging in the
powder business.
It is shown that there were succeed
ing associations in 1886, IN 1891, ard
in 1896, each with the same general
object and composed Of the same mem
bers and their successors. The 1896
association continued until 1902, and
during the whole period of time from
1872 until 1902 the members of these
associations, it is asserted, by various
unfair business methods, forced sub
stantially all competitors out Of the
powder business until at the latter
date theyfa.controlled 95 per cent
thereof.
The petitionIrecites many of the
operations Of the So called powder
trust leading up tossthe organization
IN May, 1908, under the laws in the
state of New Jersey of the F.. 1. Du
Pont de Nenlours Powder company
with capital stock of $4,000, 600 as
holding company for the purpose Of
acquiring the capital stocks of every
corporation ia the United States en-
gagged in manufacturing and dealing
in high explosives. This New Jersey
holding company, it is alleged, did
acquire control of the companies
operating sain high explosives in the
United Statessuntil all of the business
of shipping and selling such commo-
dities is now being carried on by three
gigantic operating companies
namely: The Eastern Dynamite com
pany and E. |. Du Pont de Nemours
Powder company of Delaware, and
the Latin s. Rand Powder company.
liuhtn;no Killed fha Eieb