The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-09-20
IMMUNITY FOR
ALTON COMPANY
BUT NO HALO is DECISION or
rONAPARTE AND HIS
ALLIES.
TO PRO ECUTE WALSH
international Harvester Compan.'s
Crookedness Also Discussed
To Enforce Laws Regardless
Of Personal Views.

Chicago, Sept 19,--For three hours
today Attorney General Charles j..
Bonaparte held close conference with
UNITED States District Attorney Ell
win w. Sims and Special Connsel
James H. Wilkerson at the federal
! building, and during that time thes ,
things are said to have resulted:
! The attitude OF Mr.. Sims towarl
the Chicago and Alton immunity
proposition was approved by the at
torney general and the road will be
granted immunity, but no halo
| Civil prosecution of the Information
al Harvester Trust was virtually
agreed upon and steps were directed
to be taken to bring an equity bin
to dissolve the trust
John r. Walsh will be vigorously
prosecuted for the alleged wrecking
Of the Chicago National Bank.
The official announcement was
made that the attorney general pro-
posed to enforce the existing laws
against trusts, regardless CT any peg
sonal views he might have respecting
such laws.
The major portion of the conference
Of the morning was devoted to the
Chicago and Alton case All OF the
vast record in the Standard Oil case
was brought before the attorney gen.
eral and those passages Of the record
that gave evidence of the trouble that
the court had In getting unwilling rail-
road WITNESSES to testify. are said to
have been placed before the attor-
ney general The object Of this pre-
sentation is stated to have been that
the district attorney wished to show
the attorney general that, while the
claliy furnishing 0otd,h'artp in ,ffi-
which the oil trust prosecution was
based. witnesses from the road In their
individual capacities did not give any
aid and comfort TO the government.
With these facts before him, 1t is nn-
deIstood that the attorney general
commended the course taken by the
district attorney, in asking for con
tinuance of the matter and directed
that a new statement be prepared for
the court that gave the road its ims
munity, but did not take with 1t any
commentator of the character OF the
roads efforts in the case.
Iipon the matter of the harvester
trust the conference was rather tenta
tive. 1t was indicated that the gov
ernment would instruct that an equity
bin be filed along the general lines of
the bill that has been filed IN ~.
Louis against the Standard OH trust,
setting forth the fact that the harves
ter trust has violated the sherman
law and that the absorption of the
constituent companies, while ostcn-
sibly purchase by one company, was
really but an agreement among the
stockholders of several companies IN
restraint Of trade. Upon this state
ment of fact it Is suggested that
mandatory order will be asked dis
solving the trust and enjoining II
from future violations.
II is said that the criminal prosecu
ton feature was abandoned because
the criminal practice requires that
specific charges be made, that the
proof conform exactly to the facts
charged in the indictments which
would not leave the government the
latitude that it would have In an
equity proceeding where matters -
government testimony might be pro.
duccd.
In the Walsh case the attorney
general is understood to be informed
that the proof would. under the views
lof the assistant district attorney n
charge. undoubtedly result in con
yicticn. The preparations in this case
were approved and commended by the
attorney general
These persons who thought that
there was a difference between the
attorney general and District Attorne,
Sims had their minds disabused. The
1 session. so far as they were con
lcerncd. was love feast. 1t developcd
I that instead Of any hitch between the
two on the Alton proposition that the
local attorney had done just what tn
attorney general would have directed