The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-09
JOHN DAWSON IS BACK.
Likes the Way They Handle the Trusts
Down in Texas.

John Dawson assistant attorney
general of Kansas, has been in Texas
the past week digging up interesting
facts and figures about trusts. He re-
turned TO Topeka today, well laden
with what he went after, and there is
likely to be something popping soon
of Importance to the unlawful combina-
tious of capital which do business in
Kansas
I'VE have only dabbIed in the shall
IowIow water of trust busting here in
there in Texas they have the laws to
do business with, and they are able to
wade right in and hook the big fish
in the deep water. Under the Texas
law, an attorney general of the state
can walk into the office of a corpora
ton suspected of unlawful transactions,
and pull down the books, go through
the correspondence, and take copies of
everything he wants Nothing is Sc
creted- Everything is open to inspec-
ton by the state. In that way the
states gets its evidence against the
trusts right at first hand The trusts
themselves furnish it. They don't have
to do lot of detective work to get ev-
idence down there as we do I'D here.
OF course as a general proposition, a
trust will not fight when it knows that
the state has the evidence to convict
it 1t will simply agree to lay down and
be good Suit was brought against the
International Harvester company down
there in Texas, and ten days later the
L.
paid about So, 600 in fines, and left the
state for good The International will
sell no machines in Texas in the fu-
ture. The public sentiment of the
state sustains the attorney general
pretty well in such radical actions.
There is not much growing among the
farmers. 1t may Inconvenience them
some, but they know that it will be bet
ter for them in the end And what's
more, they have an attorney general
down there who don't care whether the
farmers roar or not He finds the law
on the statute book, and proceeds TO
enforce it clear up to the handle The
people stand by him in this
The thing 1 admire about Texas
is the independent way they
have of doing things The experience [
Of the people as an independent nation /
seems to have given them self reliance
They don't care a rap what the federal 4
government is going to do, or isn't going 1
to do. They go right ahead, fully con-
ddent in their own ability to handle the 4
problems which confront them There
is not the slightest disposition to say, [
oh. that is too big a problem for us
We'll leave it for the federal officers.
No. sir. They are great states rights /
people down there.
t spent several days in the attorney [
office. They have a splendid /
cutie of offices tor the attorney general
Three steuoGrap1ers are employed. and
there are five assistant attorneys It
looks like the office Of q big New York
law firm The Texas state house is a
building vastly finer than that of Kan
=as Il is as much finer than our state
house as our state house is finer than
the old Thomas county court house
did [ get any evidence? Well I
should say so. Lots of it Evidence
enough to put men in jail; evidence
which showed the length and breadth
and depth of scune of these corpora tioTls
we are prosecuting The Texas people
found out things by means of their law
permitting examination CT corporate
,ooks which we couldn't ever get hold
#. These facts will be of great value
% Us in our cases