The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-08-17
NOT YET OUT
OF THE WOODS
,EsaRRiAAN MAY HEsPR EcuTEpI
AFTER Al Allltl e BETTER
TtiAt FINES. n


FtiA FINES.
WASHINGTON Aug 81 ttornsy
General Bonaparte seemed In nowise
cast down Or distressed BY the many
savage atsacks that have been made
uponshim because Of tie determine ton
he expressedSto imprlson, e possible,
the head Of some great corpora ton
who has defted the laws, rather than
to punish the ''pnderlligs,g as he can.
ed them Of the trusts. He has re-
iiceiyed, he said many communiea'
tions, nearly anonymous, enclosing
newspaper clippings He was still
lof the same mind, he said, and then
added:
q have been asked very FREQUENT
~ whether it was not as asserted in
many quarters, better policy to pun.
/; fish by imprisonment II possible, in.
dividual offenders against the anti
trust laws, rather than to obtain fines
against corporations.
81 have replied on several coca.
sions that, in my opinion, it would be
! a more effective determent to punish
individuals, as suggested. provided the
punishment fell on those really re-
sponsible for the oifense and not
merely upon subordInates; provided
the offenses were serious and not
merely formal, and provided that no
prosecutions were instituted without
reasonable hope Of success. j have
said this more than once, because l
have been asked about 1t very fire.
quently. / am still Of the opinion thus
expressed and / tninkit a sound and
reasonable one.
"When / was appointed Attorney
General announced that considered
it unnecessary and Inappropriate for
me to express any opinion as to the
policy or the equity Of any statutes
which might be enacted by the Con.
gress. 1t was my duty and it would
be my effort to see that all persons,
without regard to their numbers, their
means or their occupations, .!obeyed
such statutes in letter and in spirit,
or If they failed to do SO that they
would be prosecuted and punished for
their disobedience. Ihave only done
what, I could to act upon these princi.
pies"
The Alton Case.
Announcement was made by the
Attorney General that an important
conference would take place next
Monday at the Department of Justice.
in which the subject Of the promise
of immunity from prosecution given
to the Chicago and Alton railway on.
Gals by then District Attorney Morri-
Z "a r.# Z ! = q - XXI ~
son would be discussed. The state
ment Of the Attorney General follows:
Attorney General Bonaparte stat
ed this morning that he expected to
have conference on Monday next
with District Attorney Sims, former
District Attorney Morrison and Mr..
Wilkinson on the subject of the Chi
'cago and Alton cases and that, I'm.
til he had neld such conference, no
statement in regard to the matter in.
yolved could, of course, be made. He
said that he understood that certain
testimonies and statements were to be
presented to him and would receive
careful examination aid constc,ara'
ton"
Attorney General Bonaparte was
asked If Judge Lands had replied to
his letter informing him that Judge
Morrison had made 10 the Chicago
and Alton officials the promise of inn
munity in consideration of their fur.
nishing evidence in the Standard on
Companys case. He replied that he
had not heard from Judge Lands. at
may be noted, too" he added, shat
Judge Lands did not publish my let
ter to him or that Of District Attorney
Morrison to me. Those letters state
the attitude of the DEPARTMENT of JUS
tice in the Chicago and Alton immun-
ity matter, as we understand 1t now"
Immunity Was Promised.
q can say" continued the Attorney
General, "that since have occupied
this position l never have agreed to