The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-08-17
Fight
SAID HaVEnEHT AGAINST COR
PeRA1leRs WILL not ABA1E.
Several New Cases Will Be Pros
ecuted In the Fall, and More
Will Follow a. Rapidly as Pos
sible-Latest Plan Said to Be
Unique.

QenCer's washington correspondent
sends his paper the following:
The general movement against the
trusts will continue undated as long
as the present administration remains
in power, and there is no foundation
for reports that the president has de-
cided to "let up for awhile. There
will be at least two or three new suits
next fall and winter, and these will be
followed by others as rapidly as the
cases can be prepared. It requires no
gift Of prophecy TO predict with conf
dence that the federal government
will, sooner or later, carry through
the administration latest and quite
unique plan for dealing with the
trusts, namely, the injunction-receiver
plan announced in these dispatches
last month. A month ago the an
nouncement that the administration
was about to ask for the appointment
of a receiver for great monopoly was
received with establishment. Coupled
with this announcement was the state
ment that the administration would,
in the tobacco tt ust case, ask for an
injunction to restrain that corporation
from carrying on it's business in the
form Of monopoly.
Public IL Accustomed
So readily does the public become
accustomed to startling things, how
ever, that it would now be difficult to
surprise the people of the country with
any announcement regarding pro-
posed action against the great corpora
tions; and many things that would
have caused panic year ago now
pass almost unnoticed by the general
public.
When the injunction-receiver plan
was preached, the most common re-
mark was, IA good plan; but where
can judge be found who will grant
such a prayer Of government counsel?"
Only month has passed, but it
looks as if the judge has been found,
Konesaw N. Lands, who imposed t.
astounding fine of nearly thirty mil
lion dollars on the Standard Oil Com
pany the other day, Is probably the
Judge the government is looking for.
Only two days after the imposition of
the big fine, Judge Lands, sitting on
the bench in Chicago, took second
radical action, hardly less startling
than the other, but singularly enough
| it was almost swallowed up in the
earlier event. Lands issued an in
junction against the American Seat
ing Company, alleged to be q trust,
forever restraing that corporation
furniture concern-from carrying on
business al trust or monopoly.
II the corporation had resisted the
issuance of the injunction, there is
not very much doubt that Judge Lam
dis would have ordered the appointment
Of receiver to take over the property
and assets of the company and con-
duct it's business according to the
Roosevelt Purdy plan.
Campaign Just Begun
Thoughtful men believe that the
campaign aaginst the Standard Oil
Company has only just begun, and
the prediction is good one that the
contest between the federal govern
ment and the gigantic monopoly will
continue for several years and will
possibly become great issue in Ameri-
can politics. The latter contingency
is based on the chance that the pres
emit administration, or its Republican
successor, finds itself unable to bring
about the practical dissolution Of the
great Standard Oil monopoly.
It Is known that Milton d. Purdy.
assistant to the attorney General, Or
iginator Of the injuHction-receiver
plan, did not believe, at the time he
left for Europe, last month, that the
Standard Oil case presented an oppor-
tunity for the aplication Of his novel
theory. It IL possible, however, that
matters will assume such shape that
the federal government will move for
the issuance Of an injunction, follow
ed by the appointment Of q receiver
for the Standard. II so, the action,
II brought in Judge Landis' court,
would. in all probability, be success
full. for the governments standpoint,
for that judge has already applied tho
theory, in partial form, to the case Of
the American Seating Company.
The preparation Of cases against Law
breaking corporations entails an enor-
nous amount Of work on the part Of
lawyers and special agents Of the de-
partment Of justice and the depart
ment Of commerce and labor. The
briefest possible statement Of the
evidence collected In the tobacco trust
Investigation makes q volume Of sever
al hundred pages, and when II IL con-
Iaidered that every bit Of evidence must
be In such shape az to constitute proof
when presented in court, the charac-
ter Of the task which the administra-
ton has tackled may be imagined.
Government Employees Get Holiday
Oyster Bay, Aug. 18.-President
Roosevelt has issued an executive or
der making Labor Day, September 8.
10 holiday for government employees
and laborers who are employed By the