Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-02-01
A HARD B[Oh At
GRAIN COMBINE
'Stillman's Bill Aimed at Iowa
Grain Dealers Association
Far Reaching
PENALTIES FOR FIXING PRICES
Methods Followed Of Sending Out Quo
tation. to Members Placed Under
Severe PenaIty-state Fair Appro-
priation Bill Will Make Members Of
Both Houses Sit Up and Take Notice.
ecial to Times-Republican.

/ SOSU tvVOS0S OH w AuN INV sNSssSSs
Special to Times-Republican.
/ Des Moines, Feb. IA bill modelled
after the Nebraska laws and intended
to assist the small grain dealers OF the
state in their fights against the trusts,
is the bill offered in the house yester-
day by Stillman, Of Greene county. The
bill not only makes it illegal for any
person or corporation or combination
to contract with any other persons or
combination, to fix prices, but provides
| also that it shall be illegal to contrib
ute money or anything of value to any
person or combination, Of any nature,
| the object Of which is to prevent full
and free competition of the grain bus
mess.
This last provision strikes direct at
the Iowa Grain Dealers association. 1t
was the generally accepted opinion
when the interstate commerce commits
sion at recent sitting in this city dis
closedI in its Investigations that the
Iowa Grain Dealers association has
for years been hiring Ward Case to
send out postal card quotations, and
| that there was penalty on the MEM
bers If they didn't live up to the quo
itations. Several witnesses testified to
this. The grain dealers bought the
cards from case. Stillman's bill makes
this illegal, and would put the grain
dealers association and Ward Case out
Of business.
The penalty is fixed at $500 to $4,000
or Imprisonment for six months, or
both, and half Of the fine goes to the
person furnishing the evidence. Fur
thermore, any person injured by such
arbitrary fixing of prices has right of
action in the courts to recover full
damages. The bill makes it possible
for every farmer who has gotten less
for his grain than he should have re-
ceived to bring suit to recover dam
ages, and like right of action for ev-
cry small grain dealer to bring suit for
recovery Of damages where he has
been driven out of business.
The bill in full Is as follows:
Section /. That 1t shall be unlawful
for any person, company, partnership,
association or corporation engaged in
the business of grain dealing. or own
ing or operating any grain elevator or
in buying, selling, handling, consigning
or transporting grain, to enter into any
agreement, contract or combination
with any other grain dealer or grain
dealers partnership, company or as
|
within or without the state. engaged in
q like business, or with any other per-
son or persons whatsoever, for the
pooling of prices of different and COM
peting dealers or buyers, or to di-
vide between them the aggregate or net
proceeds Of the earnings Of such deal
ers and buyers or any portion thereof.
Or for agreement upon regulating or
fixing the price which any other grain
dealer or grain dealers partnership,
company, corporation or association Of
grain dealers, or any person or organ
ization whatsoever, shall pay for grain
Of any kind or nature whatsoever, or to
form, enter into or maintain or con-
tribute money or anything of value to
any trust, pool, combination or assoc
citation of persons Of whatsoever char
acter OF name, which has for any of its
objects the prevention Of full and free
competition among buyers, sellers or
dealers in grain.
Section 2.-That in case any person,
company, partnership. corporation or
association, trust pool or combination
OF whatsoever name shall do, cause to
be DONE or permit to be done, any act,
| matter Of thing In this act prohibited
or declared to be unlawful, such per-
son, partnership. company, association,
corporation, trust, pool or combination
shall be liable to the person, partner
ship, company, association or corpora
ton injured thereby for the full amount
| OF damages sustained in consequence
of any such violation of the provisions
Of this act, together with reasonable
attorney fees to be fixed by the court
1 in every Gaze Of recovery and to be tax
ed as part OF the costs in the case and
the property OF any person who may
be a member OF any such trust, pool,
combination. corporation or asgocia-
ton violating the provisions of this
act shall be liable for the full amount
| OF such Judgment.
Section 3.-That any person, partner
| ship. company, association or corpora
| ton subject to the provisions Of this
act or any person, trust, combination,
pool or association, or any director Of
! fcer, lessee, receiver. trustee, ernploye,
clerk. agent, or any person acting for
| or employed by them or either Of them.
who shall violate any Of the provisions
| of gection / Of this act or who AhaIl
| aid or abet In such violation snail be
| deemed guilty OF q. misdcmeaBor, and
shall upon conviction thereof be fined
any gum not less than $500 and not
exceeding $1,000 or tnprfsoned IN the
county jail for q period not exceeding
| six months or both 81 the discretion NJ
| the court. Tbat half the fine Imposed
shall go 10 the person or persots who
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