The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-07

The causes for the present eZorbitant
and abnormal cost of living in Salt
Lake is to be investigated by a grand
jury.
At 2 o'clock yesterday afternoon the
four judges of the district court, Judge
c. W. Morse, Judge George G. Arm
strong, Judge NJ. L. Richie and Judge
Thomas D. Lewis definitely decided to
order the impaneling of a grand jury
to serve at the September term of the
district court, and shortly after
o'clock the following order for the jury
was drawn up:
Whereas. 1t is the opinion of the
court and of the judge thereof that
public interests demand the drawing
and summoning of a grand jury, to
serve at the September term, A. D.
1867, of this court.
cit is therefore ordered that the clerk
of this court proceed, according to law,
to draw from the jury box of this
county the names of fifteen persons
to serve as grand jurors for the regu-
lar September, 1907, term of this court.
Dated this 9Th day of September,
A. D. 1907.
GEORGE G. ARMSTRONG,
District Judge.
~. L. ELDREDGE, JR.,
CLERK District Court
Will Be Drawn Today.
While the call for the jury is made
for public interest" according to the
technical wording of the order, in re-
atty it is for the express purpose Of in
vestigating the alleged trade combina-
tiOns in this city through the opera
lions of which living has been put on
almost a prOhibitive basis. There is no
assurance that the grand jury will stop
when it has looked into the food COM
bines. 1t is charged that there exists
a sugar trust in Salt Lake, a lumber
trust, and that the market, wholesale
and retail, of several other cOmmOdi-
ties is absolutely controlled and the
prices on the commodities arbitrarily
fixed and maintained by various trade
combinations.
The order for the grand jury is the
direct result of the petition presented
to the judges of the district court
Wednesday by NJ. A. Breeder, attorney
general, and Frederick c. LoofbOurow,
district attorney.
The jurors will be drawn today. Ac-
cording to law grand jury is drawn
by the county attorney, county clerk
and county treasurer by taking fifteen
will be done at 10 o'clock this morn
ing, David 4. Smith, chief deputy
county clerk, acting in the absence of
]. U. Eldredge, Jr., clerk, who is absent
from the city.
Those drawn will be required to ap-
pear before Judge Armstrong Monday
morning at 10 O'clock, when the Sep
TENDER term begins, to take the oath
Of office and receive the charge Of the
Judge
In his charge Judge Armstrong will
no doubt call the jurors attention to
the charges that a food trust exists,
and direct them to probe the matter to
the bottom and to find indictments
against any who may be deemed guilty
of violating the antitrust law Of the
state or any other law restricting COM
binations in restraint of trade.
The jury will be directly in charge
of the district attorney. and with him
will be associated the attorney gen.
trail, county attorney and such other
counsel as those interested may pro-
vide.
Depends on Public.
In this connection District Attorney
Loofbourow last night issued the
statement given above. I'VE have no
contingent fund or any other fund pro-
vided from which we can draw money
to work uD evidence in a case Of the
kind we will have to deal with when
we start getting to the bottom OF the
alleged food combine matter" said Mr.
LoOfbourow. Aside from that fact. I
have two murder trials coming up and
a large number of criminal cases that
will take a great deal of my time. We
will do all we can, but we certainly
will be glad to receive any assistance
IN the way of special counsel, with
money for investigating purposes.