Gilpin observer., 1907-12-19
eRocERs' TRUST ENJoINED.
Judge George w. Allen at Denver Is
sues Temporary Injunction.


Denver.-Judge George w. Allen of
the District Court Thursday granted
a temporary injunction against the
grocers' trust upon the affidavits and
arguments of the attorney general OF
Colorado.
In announcing his decision Judge
Allen said that eff the retail grocers
of the state have no more moral cour-
age in conducting their business than
TO be made the catspaw for raking the
chestnuts from the fire for the manu-
facturers of food products by combin.
ing to maintain uniform prices, and
at public expense, the courts would
do them a service to put them out OF
business"
With no intention of prejudging the
defendants, he stated that in his opin-
ion Colorado, held in the tolls of a gl-
gantic food trust, needed some aid
from her untrammeled courts of good
conscience" Exceptions were made
to the courts findings on behalf of all
the defendants.
The judge went on to say:
"In the great commercial centers OF
the country there have been estab-
lished manufactures and there have
]
dors of the various manufactured ano
produced articles of the country, and
they involve the necessities Of life,
and it has come 60 be that each OF
those great manufactures or produc.
ing institutions, sometimes by them
selves, and sometimes by a similar
combination, as this, among them
selves. They manufacture the goods,
they produce the article, and at that
commercial center, in their own office
they establish the price that the pub
lie shall pay for the article they man
ufacture and produce, and it appears.
and nothing more clearly demonstrates
it than the evidence in this case, that
they practically accomplish their pur.
pose, to-wit, to fix price upon the
manufactured article, irrespective OF
the question of supply and demand
and on basis simply of profit tc
them; and it appears, as is demon
strated by the testimony in this case
that they succeed in sending their
manufactured and produced articles
throughout the country, among the
people, and counsel the. people to pur-
chase their commodities and pay the
price which they arbitrarily fix at these
great commercial centers. And how
is 1t done? BY and through the com
binations, the associations of these in
nocent srocers in the city of Denver
and other commercial centers of the
state of Colorado, and every other
commercial center throughout the
United States, combining together and
serving as the agencies of these great
trusts, as the people term them and
condemn them-as the purchasing
agents, the selling agents, the middle
men between the manufacturers and
the producers who fix the price, and
the people who are obliged to purchase
the articles-the necessities of life
and pay the price which the manu-.
facturer or the producer fixes upon
the same.
Hence, 1 say, these defendants dc
not realize the part that they perform
in building up this great trust in this
country; that it affects all the peo
pie of this country, and which all the
people, without exception, criticise
and condemn. when transacting bust
ness in such a way as to do an in
justice to the innocent, intoxicating
and non-part-taking public"
There is sufficient in this case, ap
pearing from the evidence, to justify
this court in granting this temporary
Injunction, generally, as prayed for in
this complaint, if l understand the
prayer. There are possibly some In.
dividuals made defendants in the case
that may not appear to have done such
things that would entitle the plaintiff
to the writ against them; but the
court is satisfied that the members
of these associations ought to be en-
joined from transacting the business
in the manner admitted as appears
from the testimony in this case"