The Cairo bulletin., 1907-09-20
IMMUNITY FOR
ALTON CONF ANY
BUT NO HALO is DECISION OF
coNAPARTE AND HIS
ALLIES.
TO PRO ECUTE WALSH
international Harve ster Companv'l
Crookedness Also Discussed
To Enforce Laws Regardless
Of Personal Views.

Chicago, Sept. 19.--For three hours
/ today Attorney General Charles
Bonaparte held close conference witt
Uunited States District Attorney Ell
win W. Sims and Special Counse
James H. Wilkerson at the fedora
building and during that time thes
! things are said TO have resulted:
The attitude OF Mr. Sims towa q
the Chicago and Alton immunity
proposition was approved by the at
torney general and the road will be
granted immunity, but no halo.
Civil prosecution OF the Information
al Harvester Trust was virtually
agreed upon and steps were directed
to be taken to bring an equity BIZ
to dissolve the trust.
John r. Walsh win be vigorously
prosecuted for the alleged wrecking
Of the Chicago National Bank.
The official announcement was
made that the attorney general pro
posed to enforce the existing laws
against trusts, regardless CT any per.
sonal views he might have respecting
such laws.
The major portion Of the conference
of the morning was devoted to the
Chicago and Alton case. All Of the
vast record In the Standard OH case
was brought before the attorney gem
eral and those passages Of the recorc
that gave evidence OF the trouble that
the court had In getting unwilling rail
road witnesses to testify, are said to
have been placed before the attor
ney general. The object Of this pre-.
sentation is stated To have been that
the district attorney wished TO show
the attorney general that. while thf
cialiy furnishing 1otidnl,afts in ,fffi
which the oil trust prosecution was
based. witnesses from the road In thei
individual capacities did not give any
aid and comfort to the government.
With these facts before him, II is un-
dcistood that the attorney general
commended the course taken by the
district attorney in asking for a con
tinuance of the matter and directed
that a new statement be prepared for
the court that gave the road Its im'
munity, but did not take with it auy
commendation of the character of the
roads efforts in the case.
Upon the matter of the harvester
trust the conference was rather tenta
tive. 1t was indicated that the gov
{ ernment would instruct that an equity
bill be filed along the general lines OF
the bill that has been filed In st
Louis against the Standard OH trust,
setting forth the fact that the harScs'
ter trust has violated the sherman
law and that the absorption of the
constituent companies, while osten-
sibly a purchase by one company, was
really but an agreement among the
stockholders of several companies In
restraint Of trade. Upon this state
ment of fact it is suggested that a
mandatory order will be asked dis
solving the trust and enjoining IT
from future violations.
IL Is said that the criminal prosecu
ton feature was abandoned because
the criminal practice requires that
specific charges be made. that the
proof conform exactly to- the facts
charged in the indictments which
would not leave the government tb'
latitude that it would have i'm an
equity proceeding where matters 81
government testimony might be pro
| duced.
I'm the Walsh case the attorne'
general is understood TO be iniorme'
that the proof would. under the view
LOT the assistant district attorney J.
charge. undoubtedly result in cor
viction. The preparations in this cas-
were approved aud commended by TIA
attorney general.
These persons who thought tha
there was a difference between tn
attorney general and District Attorne
Sims had their minds disabuscd. TIL
/ session. 50 far as they were COZ
lcerncd. was love feast. II develope
THAT instead Of any hitch between tn
two on the Alton proposition that tn
1 local attorney had done just what IN
I attorney general would have directe'