Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-09-29
TO STAND FOR
STATE RIGHTS
AttOrneyS-GeneraI Meet at
St. Louis Tomorrow.
MUST ENFORCE STATE LAWS
Against Corporations and They Oh.
ieCt To Too Much Federal Interior
enCe..-Straight Talks On Living
Subjects Promised.
MUST ENFORCE STATE LAWS

ial)-ReSuits of an important and
far-reaching character are expected
to follow the conference to begin in
this city on Monday by the attorney
generals of more than a score of
states. The conference meets on the
invitation of Attorney General Had
ley of Missouri and the purpose, as
announced in the call, is to outline
ways and means to preserve state
rights and to prevent the usurpation
of such rights by the federal govern
ment, and to plan concerted action
for enforcing state laws regulating
trusts and other industrial corpora
lions.
Among the States which, through
their attorneys general of their as
sistants, are cooperating in the con-
ference are Mississippi, Ohio, Indi-
ana, Kansas, Tennessee, Texas, Illi-
nois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa,
Kentucky Wisconsin and Arkansas.
The attorneys general of a number of
other States, though unable to at
tend the conference, have expressed a
willingness to cooperate in the
movement.
Three great questions are to be
discussed during the two days of the
conference. They are: Regulation
of railroads, with special reference to
freight and passenger traffic; curb
ing of unlawful combinations of cap
ital and discussion of the apparent
jurisdictional conflict between the
State and Federal courts. Other ques-
lions incident and minor to these
three ara to occupy attention.
The program includes the follow
ing subjects and speakers: Capital
ization of Public Service Corpora
tions, Attorney General Dana Ma
lone of Massachusetts; Estate Regu-
lation on Public Utilities" Attorney
General William S. Jackson of New
York; 'The Standard Oil Trust" At
torney General Wade Ellis, of Ohio;
Railroad Rate Regulation" Attorney
General Herbert S. Hadley of Mis-
souri,.
The results of the conference will
be awaited with interest the country
over. 1t is pointed out that if the
attorneys general perfect a working
organization, exchanging plans and
placing the information and evidence
gathered by one department at the
disposal of all, the trust bursting
operations will unquestionably be
facilitated and the fight made much
more equal than in the past. In ad-
dition, the proposed organization is
expected to be of benefit in the secur-
ing of uniform laws on variety of
subjects.
A majority of the attorneys gener-
al who will be present at the confer
ence, and practically all of those rep
resenting the States of the South and
middle West, express the belief that
the federal court should not be
permitted to interfere in purely State
matters. They are of the opinion
that the State courts should be su-
preme within the States, so long as
they do nothing in violation of the
Federal law The representatives of
the Eastern States are not apparent
ly inclined so strongly to this view
of the mhatter and the difference of
opinion is likely to prove some inter-
esting debate in circumference.
The idea of the conference origi- |
mated with Assistant Attorney Gen
eral Lightfoot, of Texas, who has
charge of the antitrust prosecution
in the Lone Star State. A prelimi-
nary meeting of the attorneys gener-
al of sveral Western and Southern |
States was held here in August |
when the general meeting was decid-
ed on and the call issued. 1t is un-
derstood that the plan has received |
the unofficial Endorsement of Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Attorney General |
Bonaparte, who believe that such an
organization will be of great benefit |
in enforcing the antitrust laws of |
the various States and of the nation
al government