Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-13
PRISON STRIPES
FOR TRUST HEADS
Significant Utterances by At
torney General Bonaparte.
GOVERNMENT GUN LOADED
And There's a Nervous Finger on the
Trigger.
IMMUNITY TO ALTON ROAD
Promised by Frank Morrison, Special
Government Attorney, in St.
Louis-Standard Oil Case.
IMMUNITY TO ALTON ROAD


The crashing of stocks, the wailing Of
Wall street, the defiance OF T. H. Harri-
man, the dire prophecies of John D. Rookie
Teller and the bowls OF the Standard OIL
trust all find Attorney General Bonaparte,
the head OF the legal machinery of the gov
eminent, unmoved and determined upon ac-
tivities that will make interesting reading
for the public in the next few months.
From remarks dropped yesterday and to-
day by the Attorney General the future
policy of his department as to trust Of
lenses will be somewhat changed. Here
after prosecution of the heads of the great
combines that have been violating the laws
will be sought and not so much emphasis
laid on Furnishing the companies over which
they preside
Evidently carrying out an agreement
reached between himself and President
Roosevelt, Mr.. .Bonaparte announces that
violation Of laws by trusts will be met by
Imprisonment of the heads of the combines
well infections of fines upon the COM
panies themselves. He indicates that the
country Is to have some object lessons in
stripes for millionaire executives of law
defying combines. Whether It will be Har-
riman, Rockefeller any one of half
hundred others the Attorney General will
not say.
This Is Significant.
The views of the Attorney General are
summed up in this one expression from the
head of the Department of Justice:
1T is difficult for the lay mind to see
how a corporation can be guilty of VIC.
lating the laws and how the president OF
innocent"
If the efforts Of the department reveal
that the existing laws are insufficient to
reach the directing spirits of corporations,
President Roosevelt will, it is learned, ask
Congress for supplementary laws that will
cute and convict, if possible, the men who
direct the policies of corporations that
evade and violate laws of the land.
To Flush Trust Convey.
The Attorney General laughingly says
there is pretty big covey of game, and
that it would be poor marksman who
could not land bird or two when he once
gets started. The start is now being made,
and the bird dogs are in the field nosng
around to see what they can discover. The
Attorney General stands ready with the
government gun, so that when the covey is
pick off the bird or birds most desired.
Mr. Bonaparte continues to remain silent
as to what his intentions are to f. II.
Hartman and the Alton deal The DEPART
ment, announced in The Star yester-
day, has taken legal steps to make +. II.
Hartman answer questions put to him on
the witness stand some time ago. When
these proceedings are concluded the depart
ment will know what it intends to do. The
answers that Hartman makes cannot be-
used against him in criminal prosecution,
but they can do much toward furnishing
tips for the government to secure Informal
ton upon. 1t is at present simply a ques-
ton of securing sufficient evidence for an
indictment against Hartman, possibly
against John ID. Rockefeller.
Alton Road Immune.
After Judge Lands has fined the Sand
ard Oil 81, 249,o00 Tor accepting rebates
from the Chicago and Alton road, he direct
ed the officers of his court to begin pro-
ceedings against the Alton for granting the
rebates. Under the Elkins law both are
equally guilty. 1t now develops that Attor-
ney General Bonapa"te has written Judge
Lands that the Department of Justice
granted immunity 10 the Chicago and AL
ton, and that the government cannot pro-
coed against that road.
The agreement to grant immunity was
made by Frank Morrison, special attorney
for the government in the St. Louis Stand
ard Oil case. Attorney General Moody, now
"a member OF the Supreme Court bench,
ratified the agreement, which made
with the understanding that II the Chicago
and Alton authorities would furnish the
ammunition with which to blow the Stand
ard out Of water. r)ne of the ammunition
should be used against that road.
Officials of the department will not say
whether similar promises of immunity have
been made to the New York Central and
other roads now under Indictment In New
York state for giving rebates to the Stand
ard OIL. 1t is presumed. however, that the
roads took advantage of the opportunity to
escape fine and punishment and to put the
entire blame on the Standard