Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-04-14
To Justify Federal Action
Against Paper Trust.
Information, Though, Justities
Further Investigation.
Report Of Attorney General to
Speaker Cannon.

washington, April 13.-AttOrney
General Bonaparte sent Speaker Cam
non a letter today in reply to the House
resolution asking what steps have
been taken by the government. to in
vestigate the alleged combination of
wood pulp or print paper manufacture
ers. The attorney general says that an
investigation is in progress, but no evil
dence has yet been obtained to justify
legal proceedings. He says that when
the investigation and the report there
on is completed he will submit them
without delay if he can do SO without
affecting the interests of justice, but
that if the investigation should lead
to civil or criminal proceedings it may
continue to be expedient to Temporal
rily withhold from the public the evil
dence and information. The attorney
generals letter follows:
'In response to resolutions of the
House Of Representatives No. 800.
transmitted to me under date of April
8, 1908, I have the honor to state that
several weeks ago all evidence and in
formation relating to it's subject matter
in the possession Of this department
were referred to the United States at
torney of the appropriate district. with
orders to make or have made by a
grand jury Of the said district, a thor
ough investigation Of the matters in
question The said United States attor-
ney was further instructed if sufficient
evidence could be thus obtained, to in
tsitute at once suitable action in the
federal court having jurisdiction in the
1t-ifh q Wow tn nl1niShinp
offending parties and to secure in flu
ture strict obedience in this respect to
the statute of the United States gener-
ally known as the Sherman antitrust
law.
Cup to the present time no evidence
has been obtained by the officers of
this district sufficient to justify the in
stitution CT legal proceedings, either
civil ore criminal, against any alleged
combination of wood pulp or print pa
per manufacturers. The information
obtained, however. justifies the fur
Their investigation of these facts, and
such investigation is in progress.
at would be ineXpedient at the pres
ent stage of this investigation to dis
close to the public specifically what
is contemplated by this department
with respect to matters mentioned in
the said resolution. AS above stated,
these matters have been referred to a
United States attorney for further in
quiry and prosecution in his judicial
district and it would be in my opinion
incompatible with the public service to
require him to suspend this inquiry so
that the papers in his possession might
be transmitted to the House of Repre-
sentatives and inadvisable in the in
terest of justice to make public at this
time the precise information in the
possession of the said prosecuting Of
ficer.
at is proper for me to say in this
connection that certain alleged facts
were submitted to this department
when the above mentioned investiga-
ton was commenced which apparently
authorized the belief that serious and
readily proven offences against the
laws Of the United States had been
committed in the premises and i'm
mediate action by the appropriate Of
ficer was thereupon promptly ordered,
but these orders disclosed that no le-
gal proof could be secured Of the al
legged offence; the evidence relied upon
to establish them turning out to be
merely hearsay, and the complainant
himself who had furnished this infor-
nation refusing to give the name of
witness supposed to have personal
knowledge of the said facts. Before
taking action under the so-called anti
trust law. it has been the unvarying
practice CT this department to very
thoroughly sift the allegations of such
complaints and the considerable pro-
portion of successful prosecutions I'M
der the said statutes seems to justify
this practice. In this instance, informa-
ton so as aforesaid furnished, when
so sitted showed an undoubted, gener-
al and considerable increase in the
price of certain kinds of paper and
that the increase was due to any con-
tract. combination or conspiracy in
restraint of trade, was a matter OF
conjecture and suspicion only. al
though it seemed probable that proof
To establish this might be found
through q searching and judicious in
quiry.
.eWhen this investigation has been
completed and the report of the United
States attorney entrusted Herewith is
received / may be in position to fur
nish the House of Representatives
with the papers and information called
for without injuriously affecting the
interests of justice and / shall. in such
case. submit them without delay. If.
however. the said investigation should
lead to civil or criminal proceedings, 1t
nav continue expedient to temporarily
withhold from the public evidence and
information, now or hereafter obtained,
bearing upon the situation until such
proceedings shall have been finally de-
termined."