Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-10-24

! plus Daniels. chairman of the pub
/ LEFTY bureau at Democratic national
I headquarters. recently wrote letter
10 Attorney General Bonaparte IN
which he asked for Information show
! Ing the character and extent OF suits
Instituted by the federal government
against the trusts. Mr. BOnaparte
made reply In very lengthy letter,
but was careful not 10 give the nfor-
nation requested. Mr.. Daniels has
forwarded a second letter to the At
torncy General which Is reproduced
herewith:
Hon. c. j. Bonaparte. United States
Attorney General
My Dear Sir am in receipt OF
your letter of Oct. "a. On the Both
day Of September wrote you and
asked for n statement showing how
many of the Isl trusts doing business
In the United States had been prose
cuted 10y the department of justice.
the amount Of fines collected etc. In
your answer you do not furnish the
Information desired The inquiry was
specifically directed to the action
taken with reference 10 the 2ST trusts
named. Instead of furnishing that In
formation you mix up the prosccu-
tions under the Sherman antitrust
law with the prosecutions of railroads
and individuals under other acts. No
question WAS asked rs to proceedings
against railroads or other corpora
tiors except the well known and rec
OgniZed trusts that are daily by viO-
lating the law. taking from the mouth
Of labor the bread ii has earned" The
public is well aware that a number
of railroads have been fined for giving
rebntes. That law Ought TO be en-
forced even though your department
refused To prosecute the admitted vio-
lationS OF the law by railroad ofli-
cial who received an immunity bath
and MAS given a place in the cabinet:
and those two able attorneys Hon.
.Iudson Harmon and Hon. Frederick
! y. hudson. who had been employed 10
prosecute refused 10 continue with
your department when it would not
permit them TO prosecute the con-
fcssedly guilty secretary Of the navy
as we'll as the lesser railroad officials
who had nearly all given rebates.
Having failed TO furnish the specific
/ Information requested. and wishing TO
have Il statement OF exactly what has
been done To prevent the eXtortions
and To end the existence OF the trusts.
| am forced to ask you. emitting All
prosecutions against railroads and
other legal corporations, the following
questions:
l. How many OF the PSI trusts. Civ
Ing the names. doing business In the
United States. have been prosecuted
by the present administration
=. How many Of these trusts. nam
ing them separately have been fined,
aud the separate amountsi
3. After trust has been fined,
what other steps have been taken to
prevent lis continuing its Illegal prac-
tees for which it was forced to pay
the penalty:
1. How many OF the officials OF
these PSI trusts have been criminally
prosecuted. and how many have been
convicted and the term OF imprisOn-
ment. giving the names of each per-
son who has been imprisoned for vio-
lating the law:
In your letter. in which you mix
up the prosecution of railroads and
other legal corporations with the trusts
which exist IN defiance of law. you
take occasion 10 contrast the record
OF the Roosevelt administration with
the four preceding administrations In
the pamphlet which You send with
your letter. II appears that Mr.. liar-
rison prosecuted seven trusts under
the sherman antitrust law: Mr.. Cleve.
land. nine: Mr.. Mckinley three. and
the present administration. nineteen
civil and twenty-iiv criminal eases.
You include the eases against the beef
and meat trusts where the government
won these important suits. Has the
meat trust gone out of business, and
have the people obtained the relief
from high prices which they had
right 10 expect and for which reason
they demanded the prosecution of that
trust An examination OF the twenty
| five cases you say have been prose
cuted crjminally shows that in no sin
gle ease has any violation OF the law
been followed H. Imprisonment.
DO you believe that the men who
operate the trusts To their enrichment
by systematic robbery. enjoyed by i'm
munity from imprisonment. will ever
be deferred by the methods so far EN-
ployed by the department of justice?
As long as the meat trust can pay
small fine and collect IL an hundred
times over the next day. by putting
up the price OF what II sells. when
do you think that trust will quit
charging prices that put necessary
food ont OF the reach OF the poor. The
spectacle OF "A few OF the prcdator,
wealth. In convict garb-as the law
contemplated would do more In one
week 10 break up the trust evil than
all the prosecutions inaugurated.
BY giving the comparison OF the rec
ord OF the Roosevelt administration IN
the matter OF prosecutions as con
traSted with the records of Cleveland,
Mckinley and Harrison you invite a
comparison Of the records OF these ad.
ninistrationS as 10 trusts. Carefully
compiled statistics show that trusts
were organized in the United States
under the past four administrations as
follows: Ulder Harrison. -: under
Cleveland (sccond term d; under Me
Kinley. l2T: and under Roosevelt. lOG
lnasmuch as there are now 2S7 trusts
I Ia - a.