West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1908-10-22
Fails to Furnish Correct Infor.
nation Asked by Josephus
Daniels.
ATTY. GENERAL Is DIPLOMATIC
Hikes Up the Prosecutions Under
Antitrust Law.
Records Show That 2S7 T. usts Arc
Thriving Under the Republican
Administration = Prosecutions
Slow Department OF jus
uce Answer Awaited.

's'ebVt Ott. s-tNDtIlul.l
phus Daniels, chairman OF the pub
hcity bureau at Democratic national
headquarters, recently wrote q letter
ito 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 n very lengthy letter
but was careful not to give the infor-
nation requested. Mr.. Daniels has
forwarded second letter to the At
torney General which Is reproduced
herewith:
Hon. G. j. Bonaparte, United States
Attorney General
My Dear Slr:-I am in receipt OF
your letter OF Oct. I'd. On the 3Oth
day OF September / wrote you and
asked for statement showing how
many OF the 2S7 trusts doing business
In the United States had been prose
cuted by 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 to the 2S7 trusts
named. Instead or furnishing that in
formation. you mix up the prosecu-
ttons under the Sherman antitrust
law with the prosecutions OF railroads
and individuals under other acts. No
question was asked as To proceedings
against railroads or other corpora
uons except the well known and rec
ognized trusts that are daily. by yio-
lating the law, taking from the mouth
CT labor the bread it has earned" The
public Is well aware that n number
or railroads have been fined for giving
Nsxhe A..
forced, even though your department
refused to prosecute the admitted yio-
iatlons OF the law by a railroad Off
cial who received an immunity bath
ana was given place I'm the cabinet;
and those two able attorneys, Hon.
Judson Harmon and Hon. Frederick
n. Judson. who had been employed to
prosecute, refused to continue with
Jour department when IL would not
permit them to prosecute the con-
fessedly guilty secretary OF the navy
as well as the lesser railroad officials
Who had nearly all given rebates.
Having failed to furnish the specific
Information requested, and wishing to
nave statement OF exactly what has
been done to prevent the extortlons
and to end the existence OF the trusts.
am forced TO ask you, omitting ali
prosecutions against railroads and
other legal corporations, the following
questions:
1. How many OF the 2S7 trusts, CIV
Ing the names, doing business In the
United States, have been prosecuted
by the present administration?
2. How many OF these trusts. NAM
ing them separately, have been fined.
and the separate amounts?
3. After a trust has been fined.
what other steps have been taken TO
prevent its continuing its illegal prac-
tees for which IL was forced to pay
the penalty?
4. How many OF the officials OF
these 2S7 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 yio-
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 to contrast the record
OF the Roosevelt administration with
the four preceding administrations. In
the pamphlet which you send with
your letter. IL appears that Mr.. Har-
rison prosecuted seven trusts under
the Sherman antitrust law; Mr.. Cleve-
land. nine; Mr.. Mckinley, three. and
the present administration, nineteen
civil and twenty-five criminal cases.
You include the cases 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 n
right to expect and for which reason
they demanded the prosecution Of that
truet1 An examination OF the twenty
hve cases you say have been prose
cuted criminally shows that In no sin
gle case has any violation OF the law
been followed by imprisonment.
DO you believe that the men who
operate the trusts to their enrichment
by systematic robbery, enjoyed by i'm.
munlty from imprisonment, will ever
be deferred by the methods so far en-
pioyed by the department OF Iustice7
As long as the meat trust can pay a
small fine and collect II 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 poor3 The
spectacle OF few of the predator,
wealth, In convict garb-as the law
would do more in one
week TO break up the trust evil than
all the prosecutions inaugurated.
BY giving the comparison OF the rec.
ord OF the Roosevelt administration I'm
the matter OF prosecutions as con
trasted with the records OF Cleveland.
Mckinley and Harrison you invite n
comparison Of the records Of these ad.
minlstratlons as to trusts Carefully
complied statistics show that trusts
were organized I'm the United States
under the past four administrations as
follows; Under Harrison, %: under
Cleveland Second term) g; under Nc
kinley, 121; and under Roosevelt. 1Oe
Inasmuch as there are now 2S7 trusts
In America II appears that there were
twenty-three before Mr.. Harrison be-
came president and that 264 have been
organized since 1893. II the depart
ment Of justice has been os diiigent ss
me interests Of the people dama nd,
would the number Of trusts have mui-
tiplied 30 rapidly Not only would
the trusts doing business have been
put out Of business. but men would
not have put money into new trusts
II they had believed that the law
against trusts and against persons
guilty Of combining would be vigorous
" enforced.
I submit that by the test OF punish.
ing lawbreakers and deterring others
from violating the law--the eternal