Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1908-10-23
ATTY. GENERAL IS DIPLOMATIC
Mixes Up the Prosecutions Under
Antitrust Law.
Records Show That 2S7 Trusts Are
Thriving Under the Republican
Administration Prosecutions
Slow department of JUS
ticc Answer Awaited.

Lefty bureau at Democratic natlohai
headquarters, recently wrote letter
to 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 to give the infor-
nation requested. MFR. Daniels has
forwarded second letter to the At
torney General which Is reproduced
herewith:
Hon. c. J. Bonaparte, United States
Attorney General.
My Dear Sir:--I am In receipt of
your letter OF Oct. I'd. On the Both
day Of September ! wrote you and
asked for statement showing how
many of the 287 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 OF furnishing that In
formation. you mix up the prosecu-
tons 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
tons except the well known and rec
ognized trusts that are daily, by vlo-
lating the law, taking from the mouth
Of labor the bread it has earned" The
public Is well aware that number
of railroads have been fined for giving
rebates. That law ought to be en-
forced, even though your department
refused to prosecute the admitted VIC
lations of the law by railroad Off
cial who received an immunity bath
and was given a place III 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
your department when It 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 faiied to furnish the specific
information requested, and wishing to
have a statement of exactly what has
been done to prevent the extortions
and to end the existence of the trusts,
prosecutions against railroads and
other legal corporations, the following
questions:
/. 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 epna rn To an.nuntSr
3. After trust has been fined,
what other steps have been taken 10
prevent its continuing its Illegal prac-
tees for which 1t was forced to pay
the penaltyg
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. 1t appears that Mr.. Har-
rlson prosecuted seven trusts under
the sherman antitrust law; Mr.. Cleye-
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 tie
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
trust? An examination of the twenty
five cases. You say have been prose-
cuted criminally shows that In no sim
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 inn
munity from imprisonment, will ever
be deferred by the methods. 50 far eIn-
ployed by the department of justice?
A. long - the meat trust can pay a
small line and collect 1t 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 out Of the reach Of the poorf The
spectacle Of few of the predatory
wealth, In convict garb-as the law
would do more In one
week to break up the trust evils than
all the prosecutions. inaugurated. Ass4s.al
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
comparison Of the records OF these adj
ministrations as to trusts. Carefully
compiled statistics show that trusts
were organized in the United States
under the past four administrations as
FOLLOWS: Under Harrison. %: under
Cleveland tsecond term 6: under Nc
Kinley. 1877; and under Roosevelt, 100.