The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-04-04

troduced in congress two resolutions,
one for the attorney general and the
other for the secretary of commerce,
calling for the papers and information
which may show the existence of a
trust, and asking what steps, if any,
have been taken for the prosecution of
the combination.
The joke of these resolutions lies in
the history of the paper trust Some
years ago the General Paper company
was organized as selling agency for
number of paper mills in Wisconsin
and Michigan. II was. in fact. a trust
combination, and it got into action
very promptly. Unfortunately for it,
the publishers failed to appreciate the
advantages of doing business with a
trust and the government prosecuted
the company as an illegal organization.
Defeated in the courts. the company
finally confessed judgment and the
court ordered its dissolution.
Although the result was acclaimed as
great victory for President Roose-
welt. it was a dismal failure in actual
good accomplished. The General Paper
company was dissolved, but the mills
in the combination. with others of their
trade and the International Paper
company. proceeded to operate under
a pooling arrangement which accom-
plished all that could have been de-
sired by any trust. Prices were raised
production was curtailed, buyers were
not permitted to have any voice in
placing their own business; if anything,
the combination was more effective
and still is-than at a1y time before
the government began its prosecution
of the trust.
Speaker Cannon's proposal to inves-
tigate and prosecute" the trust has its
humorous aspect, in view of the re-
suits so far achieved by Just such pro-
ceedings. His evident purpose is to
delay any action on the tariff issue in
volved until after the election; and if
the paper trust itself had dictated the
resolutions, it could not have been
pleased more. The newspaper publish
ers Of the country know that more
than majority of both houses of con-
gress are ready to vote for the removal
OF the duty on paper. but Speaker Can
non refuses to permit the matter to
come before the house. That is to say.
Mr.. Cannon alone stands between the
newspaper and publishing interests of
the country on one side and a bandit
organization on the other, and throws
his influence in with the trust defying
the majority of congress and attempt
ing to mislead the men he is betraying.
Whether or not Mr.. Cannon succeeds
in his plan of helping the paper trust
throttle the publishing business of the
country, he has placed himself on rec
ord unmistakably as the champion of
the outlaw combinations which prey
on the country with the aid of a tariff
framed for their benefit Mr. Cannon
may think he has taken the winning
side in the struggle, and that the trusts
will be of more political advantage to
lAiAii anu MS party liidH any Olnet al
lies he could select. But Mr.. Cannon
has mistaken the situation.
The American people are determined
to have a revision of the tariff, not by
the trusts or by the trusts friends, of
whom Mr.. Cannon is so conspicuous an
example. This particular question is
only an incident of a much larger
il happens to furnish
a striking illustration of the way a
tariff can be framed for the promotion
OF trust interests and the robbery of
the consumer. Before the November
election-and after-Mr Cannon will
probably have cause to regret that he
has identified himself so openly and
conspicuously with the welfare of the