Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-10-22
Fails to Furnish Correct lnfor.
nation Asked BY Josephus
Daniels.
ATTY. GENERAL Is DIPLOMATIC
Mics Up the Prosecutions Under
Antitrust Law.
Records SHOW That 2s7 Trusts Are
Thriving Under the Republican
Administration Prosecutions
slow ssDepartmene Of Jaa-
tlce Answer Awaited.


licfty bureau at Democratic national
headquarters, recently wrote . letter
20 Attorney General Bonaparte, in
which be asked for information show
ing the character and extent OF suits
instituted by the federal government
against the trusts. Mr.. Bonaparte
made reply In a very lengthy letter,
but was careful not TO give the infor-
nation requested. Mr.. Daniels has
forwarded a second letter to the At
tOrney General which IL reproduced
herewith:
Hon. c. j. Bonaparte, United States
Attorney General.
Ny Dear Sir:-I am In receipt Of
your letter Of Oct. I'd. On the 3Oth
day OF September ! wrote you and
asked for a 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 PSI 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 a 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 a railroad OH
cial who received an immunity bath
and was given a 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 1t 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 10 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.
l am forced 70 ask you, emitting all
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 separate ausounts7
B After q trust has been fined,
what other steps have been taken to
prevent Its continuing It's illegal prac-
tees for which IL was forced to pay
the penalty?
4. How many Of the o6iclals OF
these 2S7 trusts have been criminalfy
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 lawI
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 administration In
the pamphlet which you send with
your letter. II appears that Mr.. Har-
raon 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.
Ton 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 obSained the relief
from high prices which they had a
right 20 expect and for which reason
they demanded the prosecution OF that
truetf An examination Of the twenty
ave cases you say have been prose-
cuted criminally shows that In no sin
Gle case has any violation Of the law
been followed b. Imprisonment
DO you believe that the men who
operate the trusts 10 their enrichment
BY systematic robbery. enjoyed by I'm.
munisy from imprisonment win ever
BE- deferred by the methods 80 far en-
pioyed By the department OF iustIce1
As long A. the meat trust can pay a
small hne and collect II an hundred
times over the next day, by putting
up the price OF what q sells. when
do you think that trust win quit
charging prices that put necessary
food out Of the reach o. the poorY The
spectacle o. q few OF TIE PREDATORY
wealth. In convict gArb-as the law
eentemplated would do more In one
week 90 break M the trust evil than
all the prosecutions inaugSirated.
BY giving the comparison Of the rec.
ord % tie Roosevelt administration IN
the matter OF prosecutions as con-
traEted with the records Of Cleveland.
Mckinley and Harrison you invite 4
comparison Of the records Of these ad-
ministratiOns a. 10 trusts Carefully
complied statistics show that trusts
were organised In the United states
under the past four administrations AZ
follows; Under Harrison, -; under
Cleveland tsecond terml Q: under Nc.
kinney, III; and under Roosevelt. lO6
nasmuch a. there are now 2ST trusts
u America u appears that there were
twenty-three before Mr.. Harrison BE-
came president and that 261 have been
organised since lG66 II TIE deDnrf.
ns@nf az fmRfsRm ham ksaasn -. Ally -