The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-29
INTEREST CENTERS
IN TOBACCO CASE
Will BE First of Great Trust
Matters to Be De-
cided.
EFFORTS WILL BE MADE
TO MODIFY SHERMAN LAW
Congress Will Witness Deter
mined Struggle as Result of
Standard Oil Order.
oecial to The Tribune.


WASHINGTON, d. c.. Nov. est
is the best opinion here that the gov
crnment's victory over Standard Oil
in the United States circuit court will
be followed by similar result in the
case against the tobacco trust, now
pending for argument before the su.
premc court of the United States. The
government S case against the tobacco
trust, which is TO be argued before the
supreme court on December Is next, is
practically on all fours with the case
against Standard Oil. which the circuit
court of appeals, in united opinion
on the part of the presiding Judges, de-
clared was operating in violation of the
Sherman antitrust law. Thus II will
be seen that the tobacco case is the
first of tho big trust cases to reach
the highest court in the land. IL Will
require all of year for the now much.
talkedof Standard Oil case to reach
the supreme court. and before that time
it is expected that tho decision in the
tobacco case will be a matter of his
tory.
Upon the decision Of the suit against
the tobacco trust will largely depeud
the future course Of the government AS
to It's trust breaking program. A de-
cision liz the tobacco case will mean
more To the government or the corpora
lions, as the case may be, than the dis
position of the Standard Oil case, owing
10 the intimate business relations 1T
maintains with the retail business of
the country. The head Of the family
knows all about tobacco when he maJ'
not care n rap about OIL
Will Define Status.
Again the tobacco case affords the
supreme court of the United tSates its
first opportunity 10 pass upon the whole
trust question. For that reason 1t is
expected 10 clarity the situation, and let
both the government and the corpora
lions know how they stand under the
law, and 10 what extent the law has
been violated.
The trust busting machinery of the
government has been proceeding very
cautiously during the present admins
tration, Some Of the suits instituted
in the last administration have been
dropped. but this action was taken, so
it is said, because the questions involved
were before the courts III other cases
or because Of grave doubt as TO whether
the corporations proceeded against were
violating the laws. The three big cases
that are now being pressed in the courts
by the government for the purpose of
those against Standard Oil, the tobacco
trust and the powder trust.
Trust Attorneys Raise Cry.
Already the trust attorneys arc he.
ginning TO decry the decision in the
Standard Oil case, which they assert will
interfere with legitimate business en-
terpriscS, and they arc appealing for
Il modification Of the Sherman anti
trust law so as to ''pcrmit reasonable
combination of capital and industry and
yet prevent those combinations from de-
veloping into monopolles.
This appeal from trust sources Is
really the beginning of a fight TO be
waged before congress for the emascu
lntion Of the Sherman antitrust law.
The trust attorneys who have discussed
the Standard Oil decision differ as TO
It's effect, but they all agree that the
Sherman antitrust law should be modi
fed and made less stringent.
Fight in Congress.
1t is well understood here that the
fight is TO be made at this session Of
congress. and 1t goes without saying
that it will be most vigorous contest.
This effort to break down a law that is
Just beginning to be employed for the
control and dissolution of law-defying
corporations will meet with stubborn
resistance in both branches Of con
gress.
There is one element in congress that
will favor the strengthening of the law
for the regulation of trusts rather than
modification of it. II is pointed out
by those who take this view that no
penalty was imposed in the decision for
the dissolution of the Standard Oil
company. There are those in congress
who favor the imposition of a most Sc
we're penalty In the case of a CORPORA
tion convicted of breaking the law re-
stricting combinations in restraint of
trade.