The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-08-07
wICKERsHAM THE MERCIFUL.

Those who thought when President Taft took Morgan
attorney Geo. w. Wckersham from his Wall street office
and made him attorney general that remorseess blood
hound from their pack to be cked on the trusts
and that the maefaors of great wealth were soon to be
forced to climb trees while Wickersam ragged back and
forth below, chewing the elevations of the monopo
stc trousers, advised that they have another
guess coming.
Wickersham will be just but he agrees with Portia
that human power most divine when Justice seasons
mercy So he is satherng lot of mercy in the Justice
plate for the trusts
He has dismissed the suits against the Utah Fuel Co.
which is the coal end of the Denver Rio Grande rail
roadtor stealing coal lands from the people of the United
States-upon the payment of $4,000 and deciding back
to the United States 800 of coal Originally there
were 144O in the STEAL but the railway had issued
bonds covering the other 64O and would have been in
convenient to deed it back bond is sacred thing Won
know. We have to be merciful to hondholders
10 be sure if John Smith FORCES deed to Geo. Wilson
1arm and floats mortgage it, Wilson will be apt to
make short work of the fake mortgage covering the fake
Title Wckersham would agree to this statement for he
rs great lawyer But the principle is different Vastly
onerent Anyone that can't see the difference-why in
one case Is the land OF the people that stolen and
mortgaged and the seaer and mortgagor was railway
company and in the other it just an ordinary
person that did the deed! That's the difference!
= VI course Wickersham will go on with the investiga
ion SO the railways that have stolen lands had better
issue bonds on them pretty quick they may have
seuth catch them with any stolen lands that are not mort
gaged OF when bonds have been foaed on them
the case is different 1t would nure the credit of the
railway company if their security for their bonds were
impaired by giving back the coal lands the people, To
be sure the ordinary thefs credit is not often 50 ten
DERBY looked AFTER but doubt they would be if all at
toneys general and prosecuting attorneys could be Sc
Ieced from firms in which the real attributes of mercy
studied.
Since Justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice of us
Should see salvation
These are the words that ring constantly through Wick
ershams finely attuned These words occurred to
m no doubt when he found the Chicago packers rebat
ing last spring. They putting in stuffed claims
against the railway companies for 'ost freight" and
damaged Shipments and the railways were paving
them like little The little packers that could not
get such cams allowed were in an awful hole in com
petition with the rebaters.
But Wckersham, after he had them dead to rights and
on the way to JAIL let the packers GO He said that he
didn't believe there any criminal intent. 1t was
practice that had grown up, and the absent minded beg
gars OF packers had forgot to quit it.
50 he told them that he would let them off, but they
mad better not let him catch them at again. They will
try not to.
Someone has pointed out the fact that the packers had
been prosecuted and convicted for the things
ago. but Wckersham is too mercu let that make anv
difference. They meant no harm in the last case ANYHOW
With Wickersham the quality of mercy is not strained
1t droppeth like cloudburst from a summer skv-espe
ciay on bondholders.