Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-06-23
TRUSTS AND THE CRIMINAL LAW

TRUSTS AND THE CRIMINAL Law
Samuel untermyer, who was coun
sci for Adolph Segal in the recent
suit against the Sugar Trust sailed
with Mrs. Untermyer on the steam.
ship kronrrinzessin Cecelie last weeh
for Europe. When asked, before he
sailed his views as to criminal pros
ecution of the trust. and whether his
client had decided TO press such pros.
ecrtion or take any active part in
aiding it, he said, in an Interview
given for the New York World:
What would be the use? The
Sugar Company has been consistent
law breaker ever since its birth. It's
activities in Congress have leen one
of the scandals of the country for
many years, 1t has robbed the public
and ruined It's would-be competitors.
But it is no worse than many of the
others in its criminal methods. and
not quite 50 bad as some.
This suddenly aroused virtuous alb.
horrence of its methods is amusing.
1t accidently happens at the mo,
ment to he the scapegoat, but as the
Government has waited until after
the principal offenders are dead
it doesn't much matter. When.
ever G'a Government really wants
to bring the criminal rict, who are
managing these conspiracies that are
noSeFicusly violating the criminal law
wbeN1 the penalties of that law, it
will not be difficult. There never has
hean an honest intelligent effort to
enforce the ample provisions of the
law against any of the monster mo.
nopolies.
Financial Buccaneers Immune.
THE Government has had no troub-
lie in convicting and driving out of
business Il few poor, struggling. COM
paratlvely harmless combinations
that were put together to prevent
bankruptcy and secure small profit.
But. financial b uccaneers who have
been holding. up the country In the
necessities of life, keeping out for
el2n competition through the tariff
at one end and crushing home compe-
tition at the other until the increase
in the cost of living is alarming have
remained immune until every lawyer
who has had to deal with this big
question knows that the pretended en-
forcement of the law is a huge farce
Every time the Government has
had a chance to enforce the criminal
provision of the law (Which consti-
tute the only effective part, the 9TH
ers being mainly academic, it has run
There are always 50 many reasons
for not doing things that it is never
difficult to find one. We learned
that lesson in the recent ventilation.
of corporate dishonesty when every
exposed criminal went unpunished-
most of them back at the old game
on slightly modified lines, including
the substituting of part of the press
through extravagant advertising at
the policy-holders' expense and jeer-
ing at the discomfited 'muckrakers.'
1--WE all know that the Antitrust
law is being openly Haunted and vio-
lated every day by some of the most
powerful men in the land. There are
secret, unlawful pools to
control prices and restrict production
operating in this city to-day, many of
them under written agreements that
are criminal conspiracies on their
face.
IF fraction of the energy that is
wasted in smashing gambling house
doors and watching saloons, etc,
were expended IL getting evidence
that is obtainable, we should soon
be able to bring this great evil under
control.
Evidence of Crimes Available.
Somehow or other it looks as if
the power of these men is too much
for the Government. The evidence of
crimes have been for years available
to the public authorities if they would
90 about their task as they do in
ferreting out smugglers, counterfeit
ers, post-office thieves and other
classes of criminalism.
I'VE are told by certain section
of the Press (and certain gentlemen
around wall street are regaining their
SNUG confidence in that bolief) that
there has been reaction in the pub
lie mind against what they are
pleased to call attacks on these
criminal conspiracles.
"For the sake of the country let US
hope these gentlemen are mistaken;
for if they are right we shall have
an upheavaI in this country as COM
pared to which the mild and harmless
experiments of the last Administra-
tion will seem like a midsummer
zephyr alongside a cyclone.
"These pools and combinations are
growing stronger and more numerous
individual enterprise is being strang-
led. Unless they are brought within
the clutch of the criminal law and
destroyed the future is fraught with
danger. The only way to regulate
them is to bury them. So long as
the President of the United States
can defy the law by giving them i'm
munity, and go unrebuked, the senti-
ment of the country is callous.
"a Dread the Awakening