Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-07-30
M, without you l must act alone


was Withdrawn from court. Attorney
Milburn. for the Trust, announcing
II the court that settlement OF the
suit had been reached. The terms
of the settlement contemplate the
payment of 5000 in cash by the
Trust to the Pennsylvania Company;
the cancellation of the loan and the
return of the securities to the smaller
company, tffecting practical pay
ment of 100000. More than that
it means that the Pennsylvania Com
pany has been given sufficient money
to enable it to do business and Re-
ceiver Earle may have the consolation
Of knowing that inasmuch as he bad
ito 60 it" without the assistance of
the President CT the United States,
the glory Of the result is his alone,
On the second charge-defrauding
the Government BY false weights the
Sugar Trust has also plead guilty
and has paid back 100000. How
small portion of the total plumber
that sum constitutes is no. stated.
And the facts as 10 that cheap buck
ster practice Of stealing has been plac.
ed before the President and the Attor.
ney General three years ago,
Naturally the public Is anxious to
know what change has come over
the Sugar Trust that it should thus
compromise with the Pennsylvania
Company and admit it had offended
to the amount Of s2,0OO,0OO at
least. Why should it acknowledge
that it has for years cheated the Gov.
eminent by the means Of "doctored"
weights and false scales? The rec
ord in the court files at Philadelphia
tell part Of the story and Receiver
Earle may tell the other part. Or he
may not tell it. Despite, the fact
that Mr.. Earle has a reputed wealth
Of $1O,00O,OOO; despite the fact that
no individual in his city has greater
credit or a better name, he felt con.
strained to tell the President of the
United States that the task he was
undertaking was hazardous one.
In his letter to Mr.. Roosevelt on
September 26, 1905, he said: u
imperatively need your aid and CO.
operation 4 without il |
may be myself crushed in the effort
to obtain justice for the smaller body
which l represent" If that fear
lowered over Mr.. Earle, what must
be the dread of the average citizen
who lacking the wealth Of the former
has bis courage! And Mr.. Earle, it
apdears, was justified in that fear,
for we find that neither the President
nor any department of the govern
ment ever took cognizance of the
facts before them, and the trusts went
about its illegal practices, cheating
the government and the public with
an IMMUNITY ipexplicable in an hon.
est mind. Mr.. Earle is still likely to
count the cost before he goes further,
having now obtained the chief end
sought.
The Pennsylvania company
through its receiver, sued for $4,000
900. The Philadelphia owners o.
that company had been strangled
literally cheated out Of their property
and the big refining plant they hat
Just constructed was closed to labor
as well as to capital. The facts O
the case had gone to twelve men il
a court Of record, and the story wa.
so well connected in a legal way ant
so appealing to the natural fair pla,
of American citizenship that the jur,
might reasonably be suspected o
a disposition to grant a heavy yer
dict. A compromise apparently ser
we'd better to the sugar trust than
continuance Of the narrowing tale
Enough, however, has been said t
compel that infant sugar trust +
confess to using false weights in ad
dition to its other offences; and +