Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-04-03
TRUST BUSTING
ON TAFT PLAN
Government Attorneys
Thoroughly Prepare
Cases

WASHINGTON. ID. c., March IL.
The slogan of the Department of JUS
tice in the Taft Administration is:
Don't start anything that you cant
| finish" At least 6j per cent. of the
cases pending will be abandoned. The
idea is to clear the docket until there
remain only such cases as offer a
probability of success.
The Standard Oil case settled by
order OF Judge Anderson, with a ver-
diet of not guilty, is out of the wav
There are other indictments along
the same line, but the Department
of Justice does not know whether
they will be pressed or not Mr.
Wickersham is waiting until the roc
ord has been returned to the depart
ment. II is the opinion in the lie.
partment and at the White House
that any new prosecution, criminal
ly. of the Standard Oil will have To
be along new lines.
II is expected that when the cases
found defective are eliminated, the
only big trust-busting cases left on
the docket, to which the department
will devote its best energies, will be
these:
Big Cases Pending
THE civil suit TO dissolve the
Standard Oil Company. This is I'M
der the direction of Frank -. Eel-
logg, and will be argued core the
Circuit Court of Appeals at st.
Louis about April /.
2-The suit to dissolve the Tobac-
co Trust. This is now before the SUI
preme Court on appeal and is to be
argued In October. II is expected
that the Standard Oil case will reach
the Supreme Court at about that
time, and that the two, which in
volye the same principle, will be sub
mitted at the same time.
| 3-The Government controversy
with the Powder Trust. This Is in
the hands of an examiner appointed
| by the United States Circuit Court
at Wilmington, Del, where testi-
mony is being taken. The case will
be submitted TO the court soon.
4-The commodities clause. This
has been submitted to the Supreme
Court and a ruling is expected soon.
This clause forbids a railroad to haul
products of Its own, and is aimed at
the monopoly mainly formed by the
great coal-carrying railroads.
5-The anthracite coal case. Tes-
] timony Is being taken by an examl-
ner appointed by the Circuit Court
for the District of Pennsylvania. The
title of the suit is: The U. S. VS..
The Reading Co.
6-An examiner appointed by n
Federal Court is working to prove
that there is combination In viola
ton of the Antitrust Act between
Harriman's Union Pacific and South
ern Pacific.
THE Boston merger. This is
an attempt to restrain merger be-
tween the Boston and Maine and the
New York, New Haven, and Hartford
Railroads. The case is pending in
the Federal Court at Boston.
S-What are regarded by the new
Administration as the most impor-
tant of all are the suits brought to
test the constitutionality of the law
that gives TO the Interstate Com
merce Commission the right TO fix
railroad rates. 1t is expected that
these suits will reach the Supreme
Court In the fall in the form of one
OF them selected for the test.
9-Numerous interstate commerce
cases - for violations of the law re-
quiring safety appliances, the proper
distribution OF cars, etc.
If vital defect is found in any
case by the new Attorney General the
case will be dropped before II can
reach the Supreme Court. When
ever It appears that different line
of procedure holds out greater prom
ise of success, a new suit will be
brought.
No new suit will be brought until
capable lawyers have passed on them.
That Is Mr.. Taft's order.
"A four-horse rebate team can be
driven through the EllSins law as 1t
stands now after the decision of the
United States Court of Appeals and
that of Judge Anderson in the Stand
ard Oil case at Chicago. An attorney
who could not protect client from a
charge of rebating, II those decisions
are sustained, would not be worthy
of his hire"
This was the opinion expressed by
an important law officer of the Gov
eminent today. He pointed out that
Judge Lands, who imposed the $780,
100000 fine upon the Standard. held
that 1t was the duty of shipper TO
make reasonable inquiry as to whe-
Their the rate he was using was law
full. Judges Grosscup, Seaman, and