The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-27
BIGGEST OF ALL.
The Electrical Trust Is About
to Be Attacked.
President Has Ordered His Sub
Ordinates to Proceed.
PROMINENT PEOPLE
Will Be Held Personally RespOn-
sible in Suit.
The List Is Headed by J. Pier
pOnt Morgan.
PROMINENT PEOPLE

Washington, D. c., Dec. 27.-The
preparations to prosecute the electr1-
cal trust, which the department of JUS
tice characterizes as the greatest
trust in the world.'' have been COM
pleted by Attorney General Wicker
sham.
In spite of the most formidable po-
litical and personal Influences put
forth to stave off an attack by the
government, President Taft instructed
the department to bring proceedings at
once for the purpose of breaking up
the alleged monopoly.
There will be a conference of the
attorney general and his assistants this
weeks to review the bill in civil pro-
ceedings which is being prepared, ana
to determine whether there are
grounds for the indictment of the trust
officials under the criminal clause OF
the Sherman antitrust law. At this
conference will be William S Kenyon
assistant to the attorney general IN
charge of the trust prosecutions, anu
Wade Ellis, the governments former
trust fighter, who has been retained to
conduct the case against the electrical
combination.
No Delays in Suit.
The institution of the suits will not
be delayed until after the decision OF
the supreme court in the Standard OH
and tobacco trust cases, for the reason
that the principle involved in the al
legged violation of the Sherman law by
the electrical companies is not tRe
same as in the other cases. The cleo
trical companies will be charged with
a conspiracy to restrain trade under
cover of the patent law. The depart
Inent has not decided where the SUIT
will be brought.
For a year the government investf-
1,axT
the alleged manner in which the COM
bination of electrical manufacturing
companies operates to maintain extor-
tionate prices on the products
They have reported that the trust is
composed mainly of the General Elec-
tric and Westinghouse Electric com
panies, operating in an agreement with
seventeen associations Of smaller man
- ufacturing of almost every article en-
ployed in the use of electricity.
The civil proceedings seeking the d1s-
solution of the combine would be dlrecI-
ed against the II associations eontroll-
ing the prices of electric lamps insula-
ted wire, switches, sockets, fans, cleo
trical machinery Of various kinds, and
other electrical appliances.
The first suit will be aimed at tne
combination to control the price of cleo
trio lamps. This organization is known
as the Association of licensed Manu-
facturers of Incandescent Electric
Lamps, the principal component parts OF
Westinghouse companies. and the Ma
tional Electric Lamp company, which is
controlled by the General Electric
individuals to Be Named.
The individuals whom the govern
ment will hold responsible for the al
legged illegal combination to restrain
trade and fix prices are the following:
Directors of General electric COM
pany.
]. Pierpont Morgan.
Bernard E. Sunny, president OF the
Chicago Telephone company.
Gordon Abbott, Manchester. Mass,
banker and president of the Electric Sc
curitieS company.
Oliver AmeS, Boston, manufactures
and railway financier.
G. A. Coffin New York. fnancier and
president of General Electric.
T. jefferson Coolidge, Jr., Manches-
ter Mass, president OF the BAY Sl--~S
Trust company
George P. Gardner, Boston, vice pres
ident of the Chicago Junction railway
and of the Union Stockyards company
Marsden ]. Perry, Providence, R. l.,
railway fnancier and president of the
American Ring Traveller company.
Henry L. Higginson, Boston, banker
and president of the Submarine Signal
company.
Robert Treat Paine II, Boston.
LAWYER and president of the Railway
and Light Securities company.
Charles Steele New York, lawyer
and partner OF j. T. MOTSaH-
E. w. Rice, jr-, vice president of the
General Electric.
s. L. Schoonmaker and j. p. Cord.
Directors of Westinghouse.
The directors of the Westinghouse
Electric company follow:
Richard Delafield, New York, presi-
dent of the National Park bank.
Anthony N. Brady, New York. pres
ident of the New York Edison COM
many and chairman of the board of the
PEOPLES Gas Light and Coke COM
pany of Chicago.
]. d. Gallery, Pittsburg, street rail-
way magnate.
Charles F. Brooker, Ansonia, Conn.,,
nresident of the American Brass COM
nanv and member of Republican COM
mittee.
George Westinghouse, president of
the Westinghouse company.
Robert Mather, railroad operator
and chairman of the Westinghouse
directors.
Albert H. Wiggin New York. insur-
ance fnancier and vice president OF
the National Park bank
Fl M Herr, vice president OF the
westinghouse company.
A G. Becker, T. w. Lamont, George
M Verify William McGonway, Chas
8 Kuhn, Edward F. Atkins and Jos
w Marsh.
Ror. T2affaTs Times