Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-03-31
THE RECORD OF
Pierre P.CARvEN
New Jersey Prosecutor Who Is
Fighting Beef Trust.
ONCE A RAILROAD LAWYER.

Power Of Man Who Has Had Members
Of National Packing Company In
dicted 10 Known to Standard Oil.
Fought Political Ring and Was Made
Mayor.
Once among the humblest minions
Of great corporation, Pierre P. Gar
ven. who. unaided. has taken up arms
against one Of the greatest combina-
tons Of capital in the world. the beef
trust, has within few days become
figure Of national prominence.
Wherever men gravely discuss the
cost of living or inveigh against trusts
the talk now turns to the young prose-
cutor Of the county Of Hudson. N. j..
who in Jersey City doth now the
trumpet blow for the giants over
throw"
He Is thirty-seven years of age. His
birthplace was the old town of Bay
onne, N. j., now chiefly known for
the clouds Of smoke by day and the
pillars of fame by night which issue
company.
The youth Of the future trust
buster Of Bayonne" was spent in his
native tow. where he attended the
public schools and obtained n good
English education. He served for IL
time as assistant freight agent and
was then placed in the auditing de-
partment Of the Central Railroad of
New Jersey. While thus employed he
spent his nights attending the law
| school of New York university and
was finally admitted to the bar In his
native state. After that he was pro-
noted to the law department of the
road.
Attacks Standard Oil.
A Republican In politics. Mr.. Gar
| ven became deeply interested in the
government Of Bayonne, which he ut.
tackled as corrupt and under the DOM
nation of Democratic ring. 1t was
in this controversy. in which he be-
came one of the leaders. that his quail.
tiles as fighter developed. A man
of firm chin and broad forehead is Mr..
Garven. and he has the pertinacity Of
the bulldog when his indignation is
aroused. When he threw down the
gage of battle to an administration
that had ruled for years his friends
said to him:
Pierre. my good young man. you
can't do anything about all this. The
combination you are going up against
is much too big for you"
lie lost in the first round and in the
second sent the champion Of the old
order over the ropes and was elected
mayor. This was in 1905. and he has
since. The Standard OH company was
paying fully one-third of the taxes of
Bayonne. The young mayor got it
into his head that the corporation
should pay more. He sent inspectors
! through the works. discovered prop
erty Of value not accounted for and
raised the appraisal from $780, 900 to
| $13OOO.OOO This was subsequently
reduced to S1O.OOO.OOO, and the men
who had been sneering at the young
lawyer as quixotic and foolish began
to suspect that. after all. he might be
able to accomplish something.
Chosen on His Record.
He was not n new idea" partisan.
yet he was active in introducing econ
omies in the administration, especially
| in the schools.
Some of the things which he had
| heard about Mr.. Garven resulted in
Governor Fort Of New Jersey appoint
ing him prosecutor for Hudson county.
Mr.. Fort said at the time:
II made this appointment not be-
cause Of my friendship for Mr.. Gar
ven. but because l know of no other
man in the state more capable of exc
cutting the duties of his Office and of
looking after the welfare of the COM
munity."
Mr.. Garven on his induction into Of
fee fulfilled the expectations Of the gov
ernor. Then. although. mind you. many
Of his advisers disapproved Of so CO.
lossal task, he began this fight against
the National Packing company. alias
the beef trust, which has branches in
| every state in the Union and in every
important city and town and does a
business of $GOO.OOOOOO year.
| Lover of Baseball.
After he was gravely Informed that
no such thing as the indictment Of the
directors Of such corporation could
happen he saw to it that the grand
| jury Of Hudson indicted twenty-one
packers and six corporations on the
charge Of conspiracy to feloniously and
| unwarrantably increase the price Of
meats and poultry 1t now remains to
be seen how he will emerge from this
| last struggle with titanic forces.
Mr.. Carver is fond of athletic sports.
He was president of the Central Rail-
! road of New Jersey Athletic associa-
| ton and was member Of the Central
| Building Baseball club, composed Of
employees in the Jersey Central's main
| New York office. playing first base in
all match games. He still keeps his
| hand in on the diamond and almost in.
! variably carries his favorite baseball