The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-11-07
MAGNATES ESCAPE !. PROSECUTION
Although Antitrust Law is 8 Grim.
 inal Statute.

By Clyde H. Tavenner, Special Cor
 respondent of The Farmer)
 Washington, Nov 7-Coincident with the belief that exists in many quarters that the Wickersham suit against the Steel Trust is not sincere, and that it will never be prosecuted in way that will worry the trust, is the grow ing conviction that the suit was start ed to avert attention from the fact that as yet no individual trust mag nate has been prosecuted by Wicker sham. The query: Why not put one guilty trust magnate in jail?" became so insistent that Attorney General Wickersham grew thoroughly fright ened about the record of inactivity he has made, and for that reason, say those who are familiar with the con- dition of semi-panic that now pre- vails in administration circles, he started the steel suit as sop to those who are impatiently demanding action against the guilty magnates.
 The antitrust law is criminal statute, and provides that those who violate it may be sent to jail, just as a common citizen may be sent to jail for carrying off his neighbours coal. Yet there has been no mention, by MT. Wickersham, of prosecution for J. P. Morgan, organizer of the trust, and it's guiding spirit. It was in his
 
 which it was decided to take over the Tennessee Coal and Iron Com pany, which action, so it. has been giv- en out at MT. Wickersham's office, constitutes the backbone of the govern ment's case. It was MT. Morgan who sent Judge Gary and MT. Prick to Washington to obtain President Rooseveit's consent to the merger
 Therefore, if the government has a case against the trust, as MT. Wicker sham's suit would indicate, why hasn't it case also against MT. Morgan? The government has indicted individ1 uais in connection with the prescott indicted Beef Barons are awaiting trial on indictments which the govern ment obtained against them. These prosecutions were exactly similar to the new one against the steel trust, and yet no mention has been made of making Morgan explain, personally. No hint has come from the Attorney send the master of Wall street to jail.
 The Sherman law provides! jail sentence for conspiracy to restrain trade, if it shall be proven against any individual that he inspired or helped to inspire such restraint The gov ernment suit against the steel corpo- ration alleges conspiracy, but the al- legation is not made against MT. Nor gan. The organization is aimed at; not the individual.
 Democratic members of Congress have frequently pointed out in speech es, both in and out of Congress, that the people will never be convinced that the party in power is sincere in it's purpose to prosecute the trusts until a move is made to prosecute the men who control the trusts. They have made it plain that so long as the in- dividuals escape, the people will be convinced that either the law is inad- equate, or that under the present ar rangement there is one law for the rich and another law for the. poor.
 In his western tour, according to Seer etary Hilles, President Taft spoke to five million people. Democratic leaders have since pointed out that he didn't accomplish as much in all his speech making and explaining and promising as he would have done had he instructed his attorney general tc start action against one single trust magnate.