The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-06-23
LETTERS EVIDENCE
IN LUMBER SUIT
CORRESPONDENCE HELD TO
PROVE STATE CONTENTION
AS TO coMslNE.
Fourteen Different Associations Said
to BE in Agreement Not to Invade
Each Others Territory - Entire
Country Thus covered-Author Ad-
mits Authenticity Of Letters.

Kansas City, June ia bundle of
letters which passed between John A.
Gorsuch. secretary of the Southwest
ern Lumbermen's Association, anc
Carl A. Drake, formerly secretary of
the Texas Lumbermen's Association,
and which were confiscated from
brakes office when he recently fed
from Austin, Tex, put vigor into the
states custer suit against the alleged
lumber monopoly when they were in
troduced into evidence by the prose
cutiOn.
Mr.. Gorsuch on the witness stand
admitted the letters were genuine.
Claims Letters Prove Much.
The state contends that the letters
prove:
That fourteen lumbermen's associa-
lions, embracing practically the whole
of the forest area of the United States,
maintained an information bureau"
which kept it's members advised as to
what manufacturers sold direct to the
consumer.
| That manufacturers who sold to
retailers that failed to keep their as
ISOLATION obligations were blacklisted.
| That the members of various organ
izations had agreements not to invade
each others territory.
| That Mr.. Gorsuch was fearful lest
the workings of the information bu-
reau" might violate the antitrust
laws.
Feared Antitrust Laws
! That the Southwestern Lumbermen's
Association refra1ned from putting
into their bylaws and constitution
penalties for dealers who failed to
keep their membership obligations be-
cause it was feared the organization
might be brought into conflict with
the antitrust laws.
It would appear from letter Drake
wrote Gorsuch, May 4, 1903, that Cor
such had warned him to be cautious.
Drake said, in part:
| 81 am in receipt of your letter of
the LIST. l do not think there is any
thing in our antitrust laws that is
going to affect the workings of the
bureau of Information. am much
more interested in the result of the
internal workings than scared of any
particular danger that may arise to- US.
For more than four years have been
able to keep out of the penitentiary
through good luck and political in
fluence, and / feel that l am getting
most too old to change my abode and
am keeping up my present connec-
tions.
Sent Copy Of Laws.
81 have sent copy of the cOnsti-
tuition and bylaws as you heard them
read in Galveston, together with a
copy of the antitrust law, to Hollis
for the opinion of the atterney-in-
chief"
Drake did not leave Texas on &C
count of any trouble he had with the
state over his connection with the
lumber business. After he departed
the attorney general of Texas ran
sacked brakes office, found the let
tiers and forwarded them to John NJ.
Atkinson, attorney general of Mis-
souri,, who is conducting the lumber
prosecution.
| Will Stand by Members.
In letter requesting the author of
the Southwestern Lumbermen's Asso-
citation to include penalties in it's by
laws, Gorsuch, in letter to Drake,
may Is, 1903, said:
"A number of our members have
asked me what we propose to do since
we wiped out all penalties and obliga-
lions and have answered all of them
that every dealer in lumber who is a
member of the association has been in
business long enough to know just
what the object of the association is
and that we propose to protect our
members in the same old way as we
have been doing and that it is not
necessary to put it down in black and
white in our constitution and bylaws.
II have found them all satisfied with
the change and feel good deal freer
since we have wiped out all semblance
of anything that might be construed