The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-07
Government Preparing
to Attack Under Sher-
man Law.
GATHERING FACTS
FOR PRESIDENT
Big Men Of Concern May Also
Face Criminal Prosecution-In-
formation Gathered by Blu
reau Of Corporations to Be
Turned Over to House
Committee.

! Washington, D. c.. June e.-The
great steel trust. so long under sus
tor OF the Sherman antitrust law, Il
soon to feel the onslaught of the gov
I eminent. according TO trustworthy in
formation high enough up to warrant
crejibility.
No, only will the trust be proceede
against just as were the Standard OIL
and the tobacco trusts, but 1t Is quite
4 possible that the big men OF tho con-
Germ may find criminal prosecution
begun agains, them.
No details as 10 the proba bic action
of the Department OF Justice are to be
had. TOR the good reason that Presid mt
Taft and Attorney General Wtckershan.
have not reached any definite decision
as to what they Will do. Furthermore.
II may be some time before they go
into conference to determine finally
the plan they VIII follow.
Accommodating the Facts.
The most that is known to-day is
that the President and the Attorney
General have long been accommodating
Facts about the great combination,
and that as these facts begin to taxi.
shape they justify belief upon the
part Of the highest officials OF The gov
4
Its officials should be proceeded against
In judicial manner, SO that the courts
of the land may decide whether the
Sherman antitrust law is being vio-
lated.
So far as the Department OF Justice
| Is concei ned, II has been investigating
| the trust for years. For the last year
II has been going into the history of
the corporation end its operations with
| unusual viEor and pereistency The
| ciamor for governmental assault upon
the giant OF all trusts has not swerved
the administration from a purpose to
gather every available piece of data,
4 SO that II action was determined upon.
ammunition would be plentiful
1 fsWtth desks full OF reports, the At
torney General sat back, and waited
/ for the Interpretation OF the Sherman
law by the Supreme Court in the two
big cases recently decided. He wanted
a clear idea OF what the courts would
say about the law. These decisions
are In process OF digestion by the adj
ministration. and the point has been
reached where serious cons!dera ton
| VIII be given to the course TO be pur-
sued There VIII be no rush about the
ultimate course to be followed Facts
are coming out every day that will aid
Taft to Reyiew'Report.
There will be laid upon the desk OF
the President In about ten days a full
| report OF the investigations of the or
! Banization of the steel trust BY Her
bert Knox Smith. Commissioner or Cor
J porations. The President has been in
| formed as to the general outline Of
that report, but he will await the full
report and go over 1t carefully. II is
tnen his purpose to submit the report.
| Whlch Is said to be most important
| one, 10 the House committee that is
investigating the steel trust and to the
senate. II desired by that body.
II is now known that the report of
! Commissioner Smith, dealing witt
many phases of the operations of the
trust Will not be a favorable one. by
any means. II will not be upon this
! report. however. that action wilf.inauy
be taken BY the government That ac-
tlon VIII be taken upon Information In
the hands of the Department of JUS
! Confirmed by Gary.
| 1t Is nf~tty well known that The
sta tements made by F. H. Gary before
the Rouse committee have not con :
duced to holding the administration
off the trust. His statements have
confirmed what The administration has
long known. At the Department OF
Justice he Is regarded as having aided
ma terially In making out a case
|
the head
The report of Commissioner sm;.r
| IS being prepared with great rapidIty.
| so as to reach the White House ~
early IS possible. The investinat,oo (
upon which il is based have been eoin J.
Oh Tor. three years. having been begui,
under President Roosevelt and con-
tinued by orders of President TAFT.
~ VIII not be surprising il the ad-
ri y,I, sn,f IT,. ~,
steel trust within SIN weeks or two
months, Solicitors General Lehman, Of
nc Depa rtment of Justice Is in spe-
Hiai charge of the ease. by direction
Of the Attorney General If orders
are given by the president. the papers
san be drawn in snort time
Statement I,y stanley.
me hastening Of the report is the
result Of directions Issilcd by the Pres.
ident himself to Secretary of Com.
mercc and Labor Nagel. tits reportcd
that the information gathered by the
hureau VIII be turned over to tnS
House committee which is now con
Quoting tho steel trust inquiry. The
alleged activity OF the administra tor.
since the iouss committee Instituted
Us inquiry to-day. drew from Chair
said -
4 Senator Cub erson. myself and
others who have studied this question
nave long iarpored the suspicion tina
somewhere " the archives of the gov
ernmcnt there vas evidence that would
4 throw Hood of light upon the acts
and doings OF the United States Steel
,Sorn6ratioh. The judiciary Commit
zee 2f the Senate made thu most strk,,
uouS efforts to ascertain these C:rcts
at time when the absorption of the
tennessee Coal and Iron Company I"
the Steel Corporation could hardly
have been called consnmmated, Ire
Z gretf that reasons of state thon ex
J Continued on Third Pare.l "a n