The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-04
Congress Is Giving Itself
Wide Range for In
vestigations.
NO FA VO RITES
WILL BE PLAYED
Big Corporations, Alleged Trusts
and Monopolies and Senator
Lorimer Must Stand in the
Spotlight Of Congressional
Publicity-Probes Get
ting Under Way.

Washington. d. c.. May s.-The m
vcstgating trend of Congress took a
wide range to day. for inquiries into
the affairs of the United States Steel
Corporation. the American Sugar Re
fnlng Company and the American
WOODEN Company were placed on the
program OF the Democratic House; the
big shoe industry interests were under
fire. and Senate committee on ex-
penscs opened the way for a decision
as 10 reinvestigation of the charges
against Senator Lorimer, OF Illinois.
Resolutions directing that special com
mittces probe the records to determine
whether any OF the first three named
big corporations involved are operating
In Violation of tic antitrust. interstate
commerce or national banking laws
have been started on the Legislative
ways. The steel trust resolution, the
creation OF Representative Stanley, OF
Kentucky, was approved to-day by the
House Committee on Rules. and will be
reported TO tho House tomorrow
In There Wool Trust.
Representative Hardwick of Georgia.
is author of the resolution providing
for inquiry into the American Sugar
Hehning Company, and this VIII be con
fidcred by the Rules Committee to-
morrow. III the committee has time IT
may also consider a similar resolution
submitted by Representative Francis.
Of Ohio. directing that special com
mlttee of five be named TO inquire into
the American Wooden Company, or
Boston Whether there is a trust in
wool In this country is information de-
sired by men interested in the wool
schedule soon to be revised.
Opposition attacking. through the
H. IT, RI.
statements. the proposed removal OF
the duty on shoes. as provided in the
free list bill now before the House Of
Representatives. developed simultanc-
ously at the SENATE and House ends OF
the Capitol.
" nile large shoe manufacturers tcs-
tined TO the Senate FINANCE Committee
that they were forced to keep prices
nigh because they were In the grip OF
a shoe machinery trust, which con-
trolled absolutely every manufacturer
OF shoes In this country. Representative
Weeks. on the floor OF the House, was
praising the concern which owns all
tile patents on and controls all the shoe
machinery In the United States. lie de-.
ciarcd that because the United Shoe
Machine Company refuses 10 sell any
machine outright, only leasing ii ia
the manufacturer, the latter Is enabled
to engage in business with less capital,
and that the tendency of this method
was 10 increase manufactures.
Statements Differ.
the manufacturers declared that this
trust operates on q different basis with
foreign manufacturers from what II
does with those in this country. for
one thing. allowing those abroad to use
some OF their own machinery. Mr..
Weeks. on the other hand, said: "The
United Shoe Machine Company leases
Its machinery abroad exactly as II is
leased i'm this country. and at the same
rate."
Senator Bailey told the manufacture
ers that. In his opinion, their contracts
WIN the trust could he proved illegal;
that. in spite of the shoe machine com
pany's patent rights. he thought Its
action could be construed as an effort
to restrain trade, and he declared that
the Attorney General might make some
trouble for the trust after he had
learned OF the statements at to-day's
hearings. g
REPRESENTATIVE Difendorfer. of Penn
sylvania. to-day introduced resolutions
calling upon the Secretary OF the Navy
and the Secretary of War to furnish
Congress with all Information relating
to shoe contracts for the army and
navy prior TO 1909. This was based
upon charges made by Mr.. Difendorfer
that one shoe man,l:a ctiiring concern
has monopoly on government con-
tracts and has frozen out" all compet-
itorS.