The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-06-16

HAD DREAD
Of THE LAW
f0rmsT official Wiois That No
Kept Out Of Prison By eOad
Luck and Influence"

Kansas CIV june lh--A bundle on
letters which nassed between John A.
Gnrsuch. secretary OF the Southwest.
ern tumhermen's association. and
Carl A Drake. formerly secretary OF
the Texas Lumbermens association,
and which were conhscated from
brakes office when he recently flen
isom Austin, Texas. put yigor into
To states onster suit against the all
legged lumber monopoly when they
we're introduced into evidence By
the prosecution here Thursday. Mr..
GnrsucA, who was on the witness
aaHd admitted the letters were
IEunuine.
The state contends thea The let.
ters- which were read, prove That
~ lumhermen's associations, embrac-
| ing practically the whole of the for.
est area OF the United States. main.
fained an information bureau which
kCpt its members ADVISED upon whar
Manufacturers sold direct TO the con
snmer
i That manufacturers who sold to re-
lIailers who failed to keep their asso
eiation obligations were hackisted.
territory Held Sacred
That the members OF various asso-
ic,ations had agreements NOT to invade
iCne another's territory.
/ That Mr. Gorsuch was fearful lest
| the workings of the information b,l-
reau" might violate the antitrust
! laws
That the Southwestern Lumber
lren's association refrained from put.
4 ting in its bylaws and constitution
penalties for dealers who failed 10
Keep their membership obligations
because it was feared the organiza.
/ ton might be brought into conflict
4 with the antitrust laws.
i Ii would appear from letter
Drake wrote Gorsuch on May A. 1903,
that Gorsuch had warned him to be
cautious, Drake said in part;
Not Afraid OF The Law
u am IN receipt Of your letter 0i
The first do not think there is any
lt,,ng 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
heen able TO keep out OF the penn
tentiary through good luck and po.
litical influence and ! feel that | am
setting most too old TO change my
abode and am keeping up my politi-
cal connections
II have sent a copy OF the constr
triton and bylaws as you heard them
read In Galveston, together with a
copy OF the antitrust law to Hollis
for the opinion of the attorney-in-
chief
Drake did not leave Texas on ac.
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.
teIs aud forwarded them 10 John Nj
Atkinson, attorney general OF Mis-.
sOuri. who Is conducling the lumber
prosecution.
In q letter referring to the failure
of the Southwestern Lnmbermen's as
ISOLATION TO include penalties in It's
bylaws. Gorsueh. in letter 10 Drake
on May 10, 1908, said
win protect Members
"a number OF our members have
asked me what We propose to do
SINCE we wiped out all penalties and
obligations, and ! have answered ali
LOT them tnat every dealer In lumber
who is a member of the association
Iias been In business long enough to
kaow Just what the object Of the as
lguciation IS and that we propose 10
ip3otect our members in the same old
lway as we have been doing aud that
lii Ii not necessary 70 put Il down IN
lblBck and white in our constitution
and bylaws. | have found them all
satlsfied with the change and feel a
hood deal freer since we have wiped
ou an semhlance Of anything that
night be construed by prejudiced
li,Gge as In conflict with the anti.
tast laws Of our several states,
Gorsuch spoke in other letters OF
several specific cases where manu-
i facuarers had sold lumber TO retail
lels who failed to keep their agree
G,ent TO restrict their sales To their
own territory He was OF the opinion
That Ii the members would refuse to
huy from these manufacturers y
| would be but Il short time until the
retailers supply would be cut of and