The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1911-10-13
JUSTICE RESUMES WORK WITH
7s1 ACTIONS AWAITING
DECISION.
minnesota RATE Case UP
Committee Of Governors viii A-oeaI
in Behalf Of the State-lmpor-
tant Antitrust Cases to
Be Heard.

Washington, ID. c. - When the Sa-
breme Court convenea Monday after
its summer vacation it was confronted
by an exceptionally heavy docket. con-
sisting of ISL actions, as compared
with 696 a year ago. Transportation
rates will be the principal questions
| that the court will have to decide, and
| although the cases are by no means
| so important as the Standard Oil and
| tobacco trust suits, the decisions are
eagerly awaited by the railroad inter
/ ests throughout the country.
Perhaps the most important of these
suits is the Minnesota rate case. in
I which Judge Sanborn of the United
( States circuit court held that the state
/ had no right TO regulate rates within
| its borders. This decision was based
on the theory that interstate COM
merce might be affected by such ac-
ton. During the recent conference Of
| governors at Spring Lake, n. j., the
/ attention of the entire country was
called to the matter by the speech OF
1 Governor AldTich of Nebraska, who at
/ tackled Judge Sanborn's decision and
said that the federal courts were tres
passing on the rights of the states. A
| committee headed by Governor Har-
mon of Ohio was appointed to appear
| in the supreme court on behalf of the
state.
Important Antitrust Cases.
| Next come several antitrust cases
whose hearing has been held up pend
| ing the tobacco and Standard oil de
cisions. THESE actions all involve the
! Interpretation of the Sherman law,
and the decisions rendered are ex-
pected to mark definitely the bounds
Of the trust decisions of last spring
The clerk of the court has announced
that this litigation has been advanced
on the court docket. Among these
cases are included the hard coal
case" the cotton corner case" the
st. Louis bridge case" and the ''tur.
pentine case"
The hard coal case" constitutes an
attack by the government on the prin.
cipal anthracite coal carrying rail
roads and coal mine owning compan-
les in Pennsylvania. II is alleged that
since 1895 these companies and rail.
acy and combination to end competi
ton among themselves in the trans
portation and sale of anthracite coal
and to prevent the sale of an independ
ent output in competition to their own
In the st. Louis bridge case ting
government contends that the agree
ments whereby the Terminal Railroad
ownership. control and operation OF
the Fades bridge and the merchants
bridge across the Mississippi violate
the Sherman antitrust law. Tho
United States circuit court for east
ern Missouri dismissed the bill.
Cotton Corner Cases.
Nothing like the cotton corner case
has ever before come before the Su
preme Court. The government viii
ask the Supreme Court to override the
action of the United States circuit
court for southern New York in strik
ing out an indictment against Jane,
A. Patten. Eugene G. Scales, Frank Il
Hayne and William p. Brown. Thre,
counts charged that these men con
spired to monopolize the interstate
trade and commerce in available col
ton by acquiring enough of that com
modify on the New York cotton eS
change to give the alleged conspira
tors power to fix arbitrary and exces
sive prices.
The decision Of the interstate con
merce commission will claim the al
tention of the court in the so-calle
grain elevator cases." There is
long series Of these cases and 1t ]
, expected the highest tribunal In tn
country will decide the question as I
. whether the interstate commerce CON
mission possesses the power to prohit
II railroads from paying to operator
Of elevators compensation for "elt
! waiting grain in transit"
The orders OF the interstate con
merce commission principally effec
Mississippi river cities, and the board
OF trade of these cities have joine
with the railroads terminating ther
to test the validity of the commission
action. The United States circuI
. court for western Missouri decide
that the commission Is without tn
power IL sought to exercise, and tn
matter comes before the Suprem
Court on an appeal from this decision