The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-11-23
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

Washington correspondent of TIL,
Reporter.)
Washington, Nov. 18.-Why il
the Wickersham suit against tn,
Steel trust one in equity instead of {
criminal prosecution?
The Sherman antitrust law car
ries provision by which guilty trus
magnates may be sent to Jail. If i,
is possible to dissolve the Steel trus
under the Sherman law-and Presi
dent Taft and Attorney Genera
Wickersham boast that it is easy tt
dissolve every illegal combine in the
land under this statute-why are
not the men who are organized an6
direct these illegal monopolies equal.
| ly liable to successful prosecution
With the fact admitted that it was
in J. P Morgan's library that the
steel trust conspiracy was developed
that it was he who sent Gary and
Prick to "see" President Roosevelt
about the Tennessee Coal and Iron
Co. merger, and that Morgan re-
ceived $29,OOO,000 in clear profit
for his part in the organization work,
| it would appear to the lay mind that
Morgan is just as liable to prosecu-
ton for having organized an illegal
monopoly as said monopoly is liable
to dissolution for being in existence
in violation of the law.
Guilt is Personal"
The American public is about con-
WINGED that trust magnates care lit
tie or nothing about "suits,' as long
as they are directed against corpora
lions and not individuals, and espec-
tally if the government "trust-bust-
err" is to be a former trust attorney
and member of political party
whose campaign funds were supplied
by the very trust he proposes to dis
solve
Relating by railroads could not be
stopped until the offense was made
a penitentiary one When that was
done, rebating was stopped.
A remote possibility of having to
"dissolve" under plan which they
themselves can stipulate, (see Sn-
preme courts acceptance of the to-
bacco trusts reorganization plans,)
or the threat of a fine against the
trust instead of individuals, has
time and again proven an insufficient
detriment to trust magnates who see
an opportunity to make millions of
dollars annually by disregarding the
law
There is one thing that trust mag
mates are afraid of, and apparently
one thing only. That is the peni-
Tertiary
When an attorney general can be
found who will enforce the only
feature of the Sherman law that will
cause trust magnates to really obey
the law, and not until then, will the
public be justified in expecting re-
lief from trust oppression and the
consequent high prices.
What the People Pay.
The people of the United States
pay a subsidy, in artificially high
prices, to the wool industry, of at
least $104, 100000 a year, according
to the calculations of Hon. Oscar W..
Underwood, of Alabama, chairman
of the Ways and Means committee of
the House of Representatives,.
'The Payne-Aldrich tax of 81
cents per yard, to say nothing of any
increase in tax as it passes to the
jobber, makes not less than $104,-
100000 paid each year to substitute
the wool industry of America" says
Mr.. Underwood. Nov, the entire
duties actually paid the United
States on all imports of woolens and
worsteds in 1910, amounted to less
than 100000, which means that
of the $1O4,000,000 extorted from
the consumers of woolens nearly
100000, 0O0went to the wool interests
SIS it fair or just or right to main
tain these enormous taxes unduly to
foster the business of less than one
fourth of one per cent of the people
and to require ninety-nine and three
fourths per cent to stagger under
this enormous burden? l for one
do not believe the American people
will justify the President in his veto
of the wool schedule
Tobacco Trust Still Trust.
In the opinion of many students
of the trust question the tobacco
trust is the victor. That is the real
meaning they give the approval by
the United States circuit court of
New York of the tobacco trusts re-
organization plan. The tobacco
trust is to remain. Competition is
not restored. The stock ownership
is not divided. The actual activities
of manufacture and distribution are
not even placed under different
supervisions. The circuit court
politely declines the responsibility
of making an order which shall make
the business of the tobacco trust full
fill the Supreme courts interpreter
ton of the Sherman law. Discuss
ing the possibility of ordering a re-
ownership and the sale of the tobac-
co trust properties, the lower court
says it could not prevent the present
owners from bidding in the property
if they were so inclined. In other