The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-23
Wickersham Gives Outline
of What His Department
Will Do
BEEF BARONS NEXT
TO COME TO COURT
International Harvester and
Steel Corporations Are
Already Provided for
by Understanding

BRETON WOODS. n. H., Sept. 224
Attorney General WickershaIn.
when asked to-day II there was any
truth in the report that he was about
10 resign. said
There is no truth whatever in tho
report / have not resigned and do
not intend to do so,
AS TO my being forced out ut the
ca hinet by threats of powerful cor-
porations or trust magnates L shouhI
like nothing better than To go To tho
country on such an issue.
so long as l am attorney general
of the United States l intend to en-
force the laws. and to enforce them
regardless of what influence La
brought To bear to stop some of the
suits the department of justice had
already begun.
The only way the great corpora-
lions can avoid prosecution is by
strictly complying with the law. and
they are fools IL they do not sea
that
send Them to Jail.
Replying To an intimation that ths
way To force the trusts to obey the
laws is to send some of the wealthy
Offenders to Jail, Mr.. WIckersham
said
IT / continue to serve as attorneys
general till the end OF MIR. Tafts term
| intend to send some of them to
prison.
The heads Of the turpontine trust
are already sentenced and nothing
can save them from serving their
terms IN jail except a supreme court
decision in their favor.
The men under indictment in tila
beef trust cases in Chicago will also
go to prison if / have my way. SO
Will all others who knowingly. wills
fully and deliberately go on violat-
ing the law now that its meaning has
been made so clear"
Beef Barons at Bar.
when II was suggested that tho
beef trust ana the financial interests
allied with it have been powerful
enough to keep the case from com-
ing tn trial for nine years" Mr..
Wickersham said with an air of
tinaIity:
That case has been set for No.
Vember 20. | know all about tho
| efforts to stop ii. but there is no In
| terest in this country that can stop
these cases. They could no more stop
those case coming to trial than they
can put spokes into the law of gravi-
tation. The beef trust men have ex-
hausted every possible diiatorv plea
:
and now they must face a trial OF
the case on its merits
Dissolve Harvester Company.
Asked II II were true that he had
offered tho Harvester Trust and the
| United States Steel Corporation im-
munIty II they would voluntarily dis
integrate and reorganize In COM
pliance with the Standard OIL and
Tobacco trust decision. he said:
III Is 7
to grant immunity to any man or
To give permission to any corpora.
, ton to do anything
The facts Of the Harvester Trust
case are as follows:
The department had prepared a
suit for the dissolution of the Inter-
national Harvester Company when a
New York paper published n fun out-
line or our case against the trust.
Il was very sorry to see that article
published 1t placed the defendants
in possession Of what We would en-
deaVor to prove.
After the publication OF the
article, Mr. Bancroft. the general
counsel o'fsthe International Har-
n ns ts, com any noS came TO me assured
Ing OF the petition he would present
plan for the dissolution OF the
harvester trust in conformity of law.
In other words the Harvester people
must agree in advance not to oppose
my application to the court for an
order dissolving the company"
Mr.. Wickersahm denied absolutely
the report that the details OF the
dissolution had already been ar
ranged with attorneys OF the Har-
vester trust
1.-THE corporation" he said, win
have to come 10 the bar and accept
the orders of the court"
Steel is Criminal
Has this procedure been follow
ed in the ease of the steel trust" hs
was asked
THE United States Steel Ccorpora-
ton Is plainly 81 combination in vio-
lation OF the law as now, made clear
and | hope to see 1t submit to tina
law like all other corporations. The
| business men of the country must
| square themselves with the decisiou
of the supreme court"
How many trust are there, Mr..
! WickershaIn, that You think ought
to he dissolved %
THAT. of course Is a difficult mat
| ter to say, but recently with one OF
my assistants / went very carefully
over Moody's manual Of corporations.
/ and checked off those that offer
/ prima facie evidence of being conn
/ binations of companies that were onco
competing concerns.
There were less than I had ex~
| pected to find. only about one huns
drede in all, in addition to the NUM-
Der against which we have already
| begun suits