The Irish standard., 1911-07-29
PLEA OF NOT GUILTY
TO CHARGE OF COMBINING
TO RESTRAIN TRADE.
A CLEAR CASE AGAINST THEM
Accept Sentence, Pay From $1,000 to
$1,000 and Costs in Each Case
Government Scores Heavily
Without Need of Trial.

NEW YORK, July 26. - The federal
government scored heavily in it's cf-
Tort to break up the alleged wire
trust when 81 of the SO men indicted
June 20 withdrew the plea of mot
guilty. and accepted sentence with
, out trial on pleas OF 'nolo contardere."
Judge Archibald, in the United :~tatcs
district court, imposed fines OF from
$1,000 to $1,700 ana costs in each case.
The action came in the face of Wig
orous argument against the acceptance
OF the plea by United States District
Attorney Wise. 1t had never been ac-
cepted in this court, he declared, and
he protested against precedent.
The best authorities he said,
characterize it as plea Indicating
compromise between the defendants
and prosecuting attorney and he de-
MED that any such compromise ex.
sted
I The facts in this case are fragrant"
be continued. This set OF men, rep
resenting practically an entire in.
dustry, is in open and perfectly clear
violation of a United States statute
combined to restrain and control trade.
The case against hem is SO clear and
open that the most eminent counsel in
this country have advised them that it
would be fruitless to attempt to enter
defense"
Pleas Are Accepted.
The court however, accepted the
pleas and remarked:
! This is what you might call a trade
Dffense. 1t is an offense which by the
act of congress is against the interest
Of the business world. 1t seems to me
am not going out of the way when
say that just what was meant by this
law has remained in considerable un.
certainty up to this time.
I'VE now know exactly or very
nearly what it means and from this
time on there will be no excuse, but ]
feel justified in locking upon what has
occurred in the past in this light and
therefore l certainly regard this as
calling for nothing except proper vim
dication of the law by fine"
Sentence to pay the costs and fine
Of $1,000 in each case was then pro
nounced, with the provision that where
\ defendant had been fined in one
case the fine should be 500 for eact
additional case The names of defend
ants fined follow:
F. W. Roebling, s1,70O; Frank ]
Newberry, Joseph w. Marsh, William
A. sonner and Philip H. Smith, $500;
Charles ]. Marsh, Frank NJ Phillips
and Charles R. Remington, S1,400;
and Henry II. Ashley, $1,000; w. F.
Fields, Alfred F. Moore, James II
Mason, Alfred A. Cowles, Russell A
Cowles, Thomas Wallace, Louis An
schultz, Joseph C. Belden, Edward L
Erisbie, Jr., Thomas 3. Kent, G.. Ed
ward Murray, A. M. Dickinson, kar.
Eoebling, Antoine Bournonville, anG
Charles A. Morse. $1,1oO, and Newell
B. Parsons, James A. Doughty, George
3. North, Robert w. Sieberling, Rob.
ert e. Lucas, R. Eccleston Gallagher
William II. Hall, Jr., Ralph Watrous
George l.. Bowen, Everett Morse an6
Frank NJ. Potter, Jr., $1,000.
1t is alleged that the SO indicted
members of these associations entered
Into an unlawful combination and con
spiracy to restrain trade and that con
tinuously from June l, 1908, to some
later date were knowingly and will
fully engaged in this combination, the
purpose of which was to fix arbitrary
and non-competitive prices both for the
: purpose Of the raw product and fol
The sale of their manufactured goods.
: William p. Palmer, president of the
: American Steel & Wire Company; Her
bert l.. Satterlee, son-in-law of J. P
Morgan; Frank j. Gould, and Charles
F. Brooker, Republican national com
mitteeman from Connecticut, are
among the 46 other alleged members
Of the associations who have pleaded
not guilty to the indictments.
Two Harbors Socialists Win.