The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-10-03
mo NEED FOR RYSTERIA
continued Frorn Page one.

Continued From Page One.
time that President Taft and Attorney
General Wickersham are very much In
earnest in their efforts to see that the
Sherman anti trust law Is obeyed by
great industrial concerns. Now that
the United States supreme court f1naI-
ly passed on the law and indicated
how far the government may go under
the statute as IL exists in dissolving
monopolies, the administration will
exert every effort to see that the law
is compiled with.
So Tar as the steel trust Is concerned,
there is no doubt whatever that the
government has worked up q suit
against it and will take that gigantic
combination into court in due time
and that may not be very long. It Is
certain that Uncle Sam viii not take
this step until every scrap OF essential
evidence is in that can be obtained.
In other words, Frederick w. Lehman,
the solicitor general, who has charge
OF the steel trust case In the depart
ment and who Is conceded to be a
great lawyer and fighter. has no In
tention OF going into court poorly pre-
pared to meet the battery OF legal
lights that will be pitted against him.
1t is understood that the case has
been practically completed and that
the government is about ready to pro-
coed against the greatest OF all COM
binations. This, however. cannot be
definitely verified. since Mr.. Lehman
and others who have been engaged ia
working up the case will not discuss ii
In advance OF definite action. They
do not propose giving away their hand
in advance. III some surprises are NOT
sprung on the steel trust ofilciaie when
the case gets into court, In spite OF the
protestations of j. Pierpont Morgan.
r. FL Gary George wv. Perkins ct al,
that 1t is beneficLent creation. organ
ized to do good in the world. etc.
But there is nothing extreme or hys-
terical in the attitude of any Official
of the administration even in the steel
trust case. If suit liz nled. ii will be
because officials OF the department Of
justice are satisfied that this cornbina-
ton is plainly In violation OF the law.
Otherwise, no suit would be filed. The
government will make out q good case
or none ait all The same attitude ap-
plies to all other trust cases. If the
officials OF the big corporations which
are under suspicion will frankly com
ply with what ID now conceded to be
the plain intent OF the law" the COM
plicated problem will be solved at once.
1t Is well understood. OF course, that
the sole purpose Of Mr.. Morgan's an
nouncement to the effect that the steel
corporation would not be dissolved
was to prevent q further depreciation
OF steel securities The noted nnan-
cier Ii not In d position to Judge
whether Or not the trust will be 0rder-
ed to disintegrate About all the evil
dence he has IL on the other side
the Standard Oil and Tobacco Trust
cases.
It In limited here that negotiations
were on between the department of
justice and the steel corporation. but
that the latter withdrew because coun~
sci was not willing to comply with
the requirements at the department
designed 70 keep the trust well within
the pale Of the law. IL this story il
true and the government ii forced to
die formal suit to bring the United
States Steel corporation I'd time. the
latter action will be taken.