The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-26
81 Steel wire
Men Guilty And
Pay $4,000 Fines
C. F. BROKER, of Ansonia, One
of 46 Others Indicted, Hasn't
Changed Original Plea of
''Not Guilty"

New York, July 26-Thirty-seven Of
the eighty-three men indicted on June
29, as members of nine steel and wire
pools, pleaded nolo contendere in the
United States Circuit Court, yester-
day, and shortly thereafter contribut-
ed a total of $4,000 to the Federal
treasury in fines imposed by Judge
Archibald Of the Commerce Court, who
is sitting temporarily by assignment
in the criminal branch of the United
States Circuit Court
There was separate indictment for
each of the nine pools and Judge Arch
bald imposed on each man a fine of
900 on the first indictment and an
additional fine of $500 for each addi-
tional Indictment.
United States Attorney Wise fought
vigorously for the imposition of more
substantial sentences. He declared
that under general legal practice the
plea of nolo contendere was in the ma
ture of a compromise between the
District Attorney and the defendant,
that such a compromise had not been
entered into in the present instance,
and that the court was by no means
bound to accept the pleas
1.-The facts in this case are pretty
flagrant,'' said Mr.. Wise. Here are
"a group of men who represent prac-
tically an entire industry In this coun-
try-practically IS per cent. Of that in
duStry. They entered upon an agree
ment which upon it's face was as
clear a violation of law as ever came
before me. I do not wish it to ap
pear that the District Attorney is a
party to this agreement. ] am not
willing to have this precedent estab-
lished in this court. Nolo is a plea
accepted in mild misdemeanor cases.
The offense here, while characterized
-l.l TIL
felony; hence it cannot be character
lied as a misdemeanor.'
Judge Archibald, in. replying, said:
1.-THE plea of nolO contendere is a
well established plea. 1t results in
sentence and in that respect entirely
fulfills the law. All that the govern
ment asks is that the law shall be
indicated and the sentence shall be
appropriate to the offense. I do not
understand that it represents any bar
gain between the government and the
defendants. 1t Is virtually a conces-
sion, so far as the results are con-
cerned. I have received this plea in
other courts, and, as I have Said, 1t
is a well recognized one. Let the plea
be entered"
Mr. Wise sought to have a fine of
81, 900 imposed for each of the nine in
dictments, but Judge Archibald held
otherwise.
This is what you might call trade
offense," said Judge Archibald. ''It
is an offense which by the act of Con-
gress is against the interests of the
business world. Congress has de-
clared that combinations in restraint
of trade shall not exist. It seems to
me I am not going out Of the way
when 1 say that just what was meant
by this law has remained in consid-
cradle uncertainty up to this time.
We know exactly or very nearly what
it means, and from this time on there
will be no excuse, but I feel Justified
in looking upon what has occurred in
the past in this light, and therefore
I certainly regard this as calling for
nothing except a proper vindication of
the law by a fine.
THE extent of that fine is some
what difficult for me to fix, but it
should be a substantial fine and 1 will
impose thousand dollars in this case
on each defendant Let him pay the
costs and q fine of $1.8CO in each case.
1 cannot bring myself to put a fine
Of 81 900 in each of these cases. Where
the defendant has pleaded and been
sentenced to fine. of $1,000 in one
case, in the second case / will modify
it to $780,"
William P. Palmer, president of the
American Steel & Wire Company, Her
bert L. Satterlee, son-in-law of ]. P.
Morgan, Frank J. Gould, and Charles
F. BROKER, Republican National COM
mitteeman from Connecticut, are
among the forty-six other alleged
members of the association who have
pleaded not guilty to the indictments.