Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1911-12-08

manufacture and sale of chewing and
smoking tobacco and cigars. The
former one tin-foil company is d.
vided into two, one of sS25,000 cap
ital and the other Of 100000. The
one snuff company is divided into
three companies, one with a capital
of $15,000,000; another with cap
ital of 100000; nd third with a
capital of 100000. The ncorice
companies are two, one with a cap
ital Of $6,T6s,00 and another with
capital Of 100000. There is, also,
the British-American Tobacco COM
pany, a British corporation. doing
business abroad with capital of
$26,000,000, the Porto Rican Tobac-
CO company with capital Of
$1,800.OO0, and the corporation Of
United Cigar Stores, with capital
Of 100000. Under this arrange
ment each Of the different kinds of
business will be distributed between
two or more companies, with d.
vision of the prominent brands in the
same tobacco products, so as to make
competition not only possible but
necessary. Thus the smoking tobac-
co business of the country is divided
SO that the present Independent com
panies have 21.39 per cent. while the
American Tobacco company will have
33.0S per cent, the Liggett am
Meyers 20.05 per cent, the Lorilla
company 22.82 per cent, and
Reynolds company 2.66 per cent. II
stock of the other thirteen compani
both preferred and common, has be
taken from the defendant Americ
Tobacco company and has been
tributed among its stockholders.
covenants restricting competition ha
been declared null and further II az
romance of them has been enjoiped.
The preferred stock of the different
companies has now been given vot-
ing power which was denied it under
the old organization. The ratio of
the preferred stock to the common
was as 70 to 40. This constitutes a
very decided change in the character
OF the ownership and control of
each company.
In the original suit there were TWEEN
ty-nine defendants who were charged
with being the conspirators through
whom the Illegal combination acquired
and exercised its unlawful dominion
Under the decree these defendants
will hold amounts of stock In the va
rious Distribute companies ranging
from Al per cent. as a maximum to
2Sk per cent. as minimum except
In the case Of one small company. the
Porto Rican Tobacco company, in
which they will hold As per cent. The
Twenty-Five individual defendants are
enjoined for three years from buying
any stock except from each other.
and the group Is thus prevented from
extending its control during that Pc
riod. All parties to the suit, and the
new companies who are made parties,
are enjoined perpetually from in any
way effecting any combination be-
tween any of the companies in viola
ton of the statute by way of resump
ton Of the old trust Each of the
fourteen companies is enjoined from
acquiring stock In any of the others
All these companies are enjoined from
having common directors or officers
or common buying or selling agents,
or common offices, or lending money
to each other.
Size of New Companies.
Objection was made by certain IN
dependent tobacco companies that this
settlement was unjust because 1t left
companies with very large capital In
active business, and that the settle
ment that would be effective to put all
on an equality would be a division of
the capital and plant of the trust into
small factions In amount more nearly
equal to that of each Of the independ-
ent companies. This contention re-
suits from a Misunderstanding of the
antitrust law and Its purpose. 1t is
not intended thereby to prevent the
accumulation Of large capital In bust
ness enterprises In which such COM
bination can secure reduced cost of
production, sale and distribution. 1t
is directed against such an aggrega-
ton of capital only when its purpose
is that of sitting competition. enhanc-
ing or controlling prices and estab,
fishing a monopoly If we shall have
by the decree defeated these purposes
and restored competition between the
large units into which the capital and
plant have been divided. we shall have
accomplished the useful purpose of
the statute.
confiseatlor Not the Purpose Of the
Statute.
1t is not the purpose of the statute
to confiscate the property and capital
of the offending trusts. Methods of
punishment by fine or Imprisonment
of the Individual offenders. by fine of
the corporation. or by forfeiture of its
goods in transportation, are provided.
but the proceeding in equity is spe-
cific remedy to stop the operation of
the trust by injunction and prevent
the future use of the plant and capital
in violation of the statute.
Effectiveness of Decree.
venture to say that not In the his
tory of American law has decree
more effective for such a purpose