The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1911-01-20
GUNS ARE TRAINED
ON ALLEGED TRUSTS
Strenuous Times Ahead For
Certain Corporations.
SUITS ARE TO Be PRESSED


viii Be Sought-No More Fines,
But Prison Sentences If Convictions
Are Secured.
The next half year promises to be
strenuous one for officials of the de-
partment of justice, from the attorney
general down to the office boy. The
same period also promises to be one
of unrest and worry for some of tho
large corporations and their officials.
Within the period named, the attor-
ney general will endeavor to bring to
a successful close the suits already
instituted against ten or dozen cor
porations, and have half as many
more completed ready for presenta-
ton to either a civil or criminal
court.
First comes the case of the tobacco
trust This case will be followed by
the rehearings of the Standard Oil
and the corporation tax cases. While
the cases are being heard in the high
er tribunals some of the best legal
minds in the department will be in
Chicago combating the array of legal
talent employed by the beef trust in
an effort to bring that corporation be-
fore the criminal court and check
moves for delaying prosecution.
Prison Sentences Wanted.
In this case, every effort is being
made by the department to get prison
sentences with convictions. At the
same time the now famous bath tub
trust case will come up for hearing
and trial. Here an army of trust Of
ficials have been indicted by federal
grand jury on criminal charges This
case will be called for an early hear
ing Unlike the beef barons. the Of
ficials of the bath tub trust have vir-
tually confessed their guilt and asked
for clemency. According to Attorney
General Wickersham, there will be no
clemency.
There is a suit in equity against the
Great Lake Towing monopoly. The
suit will be threshed out. A suit
against the wholesale grocers comb
nation, doing business in the southern
states, will face court music on the
charge of conspiracy to restrain any
grocer except members of the monop-
oily from selling the products of the
grocers' combination. Then there Is
the butter and egg board of Elgin, !
against which the department has ev,-
dence tending to show that it is a
combination which controls the price
of butter and eggs. A suit against it |
will be started. The brick trust is
tabled for criminal prosecution, as in
dictments were returned by federal
grand jury against its officers. A dis
solution suit also has been entered.
The Sixteen-Hour Law.
The sixteen-hour law, relating tC
railway employees in interstate COM
merce, will come up for adjudication
The railroads have insisted that it is
unconstitutional and will do every
thing in their power to break it down.
In April, 1910, charges were laid be-
fore the department to the effect that
certain individuals had formed a COM
binatiOn to monopolize the produc-
lions of raw cotton An investigation
was made and the matter presented
to the grand jury, with the result that
several prominent New York brokers
were indicted They will face the
courts on indictments within the six
months. In addition to the above
suits, there are numerous suits aris-
ing under the interstate commerce
law, appeals from the decisions Of
the interstate commerce combination
and federal circuit courts.