The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-10-27
.LUMBERMEN TRIAL
FIFTH OF GOVERNMENTS SUITS
is BEGUN AT ST.
PAUL.
DEPENDENTS FROM THE NV.
One of the Series of Suits Against
Secretaries of Lumber Associa-
tions for Maintaining a Sys-
tenn of BIacklists.

Minneapolis. = The federal govern
mems fifth suit in it's fight to break
up the so-called lumber trust has be-
gun in the United States court in st.
Paul. The bill, was filed by 6. c..
Haupt, United States district attorney,
of St Paul, in Minneapolis, where most
of the defendants reside.
1t is directed against the Northwest
ern Lumbermen's association, the
Lumber Secretaries Bureau of Infor-
nation; an Illinois corporation al
ready under fire in another suit against
the trust brought in Colorado; Luke
w. Boyce, owner of private detective
agency in Minneapolis, Mimi, who is
charged with spying upon independent
lumber dealers who had the temerity
to violate the trade "ethics" laid down
by the alleged trust, and the Lum-
herman Publishing company, Mime
sofa corporation which issues the Mis-
sissippi Valley Lumberman, a trade
journal which the government charges
has been the organ of the trust" in
that section.
Platt B. Walker, of Minneapolis, edi-
tor of that paper is made defendant,
as are the following, as being members,
officers or directors in the Northwest
ern Lumbermen's association.
w. R. Wood, Parker; Charles Web
ster, Waucoma, Iowa; Willard G. Hol-
lis, Minneapolis, Mimi; George P.
Thompson, Minneapolis; c. M. Porter,
Oskaloosa, Iowa; E. G. Finn, Mime
apolis; o. M. Botsford, Winona, Mimi;
w. H. Day, Jr., Dubuque, Iowa; NJ T.
Mcmahon, Fergus Falls, Mimi; C. A.
Finkbine, Des Moines, Iowa, and John
w. Barry, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
AS in similar suits now pending
against the Eastern States Retail Lum-
Der Dealers association, the Michigan
Retail Lumber Dealers association,
the Colorado and Wyoming Lumber
Dealers association and the Lumber
Secretaries Bureau of Information GA
members of the later organization be-
ing under criminal indictments charg-
ing violations of the Sherman anti
trust law, the government alleges
that the lumber trade has been I'M
reasonably restrained by illegal agree
ments and understandings which pre-
vent the consumer from buying of
whom and where he will, which abb
solutely forbid competition for trade
and which have divided the country
into non-competitive territories. 1t is
also alleged that names of lumbermen
who have violated the "ethics" have
been published to the trade in the Mis-
sissippi Valley Lumberman.
The bill alleges many acts in. pur-
suance to an alleged conspiracy cover
ing several years and that some of
them were perpetrated and in form
ceased several years ago, but each act
is alleged to have been part of care
fully devised plan by which first one
restriction and then another fastened
upon the lumber trade and when once
fixed was to all appearances abandoned
and substituted with one less iniqui-
tous.
The theory of the bill is that while
no one of the separate acts performed
now might be taken as a violation Of
law, when considered alone, they are
but part of a general plan and that
by the alleged Continuing conspir-
acy," an apparently harmless act is
now directly contributory to the orig
inal scheme of restriction and oppres-
sion of which the government COM
plains.
All the allegations in the bill, which
is replete with exhibits of letters, lists,
resolutions and minutes of meetings,
indicate that the government is in
possession of much original evidence.
The bill relates in great detail the
governments allegation that dealers
who insisted upon selling to whomever
they pleased were constantly under
the surveillance of the defendant,
Boyce, and his detectives, who report
ed all irregular" business to their en-
ployers-the Northwestern Lumber
mems association; that the reports of
such espionage were cent to the lumber
secretaries bureau of information,
through which they were sent to the
20 or more territorial organizations of
the so-called trust, in addition to be-
ing published in the Mississippi Valley
Lumberman.
The government asks injunctions re-
straining all the defendants from con-
tinuing the acts of which complaint is
made. The suit is in direct charge of
Clark McKercher, special assistant to
Attorney General Wickersham, who
has directed the governments fight
against the alleged trust all over the
country.
"WoodroW Wilson" Club Formed.
Chicago, Ill. - A Woodrow Will
son-for-President" club organized here.