Smyrna times., 1911-05-24
Ten Organizations and I5O
Persons Accused.
BLACKLIST" INDEPENDENTS
Government Makes sweepisg Charges
of Conspiracy and Violation of the
Antitrust Law.

Sweeping charges of a gigantic con-
spiracy to maintain high prices, to |
blacklist concerns not regarded as /
proper" trade, and to violate gener- /
ally the Sherman antitrust law, are |
made in government suit filed by |
Attorney General Wickersham in the |
United States court in New York |
against the so-called lumber trust.
Ten trade organizations and more |
than $50 individuals are named as de- |
PENDANTS in this suit, which may be |
the first of several planned by the de- |
partment of justice against combina-
tions of retailers in staple commodi-
ties and the necessaries of life to
prevent the ultimate consumer from
buying anywhere except from local
retailers.
Government officials consider the
suit one of the most important ever
brought under the Sherman antitrust
law, inasmuch as it's great object is to
put an end to agreements which pre-
vent the ultimate consumer buying
commodities directly from the pro-
duoer.
If the courts uphold the govern
ments contention and rule that such
agreements come under the inhibition
of the Sherman law, it is believed that
many suits will follow with the object
of removing one of the greatest causes
of the high cost of living.
The governments suit is replete
with sensational allegations, and it is
asserted that builders and consumers
of lumber the country over are at the
mercy of the retailers organizations
in different sections of the United
States.
The suit filed is against the East
ern States Retail Lumber Dealers AS
sociation, which is the central body of
nine local organizations covering five
states, the District of Columbia and
the cities of Baltimore and Philadel-
phia.
Attorney General Wickersham and
his special assistant, Clark McKer-
cher, have devoted more than year
to collecting the evidence on which
the suit is based. This evidence in
cludes copies of the alleged agree
ments, blacklists and reports of the
various organizations, branding whole
salers and -etailers, who have dared
to violate the rules of the associations
as "poachers," mavericks" scalp
ers'' and 'illegitimate dealers to
whom short shrift" must be applied.
This is the governments first anti
trust suit conforming to the supreme
courts Standard Oil decision, in that
it alleges undue" and unreasonable"
restraint of the trade of the consumer
and the manufacturer.
The government charges in brief
that by an elaborate system of black
listing not only individual consumers
but some of the largest industrial cor
porations have been prevented from
dealing directly with wholesalers.
BY alleged unlawful agreements and
acts, it is charged, all competition FOL
the trade of the contractor, the build
er, the manufacturer of finished lum
Der products and the individual con
sumer. has been thrown entirely into
the hands of the retailers in the East
ern States Retail Lumber Dealers as
sociation and it's constituent organiza
tions.
The governments bill alleges tina
in some localities a wholesale selle
to a consumer has either been heav
lily fined or expelled from the organi
zation.
The defendants named in the suit
who are alleged to have conspire
among themselves and with the assis
ance of the National Wholesale Lun
Der Dealers association, have pre-
vented wholesalers from selling d
rectly or indirectly to consumers, are
The Eastern States Retail Lumbe
Dealers association, New York co
poration.
The New York Lumber Trade ass
L citation, of New York city.
i The Building Material Mems ass
citation, of Westchester county, N. I.
The Lumber Dealers Association
Connecticut.
The Massachusetts Retail LumD'
Dealers association.
The Lumber Dealers Association
Rhode Island.
The Retail Lumbermen's Associate
Of Baltimore.
The officers and directors, truste
and members of the above are nam'
as individual defendants, as well
the officers and directors and membe
Of the three following voluntary
CARNATIONS:
The New Jersey Lumbermens II
tective association.
The Retail Lumbermen's Assoc
ton of Philadelphia.
The Lumber Exchange OF the u
trict of Columbia.
The government asks for perm
nent Injunction restraining the
fendants from continuing the consI
acy charged.
Knockout Blow For OIL Trust.
The Standard Oil Company OF N
Ia--a.. -. .1---l.xa This WAS