The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-20
First Suit Filed Under
New Interpretation Of
Sherman Law.
EFFECTS MAY BE
FAR REACHING
Initial Step OF Campaign Planned
by Wickersham to Break Up
Trade Conspiracies and
Reduce Price Of Com
nodities to Ulti-
mate Consumer.

New York. May lain the hrst Fed
/, eral antitrust proceedings brought
under the Sherman law as interpre ed
in the Standard OIL decision. the De-
/ partment of Justice filed suit in the
| United States Court here to-day again st
various constituent organiza lions or
I what is popularity known az the '-lum-
! Ter trust" alleging the existence or a
4 widespread conspiracy, ''unreason bly,
! 10 restrain the lu mber trade In this
country
/ 1t is said that the suit may be the
| first OF a series planned by Attorney
| General Wickersham looking to the
| breaking up or alleged agreements
among the retailers OF many OF tae
commodities OF life to maintain high
| prices. TO force all ultimate consun-
! ers to buy from retailers and 10 black
! list wholesalers who sell to others
than mea.bcrs OF the retail orguniza-
! tons In the various States and cities
! Ten trade organiza tons and more
| than atty individuals are named as de-
| fendants in to-days suit. II allie ges
4 violation OF the Sherman ann
| Ia" and seeks n permanent injunction
restraining the defendants from con-
! tinuinS the conspiracy charged. The
system OF blackIisting attributed to
| me alleged conspirators, copies OF cir
culars sent out by the various organi-
cations classifying consumers a. pro
ncr and improper trade, extracts
| from reports threa tening short shriftr
TO dealers daring TO violate tho rules
Of the organizations and branding such
I offenders as ''poachers "scalpcrs''
mavericks and 'illegitima tes," are
| fully set forth in the governments
| petition.
Put Under the Ban.
| tc al 10,
| Hate consumers bean blacklisted, but
that many OF the great industrial con
| Germs OF the country have been put
/ under the ban by the lumber dealers.
! The governments bill is replete with
sensational allegations and interesting
! exhibits.
The suit is directed specifically
against retail organiza lions in the
| Eastern States. but the trial unques-
uonably Will embrace methods adopt
/! ed by retailers and wholesalers
throughout the United States. In gen
eral. the case is regarded as Attorney
General Understands long planned
test suit to have the courts determine
how far combinations OF retailers may
go to prevent the ultimate consumer
/ from dealing directly with the whole
| saler or producer
| The government takes the position
/ that any agreements or acts which
| ~ CIT u consumer from DOyInS where
| lie chooses or to his best advantage are
in unreasonable" restraint of trade
| and violate the Sherman law No at
| tack on the middleNan g such is in
i tended, the Department of Justice hold
ing that there is legitimate business
(, opportunity for him.
1t Is known that while the depart
ment has been making nation wide
| investigation OF the question as it
! relates TO lumber its agents have re-
ported that the case is nearly parallel
| ed in the marketing of many 9th ar
| commodities in daily use.7 II the gov
| ernment's contentious in this case arc
sustained, there is promise OF sweep
| Ing attack upon similar alleged con-
| spiracies. The Department of Justice
regards the case as the most importan.
| in principle OF all the antitrust suits
undertaken. Attorn ey- General Wick
| ersham personally directed the gather
/ Ing of evidence. II has occupied more
than g year. His chief assistant clerk
| Mckercher, who has been in active
charge of the preparation OF the case,
Med the bill to- day. which was also
I, signed by Henry A Wise, United States
| District Attorney at New York; James
/ A. Fowler, assistant TO the Attorney
General. and Felix Frankfurter. assist
ant United States Attorney. The prin-
!! cipal defendants in the suit are:
The Eastern States Retail Lumber
/ Dealers Association. New York cor
poration. the central body OF the nine
4 other defendant organizations
The New York Lumber Trade Asso-
citation. of New York City.
The Building Material Mems Associ-
alton, of Westchester county. New
York.
I The Lumber Dealers Association OF
/ Connecticut.
The Massachusetts Retail Lumber
| Dealers Association.
The Lumber Dealers Association OF
Rhode Island
The Retail Lumber Dealers Associa-
tion of Baltimore.
The officers and directors trustees
and members of the above are named
as individual defendants as we'll as
the officers and directors and members
of the three following voluntary or
ganizations:
The New Jersey Lumbermen's Pro-
tective Association.
The Retail Lumbermen's Association
of Philadelphia.
The Lumber Exchange of the District
of Columbia.
BlaclsiiKt. Circulated.
The governments bill alleges among
other things. that although the Ma
tional Wholesale Dealers Association
is not named as defendant. by agree
ments with It the Eastern States Asso-
citation has organized and circulated
blacklists which have affected the lum-
Der trade in New York, North Carolina
Kentucky, Pennsylvania. Maryland
Michigan, West Virginia, Massachu-
sets, Tennessee, South Carolina. Vir-
gnia, New Jersey. Illinois, Ohio, Wis
consin, Louisiana. Connecticut. Indiana,
Florida. Georgin. Missouri. Alabama
Rhode Island. California. Mississippi
the District OF Columbia, tho Canadian