The Washington herald., 1911-10-28
CRIMINAL ACTION
Is NOT PLANNED
Continued from Page one.

augurated against the steel trust. He
said that January 1 was the earliest date
possible, but he expected that it would
be somewhat later.
The ATTORNEY General stated that the
! burden of conducting the government
case would probably rest upon the special
counsel, Jacob NJ. Dickinson, ex-Secre-
| tary of War. The Attorney General Will
| undoubtedly take part in the case, but
Mr.. Dickinson is to be the heavy artil-
llery. He may be assisted by other spe-
| cial counsel to be retained by the gov
| ernment.
| I'm the government bill" said the At
| torney General, 1--WE have Included
everything in the way of relief that we
were entitled to ask. Whether we Will
get everything we have asked, should the
court give the government a decree re-
mains to be seen. If we do, II will mean
n dissolution of the main corporation,
and also of the subsidiaries, into their
| original elements"
It is clear that thC Department OF JUS
tice does not consider the plans of reor-
ganization of the Standard Oil Company
! and the American Tobacco Company as
models that may be adopted by other
trusts that shall in the future seek to
reorganize as an alternative to defending
suit praying for their dissolution. 1t
was said that a study of the various in
dustrial trusts by the legal minds of the
government had demonstrated that each
trust has stood on an entirely different
basis.
Not After Political Capital.
The Attorney General and his asso-
ciates were anxiou- to have 1t under
stood that the Taft administration has
not been trying to steal the political
capital of Representative A. o. Stanley
Of Kentucky, and the Democratic House
| OF Representatives. It was even stated
that the department was thoroughly in
accord with Representative Stanley, who
is at the head of the special committee
that is conducting an investigation into
the steel trust. There is no reason, 1t
was said, why the two forces should not
work in harmony, and they have been
cooperating, and will continue to CO.
operate, where 1t is possible.
1t is expected that the Stanley COM
mittee will be careful in the future to
! avoid giving immunity baths to wit
nesses who later may be brought into
court by the government. The Demo
Gratis declare that whatever political
capital is to be derived will inure to
their benefit because T. was the activity
of the Stanley committee which brought
evidence to the surface that furnished
the Department of Justice with the ma
terial with which It framed its bill
against the steel trust.
GOvernmeEt May Run Trusts.
The antitrust activity of the Taft
administration will undoubtedly bring
the subject Of Federal incorporation con-
spicuously before the next session of
Congress, in the opinion Of politicians
here. President Taft is very insistent
Federal
ton law. and his desires in that respect
are shared by most Of the big corpora
tons The proposed legislation along
this line has been blocked heretofore by
the Democrats and the insurgent Re
publicans in Congress. They believe that
if the government undertakes to run the
big trusts the result will be that the big
trusts will in time be running the govern
ment.
The suit against the steel trust is not
to be the last performance by the govern
ment in the courts along this line. Other
antitrust suits are in course OF prepara-
ton. President Taft directed the At
torney General shortly after the decision
in the Standard Oil and Tobacco cases
to investigate every trust and to begin
one that was doing business in viola
ton of the Sherman law, as the highest
court had construed it.
BurIesOn Charges Conspiracy.
Representative BurIeson. of Texas,
chairman of the Democratic caucus of
the House. and one of the party leaders
in Congress, wants the Department of
Justice TO proceed against the officers of
the steel trust instead of merely against
the corporation. He believes that the
department can have Judge Gary and
Mr.. FriCk indicted here in Washington
for their part in their conspiracy to get
President Roosevelt to practically sane
tion the absorption of the Tennessee
Coal and Iron Company by the steel
corporation.
Il can hardly believe the charge -
said Representative Burleson, that this
suit has not been instituted in good faith.
that it is brought only to increase the
Presidents chances of reelection. and |
that, having served It's purpose, 1t will
after the election be dismissed. 1t was
to be expected. however. considering the
long delay on the part Of the Department
Of Justice in bringing suit that MANY
would suspect the sincerity of the ad- |
However, the administra-
tiOn can silence all these criticisms II
It decides to do so, by taking an action
which would conclusively remove all
doubt as to its sincere desire to enforce
our antitrust law.
Wants Criminal Action.
IF the Attorney General will take steps
to institute criminal action against Mr..
]. Pierpont Morgan, Mr.. E. H Gary,
and Mr.. H. c. Frick. the arch-principaIs
In this violation OF the antitrust law,
then the public will know that this is an
honest effort to uphold our laws which
should be enforced against the high and
mighty as well as against the poor and
owly. The department instituted crimi-
nal prosecution against the packers in
Chicago and demanded jail sentences
against the window glass trust officials.
Why, then, II It is sincere in this in
stance, does It not resort to this remedy I
hat would effectually put an end to such
1agrant violations of the law as the !
governments bill charges against the
Steel officials, personally and individu-
,lly?
'Inasmuch as some Of the acts Of the
to violate this law were I
here in Washington when
Messrs. Gary and Frick hoodwinked for {
ner President Roosevelt. am inclined !
o believe that the courts here would J
AVE jurisdiction Of their offense." I
Must Appear December 4.
Trenton, N. J., Oct. T.-with the judges
ppointed and the subpoenas already {
erved, the United States government has I
ompleted all preliminary preparations for I
he trial Of its suit to dissolve the United I