Arizona republican., 1911-05-20

 OF LUMBER Defendants in Suit Under Interpreted Sherman Act MANY LIKE II PROPOSED
The Ultimate Consumer to Be Protected Against the
 Establishing Methods of So- Called Lumber Trust and Other Combinations.

{ New York, May 19-In the first fed | eral antitrust proceedings brought un- | der the sherman law as interpreted in
 the Standard oil decision the depart
 ment of justice today filed a suit in the | United States court here against the ! cOnsttuent organizations of what is pOpularly known as the lumber trust. alleging the existence of a widespread iconspiracy "unreasOnably to restrain l the lumber trade in this country" Ten trade organizations and more than 150 1 individuals are named 5s defendants. | It alleges violations of the sherman anti trust law and seeks a permanent | injunction restraining the defendants from continuing the conspiracy charged It is said the suit may be the first
 of a series planned by Attorney General Wickersham looking to the breaking up of alleged agreements between the re- tailers of commodities to maintain higher prices; to force all ultimate con sumers to buy from retailers and to black list wholesalers who sell tC others
 than members of the retailers Organi- cations.
 To show the elaborate system of blacklisting attributed to the alleged | lumber conspirators, copies of circul- ars sent out by the organization, clas- Isifying consumers as proper and i'm proper" extracts from reports threat enng short shrift" to dealers daring to violate the rules of the organization and branding such dealers as "pOach- ers.' 'scalpers," mavericks and "il llegitimates." are fully set forth in the governments petition. It is alleged that not only private consumers have been blacklisted, but that many great industrial concerns have been ut un- der the ban by the lumber dealers. l The governments bill. aggregating 20,- l 900 words. is replete with sensational 1 delegations and interesting exhibits.
 The suit is directed specifically | against retail organizations in the east l ern states. but the trial will embrace | methods adopted by retailers and whole | salers throughout the United States.
 Tn general. the case is regarded as Attorney General Wickershams long | planned test suit to have the courts de- | termne how far combinations of re- tailers may go to prevent the ultimate 1 consumer from dealing directly with the wholesaler or producer. ,I
 The government takes the position | that any agreements or acts which pre- vent a consumer from buying where he chooses are-"unreasonable" restraint of trade and violations of the sherman | law. No attack on the middleman as such. is intended. the department of justice holding that there is little op
 pOrtunity for him. It is known that government agents have reported that the case is nearly paralleled in the marketing of many other commodities. If the governments contentious are sustained there is promise of L sweep ing attack upon other alleged oonspir- acies
 Attorney General Wickersham per sonally directed the gathering of the evidence which has occupied more than "a year His special assistant, Clark McKercher. who has been in active charge of the preparation of the case filed the bill today.
 The government allages that the combine has circulated blacklists which have affected the lumber trade in New York. North Carolina, Pennsylvania Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, West Virginia. Massachusetts Tennesse, South Carolina, Virginia, Illinois, Ohio. Wisconsin, Louisiana. Connecticut, In diana, Florida. Georgia. Missouri, Ala bama. Rhode Island, California. Missis- sippi, District of Columbia, the Canadi an provinces of Quebec. Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia.
 It is alleged that the blacklists have been discussed and approved in the executive sessions of the combination.
 At one time the government claims. the blacklists were published as yes" and no lists, indicating which con- sumers were proper" and which i'm proper"
 As an exhibit is attached one of the mo" lists alleged to have been issued by the National Wholesale Lumber Dealers association January 1st. 1902, in which the Carnegie Steel company, the Deering Harvester com pany. the Household Sewing Machine company, the International Paper com pany. the Otis Elevator company, the D. H. Osborne company, Philadelphia Pennsylvania Steel company and T. many others are named as improper"
 Another exhibit is a circular all legged to have been issued by the New | Jersey Lumbermens Protective assO- citation in February. 1904, for the de- lection of dealers selling outside of their territory It is marked official