The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-11
JAIL FOR TRUST DlRons.
THAT is THE OBJECT OF ATrOR-
NEy GENERAL WICKER
SHAM AND AIDS.
General Campaign Waged-Beef
Trust Owners and Operators. Bath
tub Manufacturer, Cotton Men and
Others ON The Rack.

partment of Justice Is engaged In a
general campaign against other trusts
which Il IN trying TO dissolve. In
these the new idea of criminal indlct-
ment is being developed to the full
iest extent.
Indictments have been obtained
agsins; the principals In the Patten
cotton corner; against officers OF the
Beef Trust and against the promoters
OF the "Bathtub Trust" Civil suits
also are pending In various parts OF
the country for the dissolution OF
number OF other trusts. Among the
combinations OF this character which
Attorney General wickersham. act
Ing for President Taft. Is trying to
smash are the Dupont Powder COM
panies the Sugar Trust. the Harri-
rimsn Paciic Railroad merger In al
legged contravention Of the Sherman
law; the Southern Grocers' Trust; the
Reading anthracite coal arrange
ments; the towing trust on the Great
Lakes: the Brick Trust at Chicago.
and the Terminal Trust at ST. Louis.
Until the recent indictments OF the
beef. cotton and bathtub operators,
the criminal section Of the Sherman
law had not been called into use to
any great extent Now the Admins
tration intends to proceed vigorously
against fagrant violators of the sher-
man law by securing criminal indict-
ments against them. 1t Is believed
that criminal indictments will be
sought against certain principals of
the Sugar. Tobacco. and OH Trusts
and pessibly the Steel Trust.
The decisions OF the Supreme Court
sustain beyond controversy. the prop
osition that every contract. combina-
fion or conspiracy having for Its pur-
pose OF directly and necessarily af-
fecting the control Of prices. suppress
sion OF competition. creation Of
monopoly. or other obstruction or re-
trsint OF trade or commerce among
the States In made illegal by the sher-
--cn act. These court decisions also
lave sustained the proposition that
every person making such a contract
or engaging In such a combination.
or conspiracy is guilty Of misde-
neanor. and Is liable to fine anc i'm
prisonmant.
II In therefore. the plan OF Attor-
ney General wickersham and his as-
sociates. whero the evidence shows
that the defendants have combined
with the obvious Intention of restrict
ipg output. dividing territory. fixing
prices excluding competition or 9TH
erwise restraining inter- State OF for
eign commerce. or attempting TO
monopolize commerce among the
States. TO consider these facts as evi-
dsnce OF such a deliberate attempt to
violate the law as to justify the use
Of all the remedies OF the Sherman
act adequate to prevent the accom-
piishment Of such purposes and to
punish the attempt as criminal. In
these cases the department from now
on will try TO secure criminal indict-
ment2
The most important OF these GRIM
final trails is I'm progresN before Fed
ersi Judge George A. Carpenter. at
Chicago. Indictments were obtained
in September against Louis +. Swift.
Edward +. Swift. Charles +. Swift.
Francis A. Fowler. Edward Tilden, ].
Ogden Armour. Arthur Meelser,
Thomas y. Connors. Edward Norris
and Louis III. Heyman. charging them
with conspiracy In restraint Of inter-
state trade In cattle and fresh meats.
In this case Mr.. wickersham 10 try.
Ing to land the meat barons In Jail.
Argument Of the indictment has al
ready been made on legal technical
titles and the actual trial will begin In
the near future.
In defending themselves the beef
bsrons have engaged not less than %
lawyers. some OF them among tipe
sblest I'm the country. In the van
guard OF the Beef Trust consel is
horitx Rosenthai. OF Chicago. the at
torney who is said to receive sl,-
100000 salary annually from the
Standard OH Company for his SER
vices. and with him Is Levi Mayer. OF
Chicago. and two-score others. This
case was originally I'm the hands OF
Edwin w. Sims. but Attorney Gener-
nj Wlckersham has taken the whole
matter out Of Mr.. Sims hands and
placed a special trial force In charge