The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-10-28
STEEL CASE IS
TO Be RUSHED
TO A HEARING
Department of Justice to
Make it Fight to a
Finish
CRIMINAL ACTION is
NOT CONTEMPLATED
Nothing in Sight to Indicate
This, But Investigation
May Yet De-
velop 1t

WASHINGTON. Oct. 27-The atti-
tude of the Department of Justice
towards the steel trust, which tina
government has filed suit to dissolve.
Is that the case shall be pushed, and
that in every step there shall be a
light to the finish.
The Attorney General saws he is
working IN harmony with the STAN
icy steel Investigating committee oc
Tue House. which has gathered a large
amount of the data which made the
governments petition for dissolution
possible. 1t is for this reason that
the Democrats of the House. includ-
ing, OF course, Mr.. Stanley. congratu-
late themselves on their successful
assaults on the steel trust, which they
carried on by haling before the STAN
ley committee high officials of the
trusts whom the government now de-
cIares to be violators of the law.
there is nothing in Immediate view
looking to the criminal prosecution
OF the defendants named in the Pc
tition filed by Attorney General Wick
ersham against the trust This is. OF
course. not conclusive us to possible
or probable action by the Depart
ment OF Justice, but this question
must be considered in the light Of
what the Stanley committee may yet
be able to reveal. In other words.
the time may not be far distant when
the Stanley committee itself or in CO.
operation with the Department OF
Justice shall extort from unwilling
witnesses sufficient evidence to make
II obligatory upon the Attorney Gem
eral to indict the violators OF law
on the criminal side OF the court.
Attorney General Wickersharn in
his talk to-day touched prsdently
on this question largely because tho
department has made the rule nor
to institute proceedings, civil or criin-
inal. in which there is not a good
chance for success in the courts.
To Be No Delay.
One point which was repeatedly
made by officials in the Department
of Justice to-day Is that there shall
be no such delay in the steel trust
proceedings as there was in old lin
gering chancery cases like the tobac-
co trust and the Standard OIL. which
engaged the attention of commissions
ers and committees and special attor-
neys for about five years from the In.
ception of the suit to decision by
the Supreme Court of the United
States. Attorney General Wickersham
makes the point that the case should
be tried by the full third circuit 1u-
dietary. and therefore Judges Bufilng-
ton, Lands and Gray will hear the
preliminary proceedings at which q
temporary injunction will be asked.
The government is prepared. OF
course. for dilatory tactics on the part
of the lawyers of the trust. Especial
ly is the government prepared for
the first demurrer. which will at
n rhnuy he fat< aF
steel trust when 1t agreed to cancel
its ore leases and threw out baiI
to the effect that it would disentan-
gle itself from the Tennessee Coal
and Iron connection. Also u the gov.
eminent prepared to resist the point
that several of the defendants named
in the present proceedings testified
voluntarily. and that whatever Inn
immunity they have acquired extends
to the whole steel corporation and
everybody and everything connected
with it
Attack From All Sides.
1t Is apparent that no issue has ever
gone into court before under auspices
like those of the present casa. The
whole machinery OF the Department.
OF Justice 10 assailing the trust. A
finely equipped committee Of Congress
also Ia attacking the colossal combine,
and the Attorney General Of the Unit
ed States accepts sympathetically tho
assistance Of a committee which has
shown etsak Il kusws how TO apply
the probe.
Acknowledgement Wickergham II
committed to an expeditions termina-
ton OF this case lin orderly proce-
dure." Special Attorney J. NJ. Dfcks
tnson says the case must be pushed
and Chairman Stanley. OF the steel
investigating committee. says he II
going on with the investigation. There
seems to be nothing lacking. so far
as official utterances are concerned to
discredit the belief in a prompt set.
Element in court against the steel
trust. or out of court. with the sub
mission Of the trust, of thsi greatest
of all the cases Of the department Of
Justice.