The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-11
Famous cotton Corner Case WillBe Decided By
 Sup1eme Court
KNOTT{ PROBLEMS
 / ARE INVOLVED
Believed Cases Will Give Court Bet ter Opportunity to Interpret Sherman Law Than Stan
 dard Oil Case Did

Washington, September 10.-More light on the application Of the sherman anti trust law to the business of the day is expected from the supreme court of the United States soon after the opening of Its session next month. Several anti trust cases' advanced for early consid- eration by the tribunal are being relied upon to give the court greater oppor- tunity than that afforded in the recent Standard Oil and Tobacco decisions to interpret the law and to impress upon the country how the court proposes the law should be enforced.
 It is planned by the court in the first month of it's session to hear arguments in the so-called hard coal cases,' tho cotton corner case and the "St Louis bridge case" Later in the session the court may consider the so-called 'turpen- tine trust case" Each involves knotty problems growing out of attempts of the government to punish alleged violations of the sherman antitrust law. With the exception of the so-caled "turpentine case" the government has been defeated in the lower court and has appealed to the supreme court to uphold it's inter- pretation of the law.
 The "hard coal case constitutes a gov ernment attack on the principal anthra- cite coal carrying railroads and coal own ing companies in Pennsylvania, It is claimed that since 1895 these companies have been parties to combination and conspiracy with the general object of end. ing competition among themselves in the transportation and sale O. anthracite coal and of preventing the sale of the inde-' pendent output In competition with their own, designing thereby to secure to them { selves a virtual monoply. Besides this general conspiracy being alleged, num- bef of little conspiracies, not only form ing part Of the general conspiracy but occupying an independent existence, have been charged by the government All the chstres were overrried by the lower court, the United States circuit court for eastern Pennsylvania, except that con- terning the so-called little combina- tion,' the Temple Iron company. In that instance an injunction was granted.
 Cotton Corner Case
 Nothing like the cotton corner case L, 1t is said. The government will ask the court to overrule the action of the United States circuit court of New York in striking out of an indictment against James A. Patten, Eugene G. Scales, Frank B. Hayne and William r. Brown on three counts. The counts charged in sub stance that these men conspired to mo- nopolize the interstate trade and com cree in available cotton by acquiring enough of that commodity on the New York cotton exchange to give the alleged consprators power to fix arbitratory and excessive prices. It was charged that they knew the natural result of the cor ner would be to obstruct the cotton trade and injure bonafde s9nners and manu- lecturers by compelling them, In buying cotton, to compete with short" sellers who would be purchasing under the ab- normal conditions produced by the cor ner." The lower court held that, the restraint of the trade of the spinner and manufacturer was remote and indi- rect, and the operation of running the corner on the market was not viola tion of the Sherman antitrust law.
 In the "St Louis bridge case,' the gov ernment claims that the agreements whereby the Terminal Railroad associa- tior of St. Louis acquired the owner ship and control and operates the "Eads bridge and the Merchants bridge across the Mississippi river violate the Sherman antitrust law. The United States circuit court for eastern Missouri dismissed the bill
 The so-caled 'turpentine trust case"' involves the validity of the indictment and conviction of head officials of the American Naval Stores company on charges of having violated the Sherman antitrust law. Last spring the court de- L.,A~ tt1 F@, ~1x hearing, but 1t Is believed possibly will do so this session.