The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-02-07
w1CKERsHAM's FATUITY,

rent Century MagH<lhc, NH'Ch "uN' ~
accented as his defense before INC
American people for the trust prosccu'
fions which he has instituted, some oi
which he has brought to successful
termination legally. and some of which
he is only just beginning. There seems
to bc no sort of combination of bust
ness that Attorney. General Wickcrsham
is not ready to attack, aud the fact
that even when he is successful no
practical results arc achieved does no.
seem in the least 10 daunt him or 10
damien his zeal. He is bound TO make
row, whether it profits anything or
not.
He insists that those who object to
his prosecutions are comparatively few
compared with the whole Of the people
of the United States, which. of course,
is true; but. few as they are, they arc
of tremendous power and influence. 30
powerful, indeed. arc they. that they
are able TO win against him IN prac'
tice even Though he wins against them
in the courts He has kept the coun-
try in a turmoil ever since he has been
in Office: and AL this 10 no purpose. lie
won the suit against the Standard on
Company. TO be sure. aud that concern
is now divided into thiEy-four differ
cnt corporations; but they are all un-
der precisely the same rule and con
troll as the one central holding com
psuv was There is not a particle or
difference; there is no competitions
there is no division of interest. There
have been three raises in the price OF
oil within the past six weeks. These
raises have been coincidcut in all OF
as to time in which the raise was put
into effect. The talk Of competition or
of any advantage 30 toe public by rra-
son Of the success of the suit dissolv.
ing the STANDARD Oil Company is abb
surd. The sole object in bringing these
suits is TO break M the monopohes and
the control Of production and the mar
kcts: that is the only purpose aimed
al or claimed But the successtul
prosecutions fail to effect this purpose,
The futilitv of tho prosecutions Is,
therefore, evident,
Then again. take the Tobacco Trust
case. The result of the decree abolish
ING the Tobacco Trust simply bHed the
| tobacco monopoly moro firmly than ever
over the country The tobacco business,
| n ftcr the decree abolishing the trust,
was divided among the big holders OF
| the trust stock according 10 their own
agreement. and by virtue of the hold
inys of .thc different individuals of the
stock of the big concern. The chiel
CORPORATIONS that had combined INTO
| the one took cach,its former name and
| its former business. apporbonnc the
| trade among themselves as they saw
| ft. An effort of the independent to-
bacco dealers TO come in and he repre-
sentrd in the suit was denied. because
they had been no parties TO the SUIT IN
the first place, and lid not appear on
the record The general result In this
case was even worse than IN the Stand
ard Oil case. because the Government
on tho one hand and the Tobacco Trust
on the c,hcr being the only partie:
represented, tho monopoly was actually
confirmed by the decree Of the court
which assumed to break it up. The IN
dependent tobacco dealers are NOR
than ever at the mercy Of the trus
because The litigation has been had
they were not represented, they arr
helpless. and apparently were caugh
mapping. They supposed evidently, tina
decree breaking up the Tobacco
Trust would break it up, and not con
firm il. In this they were badly mis-
taken. and the issue shows the fatuit
OF these prosecutions by Attorney
General Wickersham,
II may he said, and probably wi
he said. that Attorucy-General Wickci
sham could not develop tho legal phase
Of his programme aud present the point
of the technical victories that he ha
won in magazine article designed fo
general reading. This is probably true
but still. since he undertakes TO pr
seut his case and defense in mag;
zinc article designed for general rea'
= ing. il Is TO be presumed that he res
his cause upon the preservation thu
made: and so resting it. there can /
no question in the world but tha. J
has made an utter failure Of his 4
fcnsc
II is moro and more evident TIA;
President Taft has been unfortuna
ia his Cabinet appointments Seer
!: tarv Ballingcr was y good officer. al
p deserving of all tho encomiumS TN;
10 Presidcpt Taft conferred upon him {
v his retirement from the Cabinet; III
a. the fact remains that he MAS n wca
as ness 10 the administration. Then, the
81 is Secretary Wilson. who engaged in
" despicable plot 10 Dulify the pure fo'
vs. law. and 10 remove DR.. Wiley. W
Was ,.hc strength and backbone of I
pure food legislation. In this cffo
'c Attorney.Gencral Wickcrsham also g
y mixed up dsreputahly 10 himself. p'
," nounciug an cy-partc Judgment again