The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-12-19
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
JBy Clyde H. Tavenner, special
Washington correspondent to The

(By ClyQe II. ldFeHuei, SPoSloA
Washington correspondent to The
Reporter.)
Washington, Dec. l4.-United
States Attorney General Wickersham
has refused to allow warrants to be
served on John ID. Archbold and
other officials of the Standard Oil
Company, in the case in which the
Magnolia Oil Company Of Texas,
was indicted by federal grand jury
in Texas for criminal violation or
the Sherman law.
Once again, Mr.. WickCrSham is
using the machinery Of the great Of
fee of the Department of Justice to
protect, instead of prosecute. the
millionaire heads of illegal trusts.
A hundred instances could be cit
ed where Wickersham has, by means
of especially prepared opinions. or
ders ard rules, given comfort to the
great industrial trusts, private
monorolies and special privilege,
1t was Wickersham, the attorney
general, who stopped important
suits against the beef trust immed-
lately upon taking office. 1t was
Wickersham, the attorney general.
who rendered an opinion UNFOLDING
Ballinger and viciously attacking
Louis f. CLAWS. who said it was
legal for sugar rlrst interests to ac-
uuire by the exploitation process
$1,000 acres of rich sugar lands Of
the Philippines when the organic
law of the islands expressly declares
that no corporation shall be allowed
to acquire more than $500 acres
1t was Wickersham, the attorney
general, who sanctioned the Taft adj
ministration railroad regulation BILL
later exposed and altered, contain
ing joker legalizing the Southern
Pacific-Union Pacific merger, recent.
Iy held unlawful by the Supreme
Court. 1t was Wickersham, the at
torney general, whose suit against
the steel trust is one Of equity in
stead of criminal prosecution.
At the time of the appointment OF
Wickersham, it was said his selec-
ton by Mr. Taft was in recognition
of the desires of the great industrial
trusts of the country, who had con-
tributed large sums to Mr.. Taft's
campaign fund, and who as return
favor desired that safe man be
placed in charge of the government
prosecuting machinery.
Before his appointment as At
torney General, Mr.. Wickersham was
a trust lawyer. For years and years
he had been receiving large fees
from corporations for interpreting
the laws, not from the viewpoint OF
the welfare of the people, but from
the viewpoint of the welfare Of the
trusts. Mr.. Wickersham was
member of the law firm of Strong &
Cadwalader Congressman Henry 7.
Rainey described this firm on the
floor of the house of representatives
as follows:
"The firm of Strong &, Cadwalader
is one of these important New York
City legal firms to which great cor
porations appeal for aid when they
propose to violate the laws of the
land or when they have violated the
laws of the land"
The firm of Strong & Cadwalader.
at the time of Mr.. Wickersham' S APP
pointment as attorney general. rep
resented, among other great corpora
tions, the sugar trust, and one OF
the last things Mr.. Wickersham did
as a member of the firm of Strong 4
Cadwalader, was to draw down his
portion of sugar trust fee OF some
thing like $25, 900. And one of the
first things Mr.. Wickersham did as
Attorney General, was to write. on
June q, 1909, to John S. Wise, U.
S. District Attorney for the Southern
District of New York, a letter re-
vealing his strong interest in three
sugar trust officials then in danger
of the penitentiary. This remark
able letter, the authenticity of which
has never been denied by the At
torney General, reads in part as fol-
lows:
My Dear Wise:-Senator Root has
sent me proof of petition signed by
Bowers, Milburn and Guthrie, in
support of their contention that the
statute of Limitations has run in
favor of Messrs. Parsons, Kissel and
Harmed. If the only overt acts done
to carry out the objects of the un-
lawful conspiracy were those refer
red to in the brief, / should think
they were insufficient to save the
bar of the statute. A strong effort
will be made tomorrow to persuade
the President to interfere in some
way to prevent the indictments.
Faithfully yours,
GEO. w. WICKERSHAM.
And now Mr.. Wickersham is US
ing his Office as attorney general to
save from arrest John D. Archbold,
H. G. Folger, Jr., and w. c. Teagle,
officers of the Standard Oil Com
pany.
Under the Taft administration it
has been impossible for the govern
ment to control the trusts, because
the trusts controlled the govern
ment.
At last it has been possible to
elect a president without the finan-
cial support Of the heads of illegal
tariff trusts, and it is hoped that
President Wilson will be able to find
a man for attorney general who will
be so constructed temperamentally
as to feel that millionaire sugar
trnst barOns who rob the govern