The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-06-06
TOBACCO TRUST IS
MANIPULATING RIVALS
Combine Even Stronger Since
dissolution" Declares
Independent.

New York, June A motion has
been entered before Judge Noyes in the
United States district court by counsel
the American Tobacco company for
$500, 900 damages under the Sherman.
antitrust law is pending, to join the
Liggett & Myers Tobacco company n
the p. Lorillard company, as addi-
tional defendants. The plaintiffs ask
triple damages from the American To-
bacco company as provided by the
sherman law.
C~ontending that the new defendants
are part and parcel Of Nthe same old
tobacco trust and that the compa-
MES are using the same distributing
agents in "a Migrant violation of the
decree OF the circuit court" the motion
seeks to hold the three companies re-
sponsible for breaking up the business
OF an independent dealer.
No Change In Situation.
After citing the fact that the dis
solution" decree Intended to restore
true competition and the means en-
ployed, the affidavit continues:
but Notwithstanding these and other
provisions OF the decree looking toward
the same end, there is rirtuaiiy
no change In the situation, except that
AAN lOItllCTlN tIe o IRuGnGlluGnI COn-
Germs were hammered at by n trust
they are now being attacked simulta-
neously by h several companies cree
ated bv the trust.
"NThese proposed new defendants now
appear to be a part and parcel Of the
same old tobacco trust: their methods
of doing business are the same as
those employed by the American To
bacco company. Their employment Of
the same agency for the distribution OF
their products. as is the case with the
Metropolitan Tobacco company, is, as I
am advised, n fragrant violation Of the
decree of the circuit court, and is sure
iy inconsistent with free competition;
their continuance of the. jobbing bust
ness-in this territory, through the Met
ropolitan Tobacco company, means the
continuance of IN agency through
which they can readily drive any indie
pendent manufacturer out Of the terri
tory. '.
Management the Same.
Furthermore, 1t appears that the ae-
tive management of these new compa-
MES is in the hands of the very same
individuals who have heretofore man.
aged h affairs OF the condemned
trust"
A specific charge as to the manner
iii which the dissolution decree IS be-
ing violated by the tobacco trust sub
Esidiaries 10 cited as follows:
One of the means employed by them
in their earnest efforts to restore So
called competition, is for four of the
big companies to come into q territory,
apparently to compete with each 9TH
err. but, inrreality to attack, the 'com-
mon e~nemy-that is. the independent
manufacturers. simultaneously and
from all sides; so that, whereas the
Independent tobacco people had n fight
ing chance before when attacked by
| n trust, their a%nnihilation is now a
matter. OF certainty, for who can With
stand a simultaneous attack Of four
trusts, operating in concert and at the
same time? And so, there have been
more failures of independent tobacco
jobbers within this city within the last
few months, since these new companies
have started out to restore competition.
than there have been in SC many
years.