Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-30
TO DISSOLVE TRUST
Government Files Suit Against
Harvester Company.
lNJUNCTI0NS ARE SOUGHT
Would Bar Products Of Concern
From Interstate Commerce.
ILLEGAL MONOPOLY CHARGED
Action Comes as elimination of Five
Years Of Investigation by
Federal Officers.
INJUNCTIoNs ARE SOUGHT
ILLEGAL MONOPOLY CHARGED

! Federal Officers.
today began its long-planned antitrust
suit again the International Harvester
Company in the federal district court
here. In a petition in equity this one
hundred and ty-million-dollar corpora
| ton. popularity called the harvester
trust. is declared to exist in violation of
the Sherman law and it's dissolution is
/ sought.
| To accomplish the disintegration Of the
so-called trust, the government asks the
court to issue injunctions to bar from
interstate commerce the products Of the
| International Harvester Company, or the
International Harvester Company of
America, its selling agency. The appoint
ment Of receivers to take charge of the
property and wind up the business, .if
| the court should be Of the opinion that
| the public interests will be better served
| thereby" Is suggested.
The petition was filed by Assistant Dis
trict attorney ]. Mark Dickey. Mr.
Dickey appeared in the absence of Dis
tr1ct Attorney Charles s. Houpt, who has
| been in Washington comforting with the
Department of Justice concerning the
| suit.
! Ask Subpoenas Be Issued.
AFother petition was filed asking Judge
| Charles A. Willard to order the issuance
OF subpoenas for all defendants not re-
siding in this district, the subpoenas to
| be returnable May 6 when the corpora
tions and individuals are to enter their
appearance. The defendants, Mr.. Dickey
appearance, would have until June to
enter their pleadings. Mr.. Dickey also
stated the trials probably would be set
Tor the October term of court.
The hlfng Of the long contemplated suit
against the harvester company was the
work OF only few minutes. Mr.. Dickey,
armed with the petition in printed form,
which had reached him from Washing
ton the night before, walked into court
ana handed the document to the clerk.
Ihe clerk promptly stamped it and placed
It on file. No counsel was present for
the harvester company.
The filing OF the suit comes as the
climax OF five years of investigation
by the government. Lately the case
has figured prominently III political dis
cusston between n.4Prastdent1 Taft and Col.
Roosevelt, regarding certain instruc-
tions which Mr.. Roosevelt. while Presi-
dent In 1907, gave to his Attorney Gen.
eral, Charles ;. Bonaparte concerning
| ture OF the case was recently before the
Senate.
General Public Injured.
In brief. the government charges the
harvester company with being q COM
bination In restraint of trade, monopo-
1izing or attempting to monopolize the
manufacture and sale Of harvesting
machinery. 1t is alleged that the COM
pany has advanced the prices of these
articles ito the grave injury OF the
extending its business into all lines of
agricultural implements with the pur.
pose OF monopolistic control.
The government alleges that the In
trolls at least ninety per cent Of the
trade in the United States in harvesters
or grain binders. seventy-ave per cent
Of the mowers, and more than fifty per
cent Of the binder twine.
There are only three or four manu-
facturers Of harvesting machinery in the
United States other than the Interna-
tional Harvester Company, the petition
says. These, 1t Is added. are compare
lively small. and. as their business does
not embrace the entire United States, In
| many sections of the country the Inter-
national Harvester Company has q COM
Considering agricultural implewents OF
every kind. other than harvesting lines.
| the petition declares that the output OF
| the alleged trust amounts to more than
80 per cent OF the whole.
Has Eliminated Competition.
The government contends that the cor
poration has eliminated competition by
obtaining control of q great majority of
the retail implement dealers in the United
States who are made their exclusive SELL
ing sales agents.
The government charges that the de-
panies, but concealed their ownership,
permitting them to be advertised "as
wholly independent and without con-
| nection with them, the trust or any
| combination intending thereby to mis-
lead. deceive and defraud the public and
more efseetusily st cripple pie existing exist n COM
| The following corporations and indi-
viduals are mentioned rs defendants in
the petition:
/ ternational Harvester Company Of
America, International Flax Twine Com
pany. Wisconsin Steel Company, the
/ Wisconsin Lumber Company, Illinois
Northern railway. the Chicago: West
pany. Cyrus H. Mccormick, Charles
/ Deering, James Deering, John ]. Gless-
j ner. William H. Jones, Harold F. Nc
Cormick. Richard F. Howe. Edgar A.
| Bancroft. George r. Baker. William ].
Louderback. Norman B. Ream. Charlie.
Steele, John A. Chapman. Ebert H
| Gary, Thomas d. Jones, John p. Wilson.
i william L. Saunders and George W.
4 Perkins.
i The prosecution. Of the case will be
decided by Edwin r. Grosvenor. special
/ assistant to the Attorney General. who
had charge of the bath tub trust
cases. In addition to Mr.. Grosvenor
the petition 10 signed by Attorney Cen
eral wickersham. J. A. Fowler. assistant
to the Attorney General. and Charles c.
Houpt. United States district attorney
at st. Paul
i The International Harvester Company
i was organized in New Jersey in 1902 and
Il was formed through the combination OF
the Mccormick Harvesting Machine Com
n pany Of Illinois, the Deering Company oi
Il Illinois. the Plano Manufacturing Com
4 pany of Illinois. Warder, Bushnell 4
Glessner Company Of Ohio. and the Mil
waukee Harvester Company. The az.
gregate annual output Of these dve con-
Germs. Il IL said, amounted to more thar
IS per cent OF all the harvesting machin.
cry and 80 per cent Of al the binder
, fvviua v,pr6VeAA and aolA In the limited