The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-01-31
a. TAFT SUITS
AGAINST TRUSTS
President Has tqGlI9d RulnSTl.
CaIIy ROUSHgeIt'S Record,
SO CASES IN LAST 21 YEARS

Fendin9 ACTION Against the steel
Corporation Regarded as Most I'm
portsnt Of All-case Of Information al
Harvester Company.
President Taft has equaled the rec
ord OF President Roosevelts admins
tratiOns for trust prosecutions under
the Sherman law. The total number
is fortyfour. In Roosevelts seven
years eighteen bills in equity were
filed, twenty-five indictments returned
and one forfeiture proceeding begun
In the little less than three years OF
the Taft administration there have
been twenty-five civil suits and like
number of indictments.
The Roosevelt record was equalcd
with the filing at Macon, Ca, of q
civil suit against the so called naval
stores trust and the returning of in
dictments against the alleged coaster
brake trust at Buffalo.
From July 2, 1890, to July l, 1911,
there were elghty-eight cases brought
under the Sherman act These were
divided:
President Harrison's administration
-Four bills in equity and three indict-
ments.
President Cleveland-Four bills in
equity, two indictments and two infor-
nations for contempt.
President McKinley-Three bills in
equity.
President Roosevelt - Eighteen bills
in equity, twenty-five indictments and
one forfeiture proceeding.
President Taft-Twenty-two bills in
equity and twenty-five indictments.
The fortyfOur cases in the Roose-
welt regime include the famous North
ern Securities case, the suit to restrain
the beef trust, two suits against the
Federal Salt company, suit for the dis
solution Of the Jacksonville Wholesale
Grocers' association, one to dissolve
the General Paper company, one
against Armour and other Chicago
meat packers, two suits in the tobacco
trust cases, one against the Terminal
railroad association of st. Louis, one
to restrain the Otis Elevator company,
one against the National Association
of Retail Druggists, one against the
American Ice company, one to dissolve
the Standard Oil Company of New
Jersey, one to dissolve a combination
among the anthracite coal carrying
roads, one to prevent the operations
OF the powder trust, one against the
Union Pacific Railroad company,
charging a conspiracy in violation of
the Sherman law; one against the New
York, New Haven and Hartford Rail
road company, alleging an attempt to
combine under one common control the
various steam and electric systems in
New England, and a number of less
important prosecutions.
Among the most farreaching cases
of the Roosevelt administration was
the suit against the American Naval
Stores company. This was declared to
be combination in restraint of trade
in selling turpentine and its products.
The defendants were convicted in the
lower court. Fines aggregating $17,-
800 were assessed, and two defendants
were sentenced to serve three months
in Jail. An appeal was taken to the
United States supreme court and is on
the docket awaiting oral arguments.
In its opinion on this case the court
will for the first time construe the
penal clauses of the Sherman act.
The most important of the prOseCu-
tions instituted during the Taft ad-
ministratiOn were the cases against
the American Sugar Refining company.
against the Imperial Window Glass
company, two cases against the Ma
tional Packing company and one
against the Armour Packing company,
a suit to restrain the Missouri Pacific
and twenty-four other railroads from
increasing freight rates. which pro-
duced an abandonment Of the plan;
case alleging q combination by the
General Electric company TO control
the business in incandcSceut electric
lamps, one to break up the tranSatlan-
tic steamship pool, one charging con-
spiracy against the officers of the
Eastern States Retail Lumber Deal
ers' association, one against the lum-
Der secretaries bureau of information,
covering twenty-three states from
Pennsylvania to the Pacific coast, and
other suits of less consequence.
Since July l, 1911, Il suit has been
instituted for the dissolution of the
United States Steel corporation, which
surpasses in Importance and aggregate
OF wealth represented the Standard Oil
and tobacco cases. Evidence has been
accumulated for the prosecution of the
International Harvester company, but
negotiations are pending for a voun-
tary readjustment of that concerns
methods TO avoid prosecution