Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-05-14
CONGRESS FACING
SUMMER SESSION
TO FINISH WORK
Many Vital Matters Cannot
Possibly Be Acted on by
J1ne-ReaI Work Still to Be
Done
Especial Dispatch to The Journal)


WASHINGTON, May 11.-Unless con-
gress decides to take a recess for the
political conventions and sit during the
summer, the following important sub
jects will be neglected: Tariff bills, par
GELS post, safety in ocean travel, gov
eminent ownership and reputation of
wireless telegraph. the Lorimer case,
canal zone. and other legislation of al
most equal importance. Senators Smoot
and Crane have been trying to arrange
for an adjournment early in June. They
would prefer to have no action on any
of these subjects.
Now that there is so much interest in
the results of lthe governments trust
prosecutions against the Standard Oil
company and the tobacco trust, the de-
hating societies ought to get the brief
prepared by Louis d. Brandeis, the Bos-
ton attorney, and presented through At
tOrney Levi to Attorney General Wick
ersham at the time the latter was con-
sidering the plan for recognizing the
tobacco trust.
This brief is not a dull. heavy legal
document with references to antique
cases. Ii is a short simple statement
Of the facts of the tobacco business in
Guiding the capitalization. ownership and
control of the companies which make up
the tobacco trust. Mr.. Brandeis con-
tends that the dissolution of a combi-
nation is a matter not of law but Of
figures and facts. He therefore pre-
sented the facts and figures to the at
torney general and showed how the pro-
posed plan left the independents entirely
at the mercy of the trust and was not
a dissolution. He also proposed a plan
which would have been real dissolution
of the tobacco trust.
L
II Mr. wickersham had not had this
brief before him he might now plead
ignorance as to what would be the re-
suits of the supposed dissolution" of the
tobacco trust With this statement in
his hands, If he were as uniformed as
a schoolboy nine years old he could not
90 wrong. When he refused to appeal
from the circuit court and take the case
back to the supreme court he knowingly
played into the hands of the trust and
contributed to the great rise in stock
values which followed.
incidentally, it is already noted that the
prosecution" of the harvester trust
sent the harvester stock up two points.
TAX DODGERS HAVEN.
\ That the nations capital is a haven
for tax dodgers has long been vaguely
known, but owing to the work of Henry
on statistical evidence. George has been
probing into Washington. d. c., assess
ments.
He finds. Nfor instance, that many
blocks of property where poor whites
and colored people are living, and where
there have been no improvements in the
last two years, have had their assess
ment boosted % per cent within year
and are rated on land values which are
substantially abe same as those at which
the land is assessed on which the Lett
ers, the Wadsworths and the Townsends
have their palatial residences.
The Leither home is assessed at $4,000.
1t is generally reputed to be worth
$3.50 Co., Thomas Nelson Pages place
is assessed at $4,000; it would sell for
probably 100000 Scott Townsend's place
is assessed for $17S,OOO. and is worth a
half million. The Wadsworth place Is
assessed at $4,000; the r. w. Patter-
son marble palace at $4,000. and Mrs
Henderson's brown stone castle at $OO'OOO
All these places are worth from three to
four times these amounts. 1t is the old
story of exempting the rich and laying
the burdens of taxation on the poor