The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-09
Mr.. W|CKERsHN|
HEAD MUST Ill
His Presence Embarrassi
Because Corporations WIN
Not Contribute
IF HE STAYS THEY
WON'T HELP TAFk
Expected Attack OF Ill Heal
Will Be Given As Cause
of Attorney Gener-
as Withdrawal
BY JAMES J. MoNTACUE

BY JAMES ]. MONTAGUE
WAoHI.>GIUN, Ap1n She
nouncement That Attorney 0euo1
IWlckeisnam will not serve ~
March \. next, even II Jar. T18k
reelected, Will be maoe within
next few days, unless an agreeu1
between Mr.. Wickefsna m ana ms on1
is abruptly abandoned.
This announcement will serve 10 "a
lay the annoyance of some Of
big corporations, whose officers co4
plain that they have been hactl
by Mr.. Wfckersnam In the pax,
fear that present proceedings u 04
ried too far. may put them out
business. Incidentally 1t may a(
CELEBRATE the flow OF campaign cog
trAbutions. Corporations, it has h4~
found give up moref RELY whom th1
are left undisturbed by the depa14
ment Of justice Mr.. WickershAm, wh1
he has not brought ruin on elthM
John D. Rockefeller, or, J. p. Mo4
gan, his seriously disquieted big bu1
ness whose sense of injury Il al tl4
more keen because Wickersham scaS
from Wall Street. and was supp0eo
to know exactly what Wal Stre
wanted in the line Of law enforceme1
Date or Attaea Not Fixed. s
The reason whIcn Mr.. WickerahoNi
will asslgn for his withdrawal tr0m|
the cabinet Is Ill health--that b60l
door OF the cabinet which Is FED n
every man leaving 1t unexpoctsdlNss
The date OF the expected attack s0Sl
I'll health has not yet been dx6@
but 1t will be sutncient for tngM
present purposes to set 1t just ahe1
of the fourth Of next month. ~
earlier date would be still moro ~!
ceptable to the corporations, ana
In quite possible that the retirAune
will come before the end OF the ssslssa}
mar. Sssa'
Demand wickersham's HsA6
I It has boen m open secfst
r1ofiths that the Interests which A4~6
now concentrating In the support SII
Taft have been demanding Wick4&.a
sham's Official head. The deman1
have grown louder as certain ca
against combinations have been aSkeS
vanced on the dockets OF the couftngI
Besides cvarrying to conclusion tteS
cases against the Tobacco Trust au45
the Standard Oil Trust instituted tJs
his predecessor, Mr.. wickersham No.
begun fifty separate proceedinxM
against as many combinations. all c9'
them under the Sherman act.
w hdIEtGT may pG sttlu aQOuk
jeopardy In which the cor7ora-tSno
have been placed by these pr oc@e6Ss
ings, there can be no question thar
every one OF them has caused nA&s
only expense. but anxiety to the dS.s|
PENDANTS. The Bath Tub Trust. tMQa
Paper Board Trust. the United Stat4rs
shoe Machinery Company, thu CaN9{s
Register Trust, the Sugar T-rss. tAAE
Beet Trust. the General Elec.-.c :. ,Nse
pan. the Lun:her Trust. and 'iu-.h4
Of ether combinations have hasz
brought into court ny Wfc<e~ sisns5lsS
or nlt Of his special assistants. At&3
liza many ta-"s Officers anil lire .tnS1
have come down to Wsshin~ton. wbitos
with rage, and demanded that Mick&s
ersham be put out or the cabinet IN
A continuance of his activittekS
| through the coming campaign wOuI
, seriously embarrass the President ~
/, sudden discontinuance OF them W0Al I
more seriously embarrass Wicker hAU2
AS the result Of many conferene1
| by men high In the councils Of ,tA
party. 1t has now been decided thm4#
| Wickersham must go, and 1t II QalGN
that the attorney general Is perf6ct
willing to do SO. xS!|
| The present plan is to fnAisea Il
| the i'll health story and einpha ttceN&
| to deny any intimation that Wict(x
sham has been forced c''t. Al q r1N
| ter Of fact. without his CONSENT
! Pre-idert would not dare let hsN
| at this time. But with his con1eAt
| Is not only ca sy but highly prAc<aG
and almost certafn to be Of va4t a.
sistance in the difficult business c6
| frying.
Mr.. wickersham. who was ~
Street lawyer Of great practice aGA
cxsHAe aiios. hut iittfs or Nd court
| tice. took Office on March 4. 1904.
! ing to the department az justice
White House.
Althoueh many people who
| whence he came expected t1A4@
would do nothing whatever. 14S
once besan a wholesale enforc1a
| Of the Sherman act. that made
OF the CORPORATIONS Kasp. ss;ssss ~
The result OF the proserueaoAq
were carried to ! concluslon. heM
done q xreat deal Of dama&e t1
big combinations. but the eneEl
| the attorney general. mot Only M an
! inE at the work on hand. but
ginning new prosecutions. 91x1 t.
rumors that he really meant trA
| for his former Wall Street tttem ~
While IN. sOme instances he hAN
ruled by the President. he Aaas
than once taken the bit into N
and caused CONSERVATION amopa
Of Mr.. Taft'D valued nupDOrtGfN
It ~ there aHnne valued S1nNl
who tegan the first stepe t0Wat4
| tinG him out Of tho cahinek
| now appears that Mr.. Wice1
| desnite his eoemfn4 xaal a.
I fcfcement. Il not wiIlinx 70 ~
| tlvt4iee ennhsrraa~ the preef4o0E
AmonG the corporations le&&
brOuRht INTO court under -
act arc the foeloNin@: ~