Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-17
CLAIMS FREEzE-0UT
Alleged Methods of Interna-
tionaI Harvester Company.
TWO INDEPENDENTS LEFT
Assertions Heard by the House Com
mittee on Rules.
PROSECUTIONS IN THE STATES
F. J. Lowe Says Department of JUS
tice Has 'Chloroformed" Every
Movement Against Corporation.
TWO INDEPENDENTS LEFT
PROSECUTIONS IN THE STATES

j. J. Lowe Of New York, representing
Independent manufacturers. charged be-
fore the House rules committee today
that 81 per cent of the stockholders in
the s'eel. sugar, beef and bankers trusts
also control the International Harvester
CompanN" He declared that the De-
partment of Justice had "chloroformed
every movement made to prosecute the
harvester trust, shown by the fact that
the Townsend report TO the department
in 1906 has slumbcred there ever since"
Mr.. Lowe said that last autumn he
asked Theodore Roosevelts advice as to
what he should do to urge prosecution OF
the harvester company. and Mr.. Roose-
welt had said you'd better come to see
me later about that
Later said Mr.. Lowe, Il was as
founded to learn that Mr.. Roosevelt had
placed clean bill of health on the
United States Steel Corporation, and had
called American Tobacco and the Stand
ard Oil trusts | also received a letter
from Mr.. Roosevelt stating that he could
give me no advice on the harvester COM
pany, and asking me TO drop In any
Friday morning and I'll explain why"
Close Alliance Charged.
The political Vaccinations and general
affairs of the International Harve ter
Company were probed at Il hearing by
the committee on rules today. Secretary
Nagel Of the Department of Commerce
and Labor participated in the discussion.
w. H. Green of Creighton. Neb., vet
cram dealer in farm machinery. testified
that the so-called harvester and steel
trusts. the National City Bank of New
York and the great transportation sys-
TENS of the country were dominated by
the same directorates.
Mr.. Green urgeo the committee not to
give the harvester trust an immunity
bath. He said that in 1907 II. G. Hans
brough. then United States senator from
North Dakota, made efforts to prosecute
the harvester concern which. the senator
charged, resulted in Il combined effort of
the harvester trust and other mOnop-
oiieS'' to defeat him for reelection. He
was not reelected.
Mr.. Green filed with the committee
copy of the Townsend report to the De-
partment of Justice on the Interna-
tional Harvester Company. and reviewed
prosecutions Of the company in Missouri.
Kansas, Texas, Ohio, Arkansas, Mon
tana and Kentucky
Alleged Control Of Papers.
I'VE charge" said AIR. Green. "and
stand ready to furnish the evidence,
that 50 per cent of the farm papers, 80
per cent of the trade papers and con-
siderable portion of the religious and
daily papers are subsidized by the ex-
tcnsive advertising contracts and the
boiler plate editorials SO that no un-
favorable reference is ever made to the
harvester trust.
Mr. Green said that the harvester
company was organized by George w.
Perkins, chairman of its finance COM
mittee
AN investigation into the manufacture
ing department of the Harves.er Com
pany," Mr.. Green continued. will dis
close that the constituent members of the
harvester trust were making eXtraordi-
nary profits prior to tire formation of
he company Investigation into the
selling department will disclose that
thousands of men were thrown out of
emp oyment Tightening of, credits great
" reduced the loss and in defiance of all
cconom es the Harvester Company have
raised prices from 10 to 20 per cent.
Alleged Freeze-out.
T. j. Lowe of New York related details
of negotiations leading up to the forma-
ton of the International Harvester Com
pany, and stated thai the idea first oc-
CURED TO many small manufacturers In
order to resist demands of the United
States Steel Corporation. Later the big
harvesting companies now part OF the
combine, took up actIve formation OF the
trust and, Mr.. Lowe charged, froze
ou." the smaller manufacturers. The
actual work Of forming the trust, he de-
clared, was directed by j. Pierpont Nor
gan. through George W. Perkins. Charles
X. Flint, he asserted, was the original
promoter, who turned his affairs over to
Morgan & Co.
..The Townsend report shows said Mr..
Lowe, there were thirteen independent
harvester concerns in the United States
when the International harvester COM
pany was formed. Today there are only
two independent concerns in the lnl.eu
States.
1--WE propose to show that the United
States Steel Company gives rebates to
the International harvester Company and
tnat the Belt Line railroad in Chicago OBJ
structs freight traffic of independents COM
panies'