Arizona republican., 1912-01-09
NINETEEN ELEVEN WAS A
YEAR Of LEGAL BATTLES

price regulations had been exposed be-
fore the Stanley committee. FINALLY,
on October 20, at Trenton. y. j., the
blow fell \ government salt demand
ed the dissolution of the huge COM
bine as incompatible with the healthy
life of the nation" Both the lease of
Great Northern ore lands and the
Roosevelt permitted Tennessee pur-
chase of 1907 We're declared t. be lille
gal. Morgan, Gary, Carnegie and the
rest were cited to answer. The same
day the trust Cancelled the ore lease.
The other more important federal
trust prosecutions of the year were:
Against the Chicago packers, who af-
ter numerous delays of technical
points of law were brought To trial il
December. on the charge of criminal
violation of the Sherman law; against
the various corporations comprising
the lumber trust in several states:
against the wire trust. the officials of
which pleaded guilty to technical vio-
lation of law. and were let off with
fines by Judge Archibald, at New
York; against the shoe machinery
trust. the hard coal trust, the wallpa-
per trust and the National Cash Regis
ter company. The case against the
Alaska land grabbers was won.
The court of commerce in November
reversed the commerce commissions
reduction of freight rates. but upheld
the long-and -short-haul clause of the
law.
The harvester trust was ouSted from
Missouri by the supreme court Of that.
state in November
The circuit court in New Orleans en-.
joined the lockers strike as a conspir-
acy i'm restraint of trade. The supreme
court sustained the Iowa law prohibit
ing any contract that prevents an in
jured worker from seeking damages
/ sustained the Arkansas full train
crew law. The New York supreme
court invalidated the new compulsory
compensation law for industrial acct
dents. on the ground that it would
take property without due process OF
law. The circuit court reversed the
decision against labor in the DauDury
hatters' case.
COLLAPSE of McNamar aDefense.
But Of all the legal battles or the
year. that which has stirred popular
passions and prejudices most profound !
~ was fought over the dynamite and
murder charges brought against J. J
Mcnamara. secretary of the Iron
Workers Union and his brother. James. !
including the blowing up of the Los
Angeles Times building over a year
ago, when II men lost their lives. The !
arrests which We're made in Inlianap-
oils ard Chicago. April -. were based !
on the work of Detective William !
j. Burns. 1t was the manner IN which |
the accused men We're eXtradited to /
Los Angeles without legal defense that |
aroused the labor and socialist hordes I
to the presumption of innocence AMI I
OF Il deep-laid conspiracy by the en- 7
ployers. This was expressed IN great /
protest meetings all over the country /
AMI in the raising of a 100000 defense /
fund. Counter suits against Burns and 1
the indianapolis authorities were Ire /
gun The trial. which was started on (
October IL AMI dragged along over 4
many weary weeks in the fight over /!
jurymen, came to an unexpected eli |
max on December l, when the defen- /
dants confessed Guilt-John Mcnamara ,
To- the dynamitinG of the I.lewellyni
Iron Works and James to the dynamit- /
ing of the Times building. The form
C.. got life sentence and the latter. IL
years in prison. this representing judi
cial clemency for the confession.
Fred. Warren the socialist editor. /
sentenced To prison for mailing the
Taylor reward offer during the Meyer
and Haywood trial. was pardoneJ byl
President Taft, though DO pardon was
asked. Later Warren was held for
reports of orgies in the fed
eral prison at Fort Scott, Kan.
More Crime: Less Graft
Although 1t is too soon to obtain the
the actual statistics of crime in 1911.
the impression in very general that
is still passing through a wave
IF violent crimes. thuggery. arson, as
sault and murder Mob murder was !