The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-31
THE FOOLISH LAWSUITS.

officials of this country have gone liti
CATION mad 1t looks as though mum
Der Of officials have figured out TO theil
own satisfaction that the best way
| to make themselves solid with tn,
people is to make it appear, so far n:
possible, that any man who engage.
| in business in this country. in fnan
cicring, or in any Of the ordinary com
mercial functions, is thereby necessa
rily criminal. II is stated, for ex
ample, that Attorney-Gencral Mercy.
nolds has determined TO reopen all OF
the old lawsuits against the Standard
Oil, the steel trust, the tobacco trust
and others, and TO begin systematic
prosecution (Which might fairly be
called persecution) OF all the extensive
business concerns.
1t would appear from this that the
TO popular favor is to attack business
and to prove to the people through
court process that any man who in
vests his money in any business in
the United States must do so at the
risk of prosecution, and of being ar
raigned both legally and publicly as
an enemy of the people.
The State Of Texas not long ago
sued the STANDARD Oil Company for
upwards OF s10o,ooo,o0o. The fakery
of asking jugment Of that kind is
evident from the fact that the State
promptly and gladly settled for $780,
900. The State of Mississippi has
sued the Illinois Central and the Yazoo
e. Mississippi Railroads for alleged
unlawful merger, claiming damages in
the sum Of $4,000, 900. Which puts one
in mind of the spectacular fine OF s29,
100000 imposed by Judge Lands in
Chicago and which was almost imme-
diately overruled by the U. S. Circuit
Court
Such extravagant suits as these de-
feat their own purpose, in that every
one recognizes the sums named TO be
beyond reason and beyond
all possibility of damage to the State,
In what way could the State of Texas
possibly be damaged by the Standard
Oil Company to the amount Of $780,
O00,0007 In what way could the State
Of Mississippi be damaged to the
amount of s50,o00,0 900, even if the roads
named had absolutely consolidated To
such sums as these in con-
nection with any actual damage to
the States named, or that the people
therein could suffer by reason of any
damage or trespass by the concerns
named, is ridiculous,
In like manner, the effort of Attor-
ney.General McReynolds to recover,
by reopening the trust suits that have
already been settled and bringing new
ones, the ground that he lost by his
conduct in connection
with the alleged white.slave cases in
California, is unfit. 1t would be diff
,ult to understand what the Attorney
General expects to gain by the posi-
lion which he takes in this matter, in
80 far as any public advantage is con-
'erned. The personal advantage to
himself in the effort TO regain public
confidence is likely to be a failure also,
since no public good can come of what
ie proposes. 1t is, in fact, 4 truism
n connection with all these suits. that
he more the concerns dealing in the
articles said to be trust articles arc
egislated against, the higher prices the
people have TO pay for the products OF
.hese concerns. There have been three
,r more successive raises in the price
II oil since the judgment of the u. 8.
supreme Court against the Standard
Oil Company, and the price OF gaso-
inc has been raised so much that there
5 general complaint against it. And
his is the invariable result Of these
The meat trust has been
TO such an extent that the
'rice of meat has gone beyond all rea-
on. In this latter case, however. il
5 undoubtedly true that the decrease
II the meat supply, compared with the
great increase in population. has been
he leading feature Of the raise. But
! is not to be forgotten in this con.
lectlon that by reason of the very com.
'ine which it has effected in the coun-
~, and on account of that very com
'ination, the opportunity has been pre-
eutec to increase in the price OF meat. |
{ is certainly tue that the prosecu-
ions have had an important effect IN
'aising the prices OF the products Of
he concerns prosecuted, while the ef-
'ects as to the public by these Law.
uits has been worse than nothing.