Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-19
Attorney General Hasn't Dissolved
a Single Trust, but Has Helped
Ten in Last Seven Months.
Worse Than BaIIinger in Delay.
STILES Greatest Victory Ever Won
for People Before U. S. ST.
preme Court by Action in the
Union Pacific Dissolution Case.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1S.-All rec
ords for first aid to trusts" have been
broken by the Department of Justice
under the administration of Attorney
General McReynolds.
During the seven months he has
been in charge of the Governments
'amraign for fighting monopolies the
attorney Generals notable accom-
pills. ments-exclusive of the number
Of small proceedings misunderstood
as follows:
Number of trusts dissolved-NoNE.
Number of trusts or other influen-
taI defendants which have received
first aid"-TEN.
The only other Cabinet officer in
the history Of the United States who
approached the present Attorney Gen
erai in this respect was former Sec
rotary Of the Interior Ballinger, and
the record indicates that he was not
even a close second.
Here is the record:
T. UNION PACIFIC SOUTHERN
PACIFIC RAILROAD CASE-The
United States brought suit TO
compel the Union Pacific Rail-
road Company to dispose of s12G,-
$4,000 NJ the stock of the South
err Pacific, under the Sherman anti
s-==; act. Attorney General Wicker
rhsm won the case. The Supreme
Court ordered the Union Pacific to
proceed to divest itself of the stock
The lawyers for the Union Pacific
drew up plan and submitted It 10
the new Attorney General OF the
United States, Mr.. McReynolds. He
accepted the plan, although, contrary
TO the expressed wishes of President
Wilson, he withdrew his request for a
public hearing.
ON top Of this Attorney General
McReynolds forfeited the right to ap-
peal the case by consenting to the
entry Of a decree by the Circuit
Court and It can not be reopened ex-
cept by special action on the part Of
Congress.
Thus he effectually stifled what is
considered the greatest victory ever
won in the Supreme Court by tho
people. The man who represented the
Attorney General in the latter part Of
this remarkable proceeding, e. Car
roll Todd has haor oroyootod h,y bie
chief to the position of First Assist
ant Attorney General, in full charge
Of the trust busting" work of the
department.
2. THE ANTHRACITE COAL
acknowledgements began this dur
Ing the time Wickersham was Attor-
ney General. The latter assigned him
to the case.
The first proceedings were taken
under the Hepburn rate law, and, in
effect, McReynolds lost the suit. Then.
with the same E. Carroll Todd, he
He'd bill under the Sherman anti
trust law, charging conspiracy. After
long struggle McReynolds won a
decision from the Supreme Court.
Part Of the responsibility for the
doubtful victory was laid to failure
on the part of McReynoIds to draw
his bill properly. Now, in 1913, al
though the proceedings were begun
originally in 1907, the Attorney Cen
erai has just filed a bill against the
five coal companies concerned, whi2n
complies in form and manner OF
pleading with the rules established
Tor such cases by the Supreme Court
in 1898. In other words, he has just
now made u fair beginning in the
case. And the retail price Of coal has
steadily gone up.
3. THE INTERNATIONAL HAIR.
VEsTER TRUST cASE-This case
was nearly settled by Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham. A compromise was
proposed, WickerBham thereupon
made out a list Of conditions for the
Harvester Trust to subscribe to, but
they were so binding and so favora bic
10 the Government that the trust de-
cided It could better afford TO fight
through the courts.
This suit, which was begun nearly
Continued on Page 2, Column 6.