The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1913-10-26

With Scion Jacobs and several other
we'll known citizens of Birmingham taxi
ing the initiative, some 200 petitions are
to be placed in circulation this week in
all parts of Alabama, the signers of which
will ask President Wilson to dismiss the
government suit against the United States
Steel corporation.
The purpose of the movement is to Sc
cure If possible a dismissal of the suit
against the Steel corporation for alleged
violation of the Sherman antitrust law.
which, If won By the government, might
divorce the Tennessee Coal iron and
Railroad company, the Birmingham sub
sidiary of the Steel cooperation, from the
parent institution.
Mr.. Jacobs will be assisted in circulate
ing the petition In Birmingham by Pas
cal G. Shook, Sydney ]. Bowie and one
or two other well known citizens. while
prominent men in all the large cities of
Alabama have agreed to circulate a copy
of the petition in their community. The
petition will be circulated for signatures
In Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, Admission.
Gadsden, Tuscaloosa, Florence, Decatur,
state.
Expect Thousands to Sign
1t Is believed that literally thousands of
signatures will be secured within very
short time
The people of Birmingham, it is stated,
and the people of the state, too, believe
that the Steel corporation has done more
for the south since the civil war than any
other one agency. They believe that the
growth of the Birmingham district, espe-
cially. industrially, socially. educationaIly
and every other way has been aided and
promoted by the local subsidiaries of the
Steel corporation as by no other institu-
ton. For that reason the citizens of Biz
mingham and the state are naturally
concerned over what they firmly believe
would be calamity In case the govern
ment wins the pending suit, and for that
reason the petitions are to be circulated
by public spirited citizens uninterested
directly and unaffiliated with the Steel
corporation in any way
THE Steel corporation, without doubt
in my mind, has done more for Birming-
ham and the state than any institution
since the civil war;" said Scion Jacobs
yesterday. ITO divorce the local subsid-
ittiicS lfOlu tiic idrBe corporation would
be as dire a calamity as could be visited
upon us, and for that reason we are going
to petition Mr.. Wilson to dismiss the suit
from which we believe there can come no
possible good
Not Trust, Says Jacobs
1.-THE Steel corporation Is not trust. 1t
Is one of those natural monopolies which
must exist. By reason of the union of
their strength and the outstanding of their
resources, the directors of the corpora
ton have been able to invest millions of
dollars in the Birmingham district, where
otherwise they might never have sent
here penny. They can make iron and
steel and by-products cheaper and sell
them cheaper than IL they were not al
lowed to exist as monopoly.
"The corporation itself is model to be
followed by all other corporations of the
country. II the big railroad and other
industrial corporations were as careful
of their employees. were as solicitous of
their employees health, education and liv-
ing conditions, all this murmuring and
dissension which has become popular
against corporations would disappear like
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