The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-10-27
ONLY QUESTION
tcontsnusd from fir.. Para,


the Great Northern had narrowed
down to question OF the costs in the
present suit. The government origin
ally wanted the lease cancelled on
the ground that IL gave the Steel cor
poration monopolistic control of ore
Deds IN the Lake Superior region
Since the suit was filed al Trenton on
october 20. 1911. the lease has been
superseded by an Arrangement he
tween the Steel corporation and the
Great Northern interest by which the
corporation gets comparatively
tory.
Brings In Clayton Law.
Counsel Tor the ore interests, how
ever, has announced that the Great
Northern will oppose A decree assess
| ing costs against the ore companies
on the plea that II would brand these
| companies and officers connected with
them as Violat tors of the antitrust law
Anotner important reason for opposi-
Ion, counsel said, is that under the
clayton antitrust act recently signed
Dy President Wilson, third person
| could use the decree and IL would Law
as prima facie evidence in any pro-
ceeding he brought for ripple damages
under the Clayton act for alleged in
jury to his business by reason of the
lllesal lease, III the court DEGREES It
was unlawful. The present argument
Is probably the first court proceedings
where the new Clayton law will come
under discussion.
Mr.. Cotton. in closing his argument.
presented figures to support the gov
corporation. along with independent
manufacturers. kept the prices OF iron
and steel products uniformly high
through most OF the years since the
! organization of the concern. He ga>s
alleged instances OF where high prices
i a n n n Cd nj - a..
Steel corporation sold products cheap
or in foreign markets than II did at
home. and added that this was an in
dicaton OF the defendants purpose TO
keep prices up.
Tribute 70 Carnegie.
Mr.. Reed opened his argument for
tie Steel corporation with a tribute
| to Andrew Carnegie, named as an in
cividual defendant. for his philan-
;hropic work. He said Mr.. Carnegie.
in selling his interests TO the Steel
corporation, did not have in mind any
monopolistic intent upon the part OF
the corporation. and that he disposed
| OF his ownership in the Carnegie com
pany TO unburden himself OF the
heavy weight OF business cares and 20
devote his time and fortune TO help
/ his fellow men.
Mr.. Reed resented the governments
characterization Of Mr.. Carnegie as a
lconspirator TO monOpoliZe the steel
business and restrain trade. He pre-
sented figures to show that the Steel
corporations business Is not growing
as rapidly as that OF independents
He also combated the governments
contention that the Steel corporation
had a monopolistic control of the ore
reserves OF the Lake Superior regions.
Mr.. Reed criticized the department
OF justice for submitting as evidence
the report of Herbert Knox Smith as
commissioner OF the federal bureau
OF corporations I'm his Investigation
of the Steel corporation so far as the
report related to ore supplies The
report. Mr.. Reed said. was not sworn
TO and the defense was not given an
opportunity 20 examine commissioned
Smith as to the source Of his infor-
nation.
Monopoly impossible.
| Counsel for the defense went over
the testimony OF witnesses to show
that II was virtually impossible to
monopolize the ore supplies of the
Lake Superior region because the
supply II much greater than the de
mand Of the American manufacturers.
With exhaustive detail Mr. Reed told
about the great ore deposits Of the
country. The Adirondack ore de
posits he said. have barely been
scratched and mining In that section
will greatly increase with the com
pletion Of the New York state barge
delivered in ships a. Philadelphia
cheaper than Lake Superior ore is
delivered al Pittsburgh.
Mr.. Reed in discussing uniformity
Of prices also criticized the govern
ment for taking ne n basis for com
parison the years OF 1897 and 1898
when steel prices were the lowest In
the history Of tho industry
Mr.. Reed had not concluded his ad.
dress when court adjourned until TO-
morrow.