The Alaska daily empire., 1914-02-02

The defendant corporations in the transportation prosecutions this morn- ing in the district court, by their at- torneys entered pleas of guilty to the indictments and, on motion of District Attorney John Rustgard, the indict: ments, against each of the individuals as servants of such corporations, who had been arrested, were dismissed by Judge R. w. Jennings. This togeth- CT with the sentence imposed by the court terminates the action.
 There were two indictments. One accused the defendant corporations, the North Pacific Wharves and Trad ing company, Pacific and Arctic Rail. way and Navigation company, the Pa ciic Coast company, and the Pacific Coast Steamship company, of entering into an unlawful conspiracy for the control of the wharfage facilities in Skagway. The other charges the Pa cific and Arctic Railway and Naviga. ton company, the Pacific Coast Steam ship company, Alaska Steamship com. pany, Canadian Pacific Railroad com. pany, the North Pacific Wharves and Trading company, of unlawful dis crImination and conspiracy in combin- ing to control Alaska traffic for them. selves to the exclusion of any other person or company by making lower through rates on the steamships and lower wharfage rate at Skagway for those in the alleged conspiracy than could be obtained by persons, and companies not in the combination.
 c. E. Wynn-Johnson, E. E. Billin- hurst, w. H. Nansen, Ira Bronson, J. | c. Ford, J. w. Smith, c. E Houston, A. L. Berdoe and F. J. Cushing, as off. cers of the corporations, were indiyid- ual defendants in the first mentioned indictment, and A. l.. Berdoe, c. E. Wynn Johnson, F. E. Billinghurst, w. H. Nansen, Ira Bronson, J. c. Ford, Charles E. Peabody, w. B. King, G. H. Highbee, J. H. Bunch, E. c. Ward, J. H. Young, and F. B. Wurzbacher, as corporation officers, were individ- ual defendants in the other indict- ment.
 Both indictments were for violation of the Sherman antitrust act. The in- dictments against the individual de- fendants have been dismissed except as to A. L. Berdoe, E. E. Billinghurst, w. H. Nansen, and W. B. King, who have not been arrested.
 This morning w. H. Bogle and w. B. Stratton, representing defendant cor porations, asked leave to enter pleas of guilty, giving as reason the enor' nous expense of going through trial, as indicated through past experiences in the causes under question.
 District Attorney John Rustgard, who asked for the dismissal of the cases against the individual defend. ants, gives as his reason: That the case tried last year, being as clear as any of them and tried before an ex. ceptionaly intelligent jury, resulted in no conviction, although ten of the jury were in favor of convicting the cor poration, while but five were willing to convict individuals through whom the corporations acted. The depart ment of justice took the position that if a corporation was guilty that the individuals were also guilty, for the reason that corporations can work only through individuals.
 "It has become perfectly apparent" said Mir. Rustgard, that there is no hope of conviction at this term. The most could expect would be a dis agreement as to inviduals and possi' ble disagreement as to corporations I placed the matter before the Depart ment of Justice and yesterday noon received permission from the Depart ment to dispose of the cases in this manner.
 Another motive actuating me ir , the matter Is to clearup all the i'm , portant matters in hand before the ap , pointment of my successor in office