Evening journal., 1916-04-08
FIGHT QUESTIONS N
DUPONT STOCK SUIT
Company Objects TO Making
Public Number and Amount
of War Contracts
DECLARE FANATICS
WOULD BE INFLAMED

Special to THE EVENING JOURNAL.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. April S.
Plants OF the e. l. DUPONT de Ne
mours and Company. would be plac-
cd in peril by anarchists and war
fanatics If the contracts of the COM
pany were laid open to the public. it
was asserted today at the first pub
ic hearing of the S5O,OOOOOO DUPONT
stock suit. The suit which has been
pending in the United States District
Court since last December, was open
ID today before Judge Thompson. in
he Federal Building with strenuous
objections by the defense to the in
terrogatories filed with the court by
Philip +. DUPONT. Of Merton, Pa. the
4 original complainant in the suit.
4 The interrogatories require that
. the old powder company. the L. l.
4 DUPONT de Nemours Powder Company,
name and show the amount of money
+ on deposit with various banks and
. trust companies prior to and follow
ing the transactions complained Of
4 by the complaints, and further re-
i Quire that both the old and the new
a powder companies show the exact ma
ture of all orders placed with them
during certain periods in 1914 and
|1915.
Congressman George S. Graham OF
i counsel for Pierre S. DUPONT. the prin-
& cipal individual defendant. asserted
+ that If the defendants furnished infor-
f nation as to the number and nature
Of contracts the powder company had
with European nations at war. the
|amount of powder manufactured and
1.-THE receipts therefrom. It would stir
up animosity and danger to the com.
pany at the hands of fanatics. The
Hdefendant also objected to the inter.
rogatories on the ground that the
questions had no bearing on the trans.
actions which will be investigated in
the litigation.
The complainant holds that the re-
j plies might show that the banks which
|foated the loans to the defendants
and enabled them to purchase com
pany stock held by Gen. r. Coleman
dupont have been rewarded" by hav
ing the size of their deposits accounts
Increased by the officials of the pow
der company
The complainants held that if the
Various powder contracts are produced
Hin court they will show that the de
.Afendants knew that the stock they
purchased from General DUPONT wOulC
. VASTLY increase in value and that the,
were playing a "sure thing in keep
ng this stock from the company, an'
obtaining it for themselves.
4 hint as to the defense that will b
made TO the suit was given by Con
gresham Graham in his review Of ia
case. He stated there was no hreae
8 of trust or faith on the part OF Pier
=. dupont. as the powder company ha
81 turned down the offer of General du
F pont. and Pierre :. DUPONT then con
summated negotiations for the acqmsi
8 tion of the stock 10 carry out the phil
81 anthropic and benevolent purposes fo
"a which il was offered by the owner
General dupont. he said, offered 4
4 sell his stock with the provision tina
i 't would be distributed among certaii
. Faithful employees and serve as an in
ccntive for increased fidelity and la
y 'bor in behalf of the company, and als'
10 certain young members Of the du
: Pont Company.
When the powder company was dis
1inclined to purchase this stock a
$3.50 per share. il was stated. Pierre
& s. DUPONT succeeded in floating
loan OF S14OGO,OOO to buy the stock
/. and to accomplish the purposes of tn
4 seller.
The men for whom the stock wa'
principally intended. said Mr.. Gra
4. ham hpcamo associated with Pierre
1| s. dupont in the formation of thu
4duPont Securities Company.
John Thompson reserved decision