The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-08-23
MINNESOTA STATUTE
CURE FOR FOOD HOES
Duty of the County Attorney
and the Grand Jury to
Apply Remedy.

The Rip-Saw recently received -.
communication as follows, viz:
"Having read with interest yonr
onslaughts on the high cost of living
and having attended the meetings of
the citizens, and also having take,
part In the discussion, 1 thought IL
well to seek for any law that we now
have to, meet the problem, instead Of
Trying to find new medicine for the
SICK public. I consulted an attorney
learned in the law, one of former
lame as prosecutor Of law violators.
and he turned to his big book and
read me what he called Chapter 1873.
General Statutes of Minnesota for
1913: Will you be good enough to
publish itf 1t reads thusly:
SIS No person or association of per-
sons shall enter into any pool. trust
arrangement, combination, or under
standing, whatsoever, with any other
person or association, corporate or
otherwise, in restraint Of trade within
this state, or between the people of
this or any other state or country. ar
which tends in any way or degree to
limit, fix, control or maintain. or
regulate the price Of any article of
trade, manufacture or use, bought or
sold within the state, or which limits
or tends to limit the production Of
any such article, or which prevents or
limits competition in the purchase and
sale thereof, or which tends or is de-
signed SO to do. Every person violat-
ing any provision of this section. or
assisting in such violation, shall be
guilty Of a felony, and upon convic-
ton thereof shall be punished by a
fine Of not less than five hundred
dollars, and not more than five thou
sand dollars, or by Imprisonment ia
the state prison for not less than three
nor more than five years.
"When I break the law, the county
attorney gets busy, and the grand iury
indicts me. That is the method our
Legislature has provided for getting
after and Furnishing criminals. It is
the duty of some state. or county Of
ficer to act. That officer Is the
county attorney. The body that he
puts in motion is the grand Jury.
Money is furnished the county attor-
ney for that purpose. IF he is not
big enough for the job, the attorney
general OF the state can give him q
life. :. sr - -
"Of course our great war governor.
Joe Burnquist, does not know this and
he is calling a special session Of the
legislature to pass the buck along.
With the statutes he already has, he
could start things moving. OF course
Big Business" would howl, and that
he wishes not to hurt. 49,.
"Take the situation in Duluth. with
the Michigan street monopolies and
combinations, destroying competition.
agreeing to regulate prices, destroying
foods, or letting it rot. Take the
plumbing supply shops in Duluth, with
their agreements to, fix prices and
charges for labor and material, or the
butchers of the city, or the retailers
and their association, presided over by
Senator George M. Peterson. Do thew
not violate the section of the law re-
ferred to above. Has the county at
torney's office, with its large contin-
gent fund, ever investigated these
matters, or taken actions No, they
have been busy trying to increase SAL
aries, with the help of Senator Adams.
They also, have been busy building up
a private law business. Can it be pos
sible that some Of the clients Of said
county attorney are found in the list
OF unlawful combinationss' affg .