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

Inv 1"iP.So" ioc0utiy reserved q
communication as follows, viz:
"Having read with interest Won,
onslaughts on the high cost of LIVING
and having attended the meetings of
the citizens, and also having taien
part in the discussion, I thought =
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. consulted an attorney
learned in the law, one of forms.
fame as a prosecutor of law violators
and he turned to his big book and
read me what he called Chapter 9s73.
General Statutes of Minnesota for
1913. Will you be good enough to
publish its It reads thusly:
emo person or association of Der.
sons shall enter into any pool, trust
arrangement, combination, or under.
standing, whatsoever, with any other
person or association, corporate OF
otherwise, in restraint Of trade within
this state, or between the people of
this or any other state or country. or
which tends in any way or degree 10
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 80 to do. Every person violat-
Ing any provision Of this section, or
assisting In such violation, shan be
guilty Of a felony, and upon couvic.
ton thereof shall be punished by Q
fine OF not less than five hundred
dollars, and not more than five thou
sand dollars, or by Imprisonment IN
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 jury
indicts me. That is the method our
legislature has provided for getting
after and Furnishing criminals. It Il
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 .
life.
"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. :.
"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 NJ. Peterson. Do thew
not violate the section of the law re-
ferred to above. Has the county at
torney.s office, with it's large contin.
gent fund, ever investigated these
matters, or taken actionf No, thew
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 DOS.
slble that some Of the clients Of SAID
county attorney are found in the lis.
OF unlawful combinationsfD