Arizona republican., 1920-03-02
COURT Ab9OLVESSTEEL
 TRUST IN SUIT
Government Loses Long Fought Suit To Dissolve Largest Corporation In The World-Court Grants Clean Bill Of Health
Republican A. p. Leased wire]

Republican A. p. Leased Wire1 WASHINGTON, March I'm a four to- three decision today, the su- preme court refused to dissolve the United States Steel corporation and it's subsidiaries, comprising the so- called steel trust"
 The governments long fought suit for dissolution of the iron and steel trade combination for alleged viola tion of the Sherman antitrust law
 was dismissed, with absolution for the
 corporation from all charges.
 Placing the high courts 70. K.' on the steel corporation were Chief Jus
 tice White and Associate Justice Me Kenna, who announced the majority
 opinion, and Justices Holmes and
 Vandevanter. Justice Day gave the
 dissenting opinion, joined by Justices Pitney and Clarke. Justice McRey- holds and Brandeis took no part, the former having been attorney general during the litigation, and the latter
 having expressed opinions on it be- fore appointment to the bench. Primarily, the decree officially brands the corporation as a good" combination with it's legality estab- lished. Further, the court held that preponderance in industry of corpor-
 ate combinations is not alone suffi- cient cause for their dissolution. The court also gave a new and far reaching judicial interpretation, or
 application. of the Sherman law, analogous to it's famous rule of req son in the Standard Oil and Tobacco trust cases, by declaring that public interest must be considered in apply
 ing the law. The public interest, it was
 held, would not be served and might be injured by dissolving the steel concern.
 Minority Sought Dissolution
 Dissolution of the corporation and itt-r I Is-x- in the dissenting opinion. The minor ity declared that the antitrust law was violated; that there has been
 'open, notorious. and continued viola tion' of it's provisions, and that ap- proyal of illegally born combinations 1 would practically annul the Sherman law by judicial decree
 Agreeing that mere size of a corpora i tion, providing it's genesis is legal, IS not inhibited, the minority vigorously disapproyed the new Sherman law ru.- ing requiring judicial consideration of the public interest. Such conclusion, they declared necessarily results in a practical notification of the act itself" The decision was a complete victory for the corporation and it's one hundred and. eighty subsidiaries. said to com pose the worlds greatest industrial combination, with assets of more than two billion dollars It also dismissed proceedings against score of individ- ual millionaire defendants. including Chairman Elbert H. Gary of the steel D. Rockefeller, the late J. P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, Henry c. Prick, and
 others Against these the government had askedinjunctions against illegal acts.
 Also. the decree marked utter rout for the government in its suit, which was begun in 1911 in the New Jersey federal court. and which has been one of the longest, most volumnious and most costly proceedings in supreme
 court annals The case, records of which fill a small room, was twice
 argued in the high court, in March, 1917, and again last October. A truce, suspending action during the war, was agreed upon in 1918.
 Although today's decree leaves the
 government free to bring new proceed ings for specific and present practices
 deemed in conflict with the anti trust
 law. department of justice officials de- clared no thought had been given to future action
 Gary Makes Statement NEW YORK, March, IA decree by the United States supreme court
 dissolving the United States Steel cor
 poration would have been a calamity
 Ebert H. Gary, chairman of the cor
 poration's board of directors, declared in statement tonight
 'It would seriously have interfered
 with industrial progress and prosper ity, he said. The decision as made will immeeasurably add to the general feeling of confidence in the value of
 property and in the opportunities of
 business enterprise.
 The fact that a minority opinion was filed emphasizes the necessity on the part of the industrial managers to
 observe requirements of all statutory
 provisions and to keep in mind the
 rights and interests of the public. I
 thlnk sentiment has generally been
 favorable to the corporation, and. if
 so, It Is because we have taken pains
 to publish facts concerning our man
 agement, our conditions and our in
 tentions.
 There has never been any inten-
 tion to violaet the Sherman law. If
 mas been our endeavor to be of real
 pene1lt to our employees, our custom
 CTS, our competitors, and especially
 the general public, and to be of injury to no one. That we have failed in some respects is quite possible