Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-10-13
SKETCH OF LIFE
CONTINUED from Pare onel


State in the cabinet of President
Taft and in the interim between
those two Offices and afterward was
United States Senator.
Senator Knox was an active figure
in the fight in the Senate in 1919 and
1920 against the ratification of the
Peace Treaty of Versailles. Even
when the treaty was being drawn up
he delivered speeches in the Senate
and out of it in which he demanded
that the League of Nations covenant
should be separated from the other
parts of the treaty. He introduced
resolution to that effect which was
! adopted by the Senate and also pre-
scented a resolution against the APP
pointment of American representa-
tives on the Reparations' Commits
; sion. He also drafted one of the va
rious resolutions submitted to the
Senate for adopting the treaty with
reservations
| Subsequently Senator Knox was
the author of a resolution adopted
/ by the Senate in May, 1920. declaring
peace with Germany. This also was
! Senator Knox first came into ma
tional prominence when in 1901 Pres
dent Mckinley appointed him as
Attorney General. He retained that
Office under President Roosevelt IN
! til 1904 when he resigned to accept
an appointment as United States
i Senator from Pennsylvania to sue
coed the late Senator Quay.
AS Attorney General he established
record for prosecutions of trusts
and combinations and in actions
against railroads to prevent rebates
and discrimination in race.
Notable among his achievements
while in this office was his suit
against the Northern Securities Com
pany, a corporation organized for the
purpose of combining the Northern
Pacific and Great Northern Rail
roads. He brought the government ac
ton to dissolve the merger and after
a long legal fight beginning in 1902
he won the case in the United States
Circuit Court.
Mr.. Knox also waged a notable fight
against the combination Of seven beef
corporations against whom he
brought action in that year Q902),
charging them with being in consp'r-
acy in restraint of trade. He obtain
ed injunctiOns against the defend
ants which were made permanent on
appeal to the United States Supreme
! Court and the combination was rr-
dered to be dissolved.
j Soon after Mr.. Knox instituted
| proceedings against II railroad cor
porations charging them with being
( in combination in restraint of trade
and finally won all the suits. His
friends declare that he was plon-
eer in the movement to control cor
porations. 1t was upon his recon-
mendation that Congress amended
the laws against railroads so as to
punish them for granting rebates,
extend the authority of courts to en-
join the carriers against making
discriminatory rates and permit the
/ Federal courts to give precedence
/ to cases of great importance to the
public These actions made him a
powerful factor in the war against
unfair practices by corporations
which was the outstanding feature
of that period of President Roose-
velts administration.
! His own views on these powerful
combinations were expressed in an
address at that time in which he de-
clared that over capitalization was
the most conspicuously evil feature
of the trusts but that other factors
! which contributed to their i'll effect
upon the public were lack of pub
| licity of operation, discrimination in
prices designed to eliminate competi-
ton, a tendency to monopolize trade
in their lines and failure to appre-
ciate that they owed any service to
the public.
"My purpose" he declared, lis to
helpless to deal with serious prob
lens which confront u.s.
Mr.. Knox has been credited by
some with having actually carried
through" the purchase of the Pana-
ma Canal for $40,0O0,000 which was
J an achievement of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration. AS attorney general,
Mr.. Knox went to Paris and ascer-
tanned that the new Panama Canal
company held a clear title to convey
the canal. This enabled the United
States to proceed with the purchase.
Mr.. Knox was appointed United
States senator in 1904. AS secretary
Of state in President Taft's cabinet
he inaugurated an active policy of
| trade with foreign countries. which
was characterized as dollar dip
lomacy.' a designation intended in
derisiOn but of which Secretary
! Knox afterward declared he was
proud. He proposed that an arbitral
court be established at the Hague
and that the Manchurian railway be
neutralized and approved the plan
for the Central American court of
justice for maintaining peace in Cen
trail America. He negotiated arbitra-
ton treaties with France and Great
Britain and made notable trip to
Central American countries. Col
ombia and Venezuela. In 1919 he
was assigned to attend the funeral
of Emperor Mutsuhito of japan. as
| representative of the United States
government. One of the features of
his secretaryship was the dispute
with Great Britain over the PROPOSAL
to exempt American coastwise shin
ping from payment of tolls for use
of the Panama Canal.
Mr.. Knox was born at Browns
vile, Pa, on May 6. 1853, and was
| named after a noted FpiscopaJ bic