The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-10-13

of combining the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern railroads. He brought
the government action to dissolve the
merger and after long legal fight be-
ginning in 1902 he won the case in
the United States circuit court.
Fights Combination
Mr.. Knox also waged a notable fight
against the combination of seven beef
corporations against whom he brought
action in that year (1902), charging
them with being in conspiracy in re-
straint of trade. He obtained in
functions against the defendants
which were made permanent on appeal
to the United States supreme court
and the combination was ordered to
be dissolved
Soon after Mr.. Knox instituted pro-
ceedings against IA railroad corpora
lions charging them with being in
combination in restraint of trade and
finally won all the suits. His friends
declare that he was a pioneer in the
movement to control corporations. 1t
was upon his recommendation that
congress amended the laws against
railroads so as to punish them for
granting rebates, extend the authority
OF courts to enjoin the carriers against
making discriminatory rates and per-
nit the federal courts to give prece-
dence to cases of great importance to
the public. These actions made him
powerful factor in the war against
unfair practices by corporations which
was the outstanding feature of that
period of President Roosevelts admin
istration.
Opposes Trusts
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 ill-effect upon the
public were lack of publicity of oper-
alton, discrimination in prices design
ed to eliminate competition, a tend
ency to monopolize trade in their
lines and failure to appreciate that
they owed any service to the public
My purpose" he declared. SIS to
show that we are not hopelessly help
! less to deal with serious problems
| which confront US
MI. Knox has been credited by some
with having actually carried through
| the purchase of the Panama canal for
S4O,000,000, which was an achieve
ment of the Roosevelt administration
As attorney general, Mr.. Knox went to
Paris and ascertained that the new
Panama Canal company held clesl
title to convey the canal. This Ell
abled the United States to proceed
with the purchase.
Senator in 1904.
! Mr.. Knox was appointed United
} States senator in 1904 AS secretary
of state in President Taft's cabinet h
inaugurated an active policy of aiding
the extension of American trade Will
: foreign countries, which was charac
. terized as dollar diplomacy" a desig
, nation intended in derision but O
!, which Senator Knox afterward de
) clared he was proud. He proposed
that an arbitral court be established
, at the Hague and that the Manchurial
/ railway be neutralized. and approved
the plan for the Central American
; court of justice for maintaining peac;
I in Central America. He negotiated
, arbitration treaties with France ant
: Great Britain and made notable tril
! to Central American countries, CO
: lombia and Venezuela. In 1912 he wa