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The Commoner.
10
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Demand for Tnist Investigation.
"' The Washington Times gives the fol
lowing account of a petition" just filed
with the attorney-general:
The American anti-trust league, at a
meeting last night,, decided to approach
once moro the attorney-general of the
United States, through a petition, upon
the trust question, and a lengthy com
munication was prepared and forward
ed to Mr. Knox, which the league is
confident will resujt in some action
upon the part of the department of
justice. The petitidh' Is in response to
tho letter of the attorney-general in re
ply to a fo'fmef communication of the
league, and contains an answer to Mr.
Knox, who, In that statement to tho
anti-trust league, stated that the duty
of tho department of justice is to en
force tho federal statutes as interpreted
by tho courts, whenever thero Is cause
for holloving that thoy have been vio
lated. In the petition addressed to
tho attorney-general last night, tho
anti-trust league submitted the "prob
able" cause demanded by Mr. Knox.
Some adtion on the part of the attorney-general
in tho matter is demanded.
The anti-trust league has been at
work for some time upon tho potitlon
which was submitted to the attorney
gonoral last night. After the letter
from the latter in reply to the first
communication, the statement was
made by the anti-trust league that the.
matter had been by no means set
tled, and that further action would
bo taken. It was said that the attorney-general
could be compelled to take
action upon the data to bo furnished
by the anti-trust league.
It is understood that at tho depart
ment of justice the matter was sup
posed to have been settled by the let
ter of the attorney-general, in which he
declined to take any action, but tho ac
tion of tho anti-trust league last night
has opened the question once more.
Henry B. Martin, chairman of the
anti-trust league, in speaking of tho
latest action of the league, said that
the fight would bo continued until the
league was successful in having tho
attorney-general take action against
the trusts. Tho communication, as
adopted last night, with the pointed
letter to the attorney-general, is as
follows:
To the. Honorable Philander C. Knox,
Attorney-General of tho United Stales,
Washington, D. C:
Sir: In response to your communi
cation of August 20, 1901, n which
yon say the duty of your department
arid its "object to enforce tlie federal
statutes as interpreted by tlio courts,
wherever there is probable cause for
believing they have been violated,"
we herewith hand you the enclosed pe
tition', in which the probable cause
blnatjons of capital,' whother in tho
form of a trust or otherwise.
The petition states In part:
Your petitioners would show that tho
United States Stool corporation seems
to your petitioners to exist, subsist,
and persist in violation of law, and
that its principals, agents, promoters,
and managers, are a combination who
conspire to restrain and they do re
strain anu monopolize ana attempt iu
monopolize trade and commerce be
tween the states and territories and
tho District of Columbia and in tho
territories or ho District of Columbia
and with foreign nations.
The petition further declares that
"at various times prior to February
2S, 1901, certain alien capitalists, aided
by American co-conspirators, among
whom are and were Andrew Carnegie,
J. P. Morgan & Co., American agents of
the house of Rothschild; Charles C.
Cluff, William J. Curtis, Charles Mac
Veagh, John D. Ropkefoller, Charles
M. Schwab, Henry. C. Frlck, and oth
ers did, under tho alleged protection
of tho state, of New Jersey, in viola
tion of the constitution and laws of
the United States, enter into an un
lawful 'arrangement,' in violation of
tho 'anti-trust law,' as it is commonly
called, enacted July 2, 1890, tho inter
state commerce law of 1887, and tho
act to reduco.taxation and provide rev
enue for tho government and for other
purposes, which became a law in 1894."
Tho co-conspirators, it is charged,
made the "arrangement," contract,
combination, and conspiracy in re
straint of trade and commerce.
Tho petition further charges that
"the syndicated conspiracy includes
certain American capitalists, who unite
and combine with tho European capi
talists to share w.lth 'them the spolia
tion of the peopleof the United States,
based upon the 'acquisition . of the
holdings of the said Andrew Carnegie'
and the stock and bonds of the Carne
gie company, and the stocks and bonds
of the following companies, to-wlt, of
the Federal Steel company, of the
American Steel and Wire company of
New Jersey, of the National Tube
company, of the American Tin Plate
company, of the National Steel com
pany, of tho American Steel Hoop com
pany, and of , the American . Steel
company, which, on his oath before tho
United States industrial commission,
tho said 'Charles M. Schwab deposed
to bo a 'consolidation' of artificial and
other persons In tho shape of tho
United States Steel corporation, by
agreement between it and the above
named seven constituent companies,
to none and to neither of which does
tho incorporating certificate grant such
a right to consolidate the said 'con
solidation',' therefore, being Illegal and
demanded is set 'forth for your action. the said United States Steel' corpora-
Very respectfully yours,
H. B. MARTIN,
Chairman.
WILLIAM L. 'DEWART,
Secretary.
Joint Committee American Anti-Trust
. League and District Assembly GG,
Knights of Labor.
The petition of tho joint committee
recites that tho American anti-trust
league Is an organization non-partisan
in Its character, numerous, in its mem
bership in various pqrts of the United
Slates, having for its objects, among
other things, to secure the enforcement
of the existing stato and federal stat
utes agaipst trusts and monopolies,
and furnish such evidence of the vio
lation of such statutes to tho officers
whose duties are to enforce these laws
and to co-operato with such prosecut
ing officers of the various states and
the United States for the enforcement
of these laws; and that the district
assembly G6 of the Knights of Labor is
also a non-partisan body, engaged in
various trades and crafts within, tho
District of Columbia, 'whose object is
to prdtect the rights and interests of
tho wage-working wealth producers
from unlawful aggressions and -encroachments
on tho part of great com-
tion being, therefore, non-existant by
law and subject to dissolution by a
court having jurisdiction, and that tho
co-conspirators agreed that, whenever
by the consummation of the proposed
'arrangement' the amount' of dividends
shall cease to bo substantially increased
tho greater stability of investment will
be assured by 'necessarily increasing
tho prices of manufactured product's.'
All of these facts appear in the pros
pectus of the said syndicate managers,
J. P. Morgan & Co., dated March 2,
1901, as exhibit 1 on page 455 of a pub
lic document, entitled 'Testimony,
Trusts, an4 Industrial Combinations
ana, also in exnibit 2 of said document,
which is a copy of tho amended certifi
cate of incorporation of the said Unit
ed States Steel corporation, in which
the said stato of New Jersey, except
ing herself from the operation of said
law by forbidding corporations to op
erate or maintain railroads and canals
Mrs. WIbbIow's Soothing Syrup.
Has boon ugod for ovor sixty ykaks by mii.
monb pf motiierr for thoir oiiiidiuen while
TEETIUNO, With PERFECT SUCCESS. It SOOTHKS
tho oiiii.d, eoifTRNS the ciums, allays all fain,
ourks wind co mo, and is tho boat remedy for
diarrhoea. Sold by Druei8ta in every part of
tho world. Bo euro and aak for "JkJrs.Winslow's
Soothing Syrup," and tako no other kind: Twen-ty-ilyo
cents a bottle. It is tho best of all,
within her own borders, assumes to.
give eminent domain to the corpora
tion everywhere else in tho country ex
cept in New Jersey, and further sub
jects a greater part of the metal and
mineral products in the United States
and territories; and manganese (an im
ported metaloid) and every, transport
thereof by land and .water to tho cor
poration and its extension and 'busi
ness,' contrary to the constitution and
law3 of the United States and of each
of them and contrary to 'public policy,'
private rights and the stability of the
republic. of America." -
Tho testimony of President Charles
M. Schwab, of the United States Steel
corporation, delivered before the
United States industrial Commission,
May 11, 1901, is quoted from page 465
of "Testimony, Trusts, and industrial
Combinations," regarding a question
by Commissioner Farquhar, that the
United States Steel corporation con
trols 80 per cent of the whole manu
factured product of this country. There
is also given the admission of the wit
ness that the corporation practically
controls the transportation of raw ma
terials on tho lakesN. The argument is
then advanced that, in view of the fact
that the Carnegie company is only one
of the constituent companies of tho
United States Steel corporation, that
President Schwab's testimony is al
most conclusive evidence that the Steel
trust is monopolizing- or attempting to
monopolize a part of the trade or com
merce among the several states and
with foreign nations.
The petition further declares that
among, those who .have conspired and
are thus conspiring as aforesaid in the
form of trust and otherwise are the Ar
mor Plate trust or combination, which
has been for some years past composed
of the Carnegie Steel, corporation and
the Bethlehem Steel company; that its
constituent members and its managers
have combined and conspired not only
to monopolize the general trade and
commerce in armor plate, but havo
conspired and combined "tb so mon
opolize the commerce in arniOi' plate
among the several states and with for
eign nations that they have been able
to and did extort from the people and
government of the United States, such
an exorbitant price from the national
government and people of the United
States, that they sold armor plate
which cost less than $200 per ton to
the said government of the United
States for. the snm of $520 per ton."
It is' further charged that "the said
Carnegie company, and the said Beth
lehem company, who I combined and
conspired to form tho said Armor Plate
trust, conspiracy, or combine, are now
combined in violation of the laws of
the United .States into the hands of one
combination, and they are' the same
combination which now controls the
United States Steel corporation, and
that thoy ard still monopolizing the
trade and commerce in- armor plate,
and still charging the government the
aforesaid exorbitant prices as a re
sult of their being able t6 monopolize
the" trade and commerce in armor
plate."
An excerpt .from Secretary Long's
official report for. 1897, 1$ given, quoting
tho "friendly understanding among
armor contractors both in Europe and
America- as to the prices to be charged
for armor," the agreement with each
other as to prices, .and the division "of
the . contracts- of this government be
tween them, eacli .bidding lower than
the other fqr one-hdlf of tho armor re
quired at any time by he government.
Tho acceptance of a -Russian contract
for manufacturing armor for one ship
at the very low price of $249 per ton,
this armor "to be both nickeled , and
Harveyed, and to be delivered in Rus
sia, the company agreeing at the same
time to, manufacture '.'the armor, for
two other ships, if required, at the
same price, is referred' to. - The Rus
sian government afterward did require
armor for tho . other two ships, and
taken altogether, tho armor for the
LYE
AND
POTASH
-OF ANY GRAfoE OR STRENGTH
MANUFAaUREDfiiGUARANTEED
by
fcWHPRIESMEYEE
JS5TABUSHED W ST.LOUIS
1873.
.JOBBERS CORIU
SOLICITED.
VmV Ti vl M vl. T
BRAND NEW STEEL ROOFING
Bought at Rocol vors Sale.
Bliecta cither flat, corru
gated or V'crJmpcd. No
tools except a hatchet or
hammer Is needed to lar
.tho roofing. Wo furnlsu
ireo witn eacli order
nnmifli rinlnf. t.nAl "P
cover and nallsto lay. Prlco jpcrsqnaro, MIO
A square means 100 Bquaro ft, trrlte furFrco Cntalogao
No. 33 on Central HerchandlM. Chicago HbuftC
flecking Co. W08tS5th and Iron, Sts., chlcaco, IU.
C"AT FOLKS reduced 15 lbs a month,
r r 1 You can make romedy at home. Sample-
f roo. Hall Chom. Co., Dept. 206, St. Louis,' Mo.
three amounted to about 1,400 tons.
' The 'petitioners further name, in ad
dition to "tho aforesaid violators,'.'
John D. Rockefeller and others,, and
the Standard Oil company, among the
managers, dlrectbrs, and officers of
which aro John D. Rockefeller, H. M.
Flagler,-H, H.-Rogers, John D. Arcti
bold, William Rockefeller and others
who have combined, ' contracted, .aria"
conspired 'together under the name' of
the Standard Oil company, the Home
Oil company, tho National Transit
company, and otherwise, to monopolize
and restrain trade 'arid- commerce In.
crude and refined, petroleum and its by
products; the anthracite, coal combine
and its members, among whom are'the
aforesaid J. P. Morgan,' William 'Ro'cke
feller.and others, in anthracite vc6al;
J. . P. -Morgan & : Co., ' tho ; American
agents of Rothschild. John.D. Rocke
feller .'and k William "Rockefeller, also
William KVanderbllt, James J. Hill,
B. H. Harriman, George J. Gould, Rus?
sell Sage, A. J.Cassatt, and numerous
railroad corporations, f" their owners,
and their prinolpal stockholders, di
rectors, and managers, and. officers,
and certain bankers, Including . tho
firm of J. P. Morgan & Co., the Na
t'ional City Bank of New York, Kuhn,
Loeb & Co., the First National Bank
of New York, and the First National
Bank of Chicago, and others, to ''re
strain and monopolize .the railroad
A UNIVERSAL FOOD.
Following Nature's Footsteps.
"I have a boy, two years old, weigh
ing forty pounds and in perfect health
who has been raised on Grape-Nuts
and milk.
This is an ideal food and evidently
furnishes the elements necessary, for
a baby as well as for adults. We havo
used Grape-Nuts in largo quantities
and greatly to our advantage." F. W.
Leavitt, Minneapolis, Minn.
One advantage about Grape-Nuts
Food is that it is pre-digested in tho
process of manufacture; that is, the
starch contained in the wheat and bar
ley is transformed Into grape-sugar in
exactly, the Bamo method as th,is pro
cess is carried out in the human body,
that is by the use of moisture and long
exposure to moderate warmth, which
grows the diastase in the grains and
makes the remarkable change .from
starch to grape-sugar. Therefore, tho
most delicate stomach can handlo
Grape-Nuts and tho food is quickly ab
sorbed into the blood and tissue, cer
tain parts of it going directly to build
ing and nourishing the brain and nervo
centers. '.".
Made at the pure food factories-of
the Postum Cereal Co., Ltd., Battle
Creek, Mich.
Wf'
iv-
J)