Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 October 1907 — 'TRUST BUSTERS' ACT [ARTICLE]

'TRUST BUSTERS' ACT

Attorneys General Prepare a Memorial to Congress Asking a New Law. STATES TO HAVE A FREE HAND Corporations to Wait for the National Tribunal's Decision. United State* Court* To Be Forbidden to Interfere Until the Case Ha* Pawed the State Supreme Court.

St. Louis, Oct. 2.—Action that will have a far-reaching effect in anti-trust and anti-corporation litigation, and which will bear fruit in almost every state in the Union, was taken by the convention of attorney generals in its final session here. A committee was appointed to draft a scheme of antitrust legislation to be sent to all attorney generals, and as a climax for the entire meeting the attorney generals assembled adopted a resolution which is expected to remove a thorn in tbit flesh of the state officers —the interference by federal circuit courts with the operation of state laws. Memorial to Congress. The resolution Is in the shape of a memorial to congress, and was framed by a committee composed of Attornej Generals E. T. Young, of Minnesota; Dana Malone, of Massachusetts; A. M. Garber, of Alabama; W. T. Thompson, of Nebraska; W. H. Dickson, of Colorado, and 11. S. Hadley, of Mis sour!. The memorial is as follows: “Whereas, The efficient administration. as well as tlie preservation, of our dual system of government requies that each sovereignty lie permitted to exercise its function as defined by the federal constitution unhampered by the other; therefore be it Would Restrict U. 8. Courts, t “Resolved. Uy the convention of attorney generals of the several states here assembled, that we earnestly recommend to the favorajile consideration of the president and the congress of the United States the enactment of a federal law providing that no circuit court of the United States, or any ju Igo exercising th»> powers of sucti circuit courts.' shall have jurisdiction in any case brought to restrain any officers of a state, or any administrative board of a state, from instituting In a state court any suit or other appropriate proceeding to enforce the laws of such state, or to enforce any order made by administrative board, but allowing any persons or corporation asserting in any such action in a state court any right arising under the constitution or any laws of the United'’States to have the decision of tlie highest court of such state reviewed by the supreme court of the United States, as now provided by law. Suits To Be Prohibited. “We also recommend that suits in federal circuit courts by persons interested in corporations to restrain such corporations from obeying the laws of states in which they are doing business be prohibited.”

PERMANENTLY ORGANIZED Hadley Is Made President—Anti-Truirt Legislation Committee. Permanent organization was effected under the name of the “National Association of Attorney Generals of the United States,” and a united front will l>e presented in legal actions brought by different states against the same corporation or trust. The following were chosen officers: President, H. S. Hadley, of Missouri; vice president, Dana Malone, of Massachusetts; secretary-treasurer, William H. Dickson. of Colorado. President Hadley appointed as the eomndttee to draft a scheme for anti-trust legislation, the following: James Bingham, of Indiana; Wade Ellis, of Ohio; F. S. Jackson, of Kansas; It, V. Fletcher, of Mississippi, and S. 11. Clark, of South Dakota.

President Hadley also announced that with two or three exceptions all the attorney generals In the Union had expressed a desire to participate in future proceedings of the association, and tn any course of action that might be decided upon. Wade Ellis reviewed the inception, formation, growth and consolidation of the Standard Oil company, which was founded in Ohio, and outlined the litigation which was started against the company by the attorney general of Ohio 1890. and then discussed the present phnse of litigation instituted by the government. “What will lie the effect on the oil business or the investors if the Standard Oil trust Is dissolved':” he said. “Manifestly the wells, >anks. pipe lines, stations and refineries will not be destroyed. The properties wfil be preserved and the business will go on.” He did not say who would carry it on, but he declared that “no change in our policy as a people will ever make right the things complained of in the suits against the Standard Oi! trust."