Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1910 — SUIT FILED TO OUST THE SUGAR TRUST [ARTICLE]

SUIT FILED TO OUST THE SUGAR TRUST

Action Briught UiKtir Shsrman Anti-trust Act. United States Attorney Wise has filed in the United States circuit court in New York city the long expected bill of complaint in the government’s suit to dissolve the sugar trust under the Sherman anti-trust law. The suit, like that against the Standard Oil, is a proceeding in equity in which the government asks the court to deck re upon the facts alleged that a combination and conspiracy exists for the monopoly of the sugar business and to restrain the American company, the National Sugar Refining company aid the Western Sugar Retiring company from engaging in interstate commerce in sugar and to restrain any cne from voting on the stock of the ccmpan:a< mentioned in the bill. The bill, to which are attached copies of. agieement as far back as the original trrst agreement of ISSi. makes up a bock of 237 pages It vas drawn by Mr. Wise under the direction of Attorney General Wickersham anti names as defendants thirty sugar companies alleged to be part of the trust, together with their officers, and also i the executors of the will of H. O. Havemeyer, bead of the American Sugar Refining company, under whose direction the al’eged monopoly was formed. The principal companies named as defendants, are besides the America, the Westfern Sugar Refining comrany. the National and the California Cane Sugar Refining company, in which tha American bolds one-half of the stock. Among the individual defendants named are Washington B. Thomas, Charles H. Allen, former assistant secretary of the treasury 7 and lately elected treasurer of the trust; John D. Spreckels, Adolph B. Spreckels and John D. Spreckels, Jr., and Joseph F. Smith of Utah, head of the Mormon church. The bill recites the history of the company, beginning with the original trust agreement in 1887, when seventeen of the twenty-three existing sugar companies entered into a combination under the name of the Sugar Refineries company, controlling 90 per cent of the industry. Within the next two yean, it is alleged, thirteen of the refineries then combined were closed up and the remainder were combined into four large refineries. / In order to acquire the beet sugar companies, the American, the bill recites. sent out large quantities of sugar to the middle west, on which it ob-

dropped the price below cost and when they had weakened these companies It began to acquire them. It is alleged that it purchased ore-half of the common stock of the American Beet Sugar company .and put it under contract not to compete and exacted one quarter of a cent per pound for all sugar sold by that compahy. A battle is reported to have taken place at Chihuahua between 600 federal troops and 400 Maderists, in which the rebels were routed with a loss of thirteen killed and many wounded. A number of federate were wounded, including one officer. The rebels were driven into the mountains.