Show SUPREME COURT AGAINST THEM Officials of the Paper Trust Will WillBe H Be ve to Answer Questions PUt to Them ALS BOOKS 4 k OPINION HANDED DOWN BY JUS JUSTICE JUSTICE TICE McKENNA Washington March an opinion opinion ion by Justice McKenna th supreme court of the United States today de decIded decided the cases the witnesses in inthe Inthe the paper trust cases against the holdIng company that they should an answer answer questions propounded to them In Inthe inthe the proceedings against the alleged trust brought by the government The cases originated In Minnesota and WIsconsin The WIsconsin cases were dismissed for want of jurisdIction jurisdiction tion while in the Minnesota cases the verdict of the court for the district of Minnesota was affirmed Tried to Avoid Testifying The proceeding in these cases was an effort on the part of officers of the General Paper company commonly known as the Western Vestern Paper trust to avoid testifying in the governments of that company under the Sherman antitrust law The original action out of which the cases grew was instituted in the circuit court for the district of Montana in December 1904 but the thie transaction involved in the cases decided today by the supreme court took place In Milwaukee May 16 last before an examiner sent to that city to take testimony in the proceed proceeding proceedIng ing against the paper company Among the witnesses summoned by the exam examIner examiner Iner was L M 11 Alexander secretary and treasurer George A Whiting first vice president and W C Stuart gen general eral sales manager of the General Pa Paper Paper per company and E T Haimon pres presIdent president Ident of the Grand Rapids Pa Paper Paper per company Refused to Produce Books They refused to produce their books or to make rely reily to certain Questions concerning the conspiracy alle alleged cd b by bythe the government in the proceeding against the paper company claiming personal privileges under the fourth and fifth amendments to the constitution constitution tion of the United States whIch they asserted relieved them from disclosing the facts concerning which they were interrogated They also contended that thatto to compel such disclosure would amount to an unreasonable search and seizure within the of the fourth amendment and to require them to gIve evidence against themseLves within the meaning of flie he fifth amendment Courts Against Them ThemA A similar plea was made on of the General Paper company The refusal of the witnesses to testify was reported to the circuit court for the thc eastern district of Wisconsin and that tribunal directed them to reply to th the questions and produce the books of the company as required From that de decision decision an appeal was taken to the su supreme supreme preme court The facts in the Minnesota cases were similar hut but the court proceed proceedings ings were different permitting the court to take jurisdiction in these cases while It could not note do so in the cases |