Salt Lake Telegram | 1909-02-04 | Page 1 | Probing of Merger Furnishes a Puzzle for the Probers

PROBING Of MERGER MERCER I I II A PUZZlE I fOR OR T E I I Senate Committee Is Nonplussed Nonplussed Nonplussed Non Non- as ot What Report Report Report Re Re- port to MaKe MaRe I W. WASHINGTON Feb The Tho 1 Tho special committee of or the senate committee on Judiciary which Is In Investigating the Ten Ten- nc ne Coal and Iron absorption b by the United States steel corporation exp expects to meet great greal difficulty In preparing a L re reply re- re ply ph to the Cu Culberson on en-on resolution providing pro for or the Inquiry The Tue re resolution calls upon the the- committee to report port what was the presidents president's authority authority author author- It ity for or permitting the merger merger- Nothing has been found b by the committee which seems to warrant the president In giving consent to tho the absorption per por 01 anything which seems ems to demand that he should have havo forbidden th the merger In summing S up the evidence presented a number of ot lawyers haw In the senate have t ald said that It appears ti tf to them that the party of ot sixteen Ix teen who control of or the majority of or the stock wc were wco o systematically squeezed during the he panicky days das of October and November Oo 1907 It Is possible no report whatever er will he ho made to the thc senate in response to the Culber Culberson on resolution So man many 1 legal questions art are ol In Involved that It i Is predicted a n long discussion would result In any am- amt at attempt attempt t at- tempt i to determine whether the president had proceeded In wrongful manner His Ills communication to the tho senate S l suggests suggests sug sug- that the on only I action taken b by him was to sa say that ho saw no reason wh why he should Interfere to prevent pre the mer mer- ger This Is construed variously by members mem mcm- bers bets of ot the committee some ome of or the Democrats Democrats Democrats Demo Demo- going so far tal us as to say 83 that It amounted to an Instruction to tho the Hey ney general not to prosecute the tho merger merser even If tr It was found to be he contrary to the provisions of or the tim Sherman trust anti-trust law Jaw