Chapter 420 I Want You to Withdraw the Lawsuit
"Since we are negotiating a business deal with the federal government, I must not be impatient." Sheffield held the microphone and recalled the price he paid for the land in Hawaii. How much was it? He could not remember it, which meant that the cost was not very high, definitely not at the level of one million US dollars, otherwise he would have remembered it.
If the price was increased tenfold, the slave owner would not be unable to accept it if the federal government could show its sincerity. Everyone knew that he was a well-known patriot. For the sake of national interests, he could even sell the Panama Canal and swallow all the losses.
"Our Bureau of Land Management and the Navy Department are not in a hurry. I heard that the Supreme Court trial will be in two months. So I will go to Washington in a month to talk to the federal government and observe the trial of Northern Securities. I believe Morgan should be very willing for me to attend. In a sense, it is equivalent to supporting Northern Securities." Sheffield twirled the phone line with his fingers and expressed his thoughts, "What do you think, madam?"
"I'll listen to you. You know I'm the most obedient." Annie touched her still flat belly and said happily, "When I'm sure, I might have good news for you."
"Hey!? Hello..." Sheffield stared at the microphone blankly and complained, "What good news needs to be confirmed? Can't you just say it directly?"
"Is there any good news?" Evelyn brought a plate of watermelon and placed it in front of the slave owner. It was said that Dixies and blacks in the South did not like to eat watermelon, but the man in front of her was an exception.
"Annie said that the federal government wants to talk to me about land expropriation in Hawaii. This should be considered a good thing." Sheffield spat out watermelon seeds. The taste of watermelon in this era can only be described as disappointing.
After cutting it open, it looks like the inside of a pomegranate. It seems that it will take a long time to grow into the appearance of later generations. No wonder the black brothers don't want to eat it, but Sheffield can accept it, it's not that he can't eat it.
As a person who even eats grass, the virtues of diligence and hard work are fully reflected in him.
"From this point of view, you can make conditions to the federal government and ask the Ministry of Justice to withdraw the lawsuit." Evelyn clapped her hands. She didn't expect that an unintentional act a few years ago would become the key to getting out of trouble today. When she went to the Philippines, Evelyn accompanied him and knew about the establishment of the sugar trust and the purchase of land.
There was no such thing as an unintentional act. It was just that the slave owners laid the groundwork in advance and were waiting for the federal government at this point.
"Withdrawing the lawsuit is just a necessary condition. If the fight goes on, I'll delay time at every stage and it will be hard for him to win. Besides, I feel like my era has just begun." After finally finishing the watermelon that was served to him, the slave owner felt as if the clouds had finally cleared and the moon was visible.
Unfortunately, last year's election still failed to overturn the Republican advantage. But now, he feels that there are more favorable conditions. Last year, the economic boom and the unclear situation of the Russo-Japanese War made the white supremacist public opinion feel that it was missing something.
But it is definitely not shameful to lose, and when the next election comes, Sheffield is sure that there will be an economic crisis in the next few years, and with him around, Morgan will definitely not be allowed to reap the profits and then cover up the losses. The economic crisis will definitely be made more serious, which will serve as a driving force for the Democratic Party's election.
As long as he can defeat the Republicans head-on once, there will be a second and a third time. Breaking through from zero to one is the most difficult. As long as he breaks through once, it will no longer be a big problem in the future.
In fact, more than two months have passed since Northern Securities Company appealed to the Supreme Court. During this time, both sides have been building public opinion, demonstrating their determination to win and their indestructible side.
Sheffield didn't appreciate this, so he never let the newspapers report that he was facing a lawsuit from the Ministry of Justice. Such matters are best resolved secretly, otherwise it would be embarrassing if he really lost the case. It's not shameful to lose if no one knows about it.
After sorting out the matters of the shipyard and the Union Bank in Los Angeles and coming up with a rough plan, Sheffield went to Washington and met up with Edith Rockefeller halfway. When it came to taking advantage of the situation, the slave owner did not dare to slack off and would definitely not hesitate when it came to carrying the burden and moving forward.
When something big happens, I will always show you my special relationship with the Rockefeller family, so don't act rashly.
Currently, the leader of the United States' naval strategy is President Roosevelt, who is a person with a very strong desire for control. When he was the Deputy Secretary of the Navy, he made decisions on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy. Now that he is the President, the Secretary of the Navy has become an even more invisible person.
So it was useless to find the Secretary of the Navy, because this message was conveyed by Roosevelt. It would be more effective to find the real person directly. Sheffield understood this and went directly to the White House. This was the second time he and Edith Rockefeller came to the White House.
Almost everyone believed that Sheffield came to the White House this time because of the trust lawsuit, asking President Roosevelt to let him go, at least that's what others thought.
No one would have thought that Sheffield came to the White House as if nothing had happened. He knew that it was almost impossible for him to live here in his lifetime, so he naturally wanted to seize the few opportunities to leave his own mark. Just now, when no one was paying attention, he urinated in the corner.
At Sheffield's strong request, Attorney General Knox finally came, so that President Roosevelt directly represented the Navy Department and Knox represented the Justice Department.
"I heard that the land near the Hawaiian port is all under your name?" President Roosevelt asked straight to the point.
"It's like this, Mr. President." The last time he came, Sheffield was representing himself, but this time it was different. The person in front of him was his father-in-law, so his attitude was much more serious. However, there was still no way he could take advantage of him. These were two different things.
"The Japanese Combined Fleet has grown into a threatening force." Roosevelt organized the speech, thinking about how to make the words softer.
"The Japanese Combined Fleet has an overwhelming advantage over the naval forces on the west coast." Sheffield said slowly, "If we want to suppress the Japanese Combined Fleet, we must do two things. The first is that the Panama Canal must be opened as soon as possible to end the problem of poor communication between the east and west coast fleets of the United States. The other point is that the location of Hawaii will become extremely important. It is imperative to expand the military port, isn't it?"
"During the Spanish-American War, I went to the Philippines to expand overseas business. When I passed by Hawaii, I saw with my own eyes that the Japanese community accounted for half of the island's population. If the Japanese Combined Fleet attacked Hawaii, which side would these Japanese expatriates stand on?"
Sheffield expressed Roosevelt's concerns in a very organized manner, and even President Roosevelt himself believed that the owner of this joint venture understood the current situation better than himself.
There was no need to waste words. President Roosevelt spoke directly, "I must admit that you are surprisingly forward-looking from a business perspective. Now the suitable ports and surrounding land are in your hands. How to cooperate with the expansion of the federal navy depends on our communication. Now it seems that our communication is very smooth."
"It's not particularly smooth, is it, Mr. Knox?" Sheffield smiled and then turned to look at the current Federal Attorney General Knox, and said embarrassedly, "I have really caused trouble for the Ministry of Justice recently. Some of my partners insisted on proving to me the fairness of the Ministry of Justice. You see, I can't do anything about it. After all, we are a free country, and every member has the right to express his or her opinions, right?"
"The Trust case is still under trial." Knox saw Sheffield's fearless look and said, "We will investigate this matter thoroughly."
"What's the point of investigating? It's just another trust. You dismantled the Sugar Trust, but I destroyed it." Sheffield said sarcastically, "The Knight Company case has proved that dismantling it cannot solve all problems. The Sugar Trust is in my hands now. To be clear, it will be easier for you to investigate it than to investigate the beef and canned food of so many farmers. But why don't you investigate it? Because the Sugar Trust is related to the pillar industries of Hawaii and Cuba. If you investigate and dismantle the Sugar Trust, and there is instability in the two places, can the Ministry of Justice be held responsible?"
Knight Company was the official name of the previous sugar trust, headquartered in Philadelphia, and controlled 98% of the national sugar industry through continuous mergers. Ten years ago, in 1895, Knight Company was sued by the Ministry of Justice, and the Supreme Court ruled that Knight Company was suspected of illegality and dismantled the sugar trust.
If the previous sugar trust had not been dismantled, how could Sheffield have established such a trust on the way to the Philippines by ship? It was entirely because the previous competitor was killed by the federal government.
Just as Sheffield said, the Department of Justice only dealt a heavy blow to Knight Corporation, but it was himself who really killed them. Without the heavy blow from the Department of Justice, it would not have been so easy for him to defeat Knight Corporation.
"The Department of Justice should express gratitude to United." This sentence completely infuriated Knox, because he could understand that this was Sheffield's thanks to the Department of Justice for eliminating United's competitors, and he deliberately said the opposite to tease him.
"You big companies, do you really not take the country seriously?" Knox asked angrily.
"The country must also be reasonable!" Sheffield looked at the Attorney General calmly and said, "Unreasonable prosecutions should not occur. I personally think that the Ministry of Justice should withdraw the lawsuit and give up the charges against the Beef and Canned Food Trust."
(End of this chapter)
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