Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-11-19
A VERY Able DODGE
MADE BY GOVERNOR ROOSEVELT
ON THE ICE TRUST QUESTION
AND MAYOR VAN WICK.
AFTER MUCH DELIBERATIoN
THE NEW YORK GOVERNOR Is DE-
CIDEDLY UNSATIsFACTORY.
He Reviews the Legal Proceedings
Alleges That Due Diligence Has
Been Used, Delivers "a Lecture
Upon Political Ethics. and sums
Up by Doing Nothing ut all in the
Premises.

ALBANY, N. Y, November 1S.-Gov.
ernor Roosevelt has prepared the fol-
lowing memorandum of the charges
against Mayor Van Wyck. of New York
city, in the Ice Trust matter:
! There are three wholly distinct sides
TO the Lee Trust matter.
In the first place, there is the gen.
eral question whether the American Ice
Company, dealing as it does in a neees-
sity of life to the poor people of New
York, was one into which ii was proper
for public spirited man to enter This
is, of course, not question for legal
action in any shape or form. More
over, 1t is unnecessary to point out that
whether the corporation is legal or lille
gal, proper or improper in character, it
is an act OF utter hypocrisy on the part
of any public man to denounce trusts in
general and this trust in particular, in
the platform and on the stump. while
he, at the same time, in his private
capacity, holds stock or has held stock
in the trust that he thus denounces.
Attention is called to this feature
simply because an effort has been made
to show that unless legal action against
the trust or some of its stockholders
can be taken these same public men are
to be exonerated.
Second There is the question
whether or not the existence of this So
called Ice Trust is in violation OF the
antitrust law This of course can only
be decided by the courts.
"On May 2Sth, l900 the attorney gen.
eral instituted proceedings to annual
the certificate of the Ice Company I'M
Ger this law. The corporation through
it's counsel has fought the action at
every stage on technicalities. not on
the merits of the case. The first deci-
sion before Judge Chester was in favor
of the State. An appeal has been taken
by the defendants which was argued
weeks ago, and the attorney general is
daily expecting a decision by the APP
pellate division on this appeal. The
defendants obtained stay of proceed
ings pending the appeal. All possible
diligence has been shown by the attor-
ney general to secure an annulment of
the certificate, and nothing could have
been done by the State to expedite pro-
ceedings which has not been done. The
delay is due, cot course, to the course
of the corporation itself, whose stock
holders include the public men above
alluded to-
I'VE now come to the third side OF
the matter, the only one in. which the
Governor, in his official capacity has
any power whatsoever to act, viz: The
charges against Mayor Van Wyck.
'Inasmuch as the question as to
whether the ice corporation is or is not
a trust or monopoly is before the courts
for decision, until they have acted, ac-
ton by the Governor can only with
propriety be taken under the Greater
New York charter So far as the
charges are brought under this charter
it makes no difference as regards the
Mayors conduct whether the aforesaid
corporation Is or is not trust within
the meaning of the law"