The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-10-15
A BAD TRUST FOUND.
Gov. Roosevelt Writes Open
Letter About the Ice Trust.

Spring Station KY, Oct. Ex-Governor
Roosevelt has given out an open letter
to Don NJ. Dickinson, of Michigan, in re-
spouse to the following from Mr.. Dick
inson:
Detroit, Mich, Oct. II.
MY Dear Satisfactorily and today
Mr.. Bryan is speaking in this state. The
Dro-Bryan paper publishes this morn
ing, among other things, the following
report of his utterances:
He talked about the trust in every
town he spoke. In six of these towns
today the question was fired at Bryan
by Republicans who asked him to ex-
plain about the trust He had an an
swer that made the crowd guy the ques-
toner every time. 1t was: There is a
Republican governor and a Republican
legislature in New York, and what have
they done to throttle the ice trust? An
swer me that But then you know the
Republican governor of New York has
not time to bother with the ice trust,
for he is too busy out here telling you
about it,,
THE same charge was made by Mr.
Bryan at length in Nebraska and all
The press of the country had your an
swer to it, given, think, in a speech in
the same state. Every reader of the
papers, too, knows of your action as
governor in respect to the ice trust, and
[ am under the impression also that YOU
recommended the legislation under
which such a trust might be reached in
New York. Your friend,
DON M. DICKINSON.
Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Terre Haute,
Governor Roosevelt's reply. dated Ev-
ansville, Ind, October u, follows:
Hon. Don NJ. Dickinson, Detroit, Mich:
MY Dear Sir-I thank you very much
for your letter of the 18th inst. When
Bryan talks as in the quotation con
tanned in your letter he simply says
what he either knows or ought to know
to be without the slightest foundation
in fact He made a similar statement
in Nebraska. then answered him and
asked him in return whether he would
pay the obligations of the government
in gold or in silver, if elected. He never
answered my question, but, as my state
ment was printed broadcast, he must
have seen it. and. therefore he must
know that there is no warrant in fact
for the statement as to the ice trust
In my message to the New York leg
lSlature / recommended certain action
about trusts. The legislature did not
act along the lines / suggested, but it
did pass a very stringent antitrust bill,
introduced by a Democrat and signed
it. The attorney general is now proceed
ing against the ice trust under this bill.
Mr.. Croker and his fellow stockholders
in the ice trust, through their attorneys,
are fighting US on technical legal points
through every stage of the proceedings
NOW. as 1 SAID. Mr.. Bryan Knows all
this from my previous answer. He
knows perfectly well that I cannot sup
press the ice trust in any manner save
by due process of law, and that the at
torney general IS proceeding against It
under the law and is being hampered
by the delays inevitable in attacking a
corporation well defended by able law
yers, retained. as is natural, when the
corporation contains stockholders as
wealthy as Mr.. Croker and his associ-
ates Mr.. Bryan knows that where the
attorney general is undertaking these
proceedings I have absolutely nothing to
do with them. He therefore knows that
I have taken every step that can be pos
sib1y taken in the matter Under these
circumstances it is unnecessary for me
to comment upon his continual repeti-
ton of a statement which he must know
has not the slightest foundation in fact.
Whether the ice trust can legally be
dissolved is question which must be
settled by the courts, and similarly it
is a question to be decided in accordance
with the law whether or not any of the
Tammany leaders who hold stock in it
are amenable under the law. The trust
itself is certainly one that can be said
to be a bad trust, dealing as it does in
an article of necessity for the poor of
New York. I have no doubt, however,
that most of the stockholders have in
vested in it simply as they would invest
in any other corporation. The striking
point is that among the heaviest of. these
investors appear the Tammany Bryan
tie leaders who. in conjunction with Mr..
Bryan are loudest in denouncing trusts.
Hypocrisy could be carried not farther
than it has been carried by these men
and their defenders In the 1amnany
state convention in New York they ac-
tua1ly denounced the ice trust in their
political capacity, while in their private
capacity they were stockholders in it,
and through their counsel were doing
everything to prevent its dissolution by
the attorney general. Mr.. Bryan is now
going to New York to be the political
guest of Mr.. Croker, the ice trust ben
eficiary. He is going there to try to help
Mr. Croker get control of the state of
New York and bring it down to the level
of infamy to which the Tammany gov
eminent has reduced the city of New
York. Again it came to me that this
needs no further comment than is i'm
piled in the statement of the facts
With hearty thanks for your kindness,
+ am Faithfully yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT"