The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-10-09
WHAT'S THE MATTERp
Wonder what has ruined The Mobile Herald that it thus growls at us:

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 Wonder what has rufiied The Mobile Herald that it thus growls at us:
 Remarking on a paragraph appearing in this paper, The Montgomery Advertiser thinks President Roosevelt is storing up speech for a regular Mont Pelee erup- ton on his neither limb. Is it possible for The Advertiser to see any good in a political opponent? At least the Presi- dent has shown that he is President Of the whole country by the effort he made to end the coal strike and even Demo- crats of the most pronounced type must admire him for the manner in which he has attempted to deal with this ques- tion. even if he Is little equivocal when dealing with tariff and the trusts.
 We are not conscious of having done any injustice to the President. We admit that we have been somewhat deceived in him. Before his elevation to the Presi- dency we regarded him as more of a broncho-buster than anything else, but we never denied him the possession of brains and courage. We thought and predicted that when he was fairly settled in the presidential chair and became full ly conscious of the weight of responsi- bility resting on him he would cease his spectacular performances and do crea.t to himself and his office If we were to some extent mistaken in our estimate of him. and if we were deceived as to his capacity for improvement we can't help 1t now.
 What great credit Is the President en- titled to for his action in connection with the strikes or the strikers? He ought to by talking to the principals on each side. and doubtless he did know 1t. He made the effort with the bare possibility of achieving a success which would show him to be a bigger man than Hanna, Baer. Mitchell and all the rest of them. That was very much like Roosevelt.
 Has the President shown or made any honest effort to deal with the trusts and combinations which are largely respon- sible for the conditions now prevailing all over the country? If so. when. how and where? The talk about calling an extra session of Congress to deal with these questions may not be seriously con- sidered by him. but what would an extra session do? Judge William M. Springer, who is certainly well informed on such matters, declares that we have laws suf- hcient if they were enforced. He has been studying the question and says:
 The first, second and third sections of the sherman law punish criminally, as for misdemeanor, any persons who may combine to restrain any branch of trade between the States or with for eign nations; and also any person (which includes a corporation), who may monop- oiize any part of such trade. If crimi- nal prosecutions were instituted in the United States courts against all persons and corporations who are now openly violating the Sherman law. the high prices of all articles which were caused by combination or by monopoly would disappear and all commodities would as- sume the normal prices which open com- petition has always brought about be- fore trusts were organized
 If Judge Springer is correct, and he certainly knows moro about such things than the President does. why has not the latter executed the law, or tried to do 1t? There has been a great deal of talk about 1t, just as there Is talk about the tariff but nothing has been done. and we have no evidence that there has been any serious attempt.
 The Advertiser may not always do jus tice to political opponent but we as- sure The Herald that we have been much more patient with the President than he deserves, and more patient than we have rao1I,, faIt