The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1902-09-26
FREEDOM FROM TRUSTS
-" '"''ea" President or Conxre..
Has Up to the Present Brourb,
Ii About

For six long years the republic.r
nave had control of all branches 90
the government, executive. lepislatira
ana judicial. During this period Az
| organization and growth of the t,,s,e
mas oeen most prolific and their exto,
tiohs from the public have been on
lTged and extended to most of 81
necessities of life. The coal comb;no
and the beef trust are examrla-
the growth of combinations during
TINS period of republican administrao
! ton. d.
The opening of this era of reppbIio..
rule was emphasized by the enactroo,.
OF the Dingley law, many schedules :.
which were not only intended to ~
tect the combines, but were actnan.
| prepared by attorneys of the trpst.
ana therefore were entirely in tboir
interests. The trust macnates fiji.
/ Themselves securely intrenched Is
| projected then began series of oroa.
CON ninations that staggered the com.
'aercial world and have graduate
raised prices Of most neces tiles IN ~
/ highest notch ever before known
Naturally the voters begin to kick
/ at these eXactions and attempts vera
made by the democrats in congress 10
/ feahce them. The present executive
in his first message to the compress
recommended publicity as an antidot.
but no notice was taken Of this recor,-
mehda'lon by the republicans in con-
! gress. 1t remained for democratic
senator to propose an amendment N
| the census bill on the lines of presi-
| dent Roosevelt's recommendation
vote was taken and all the republicans
! present voted against it and all tho
| democrats for it, but it was defeated
! for the republicans were in command
of the situation.
The political situation became
more acute and upon the close of the
! first session of the Fifty-seventh
congress the president determined
to take the stump and try and STAY
the tide that was flowing in favor
of controlling these vast corpora
! tons. 1t appears from his speeches
that he has no remedy to offer other
than publicity of trusts transactions.
tuition can be had, but this would
only be available to a future gen
Grafton and the voters are clamoring
for immediate relief. To change the
constitution requires two-thirds of
congress To vote to propose it, and
three-fourths of all the states to
r1t1fy such change. Clearly this ia
an impossible achievement If the
present temper of congress is con-
| tinued. besides the further obstacle
of all but one-fourth Of the states
agreeing to the same. The eorpor-
| atoms control over one-third of the
senate was stated by Senator Nor
gan, and it is doubtful If they do
not control a greater percentage of
the present house of representatives.
Under these circumstances can the
republican party be relied on to con-
troll the trusts? 1t woulS seem to
be unlikely and improbable. Grant
ing that President Roosevelt is sin
cere in his trust batting. will he be
able to bring his party TO the same
form of mind? But unfortunately,
there are strong indications that the
president himself is but lukewarm
in his antitrust fight. If he were
sincere, would he be silent on the
principal remedy for stopping the
extortions of the principal combines,
by saying not a word about revising
the tariff and thus cut off the pro-
lection that these combines now en-
JOY. and which allows them to fleece
the people to the tune of from 30 to
100 per cent?
Nor does he say a word about the
coal strike or lift a finger to stop
it. yet there would seem to he a way
open. The law Of Pennsylvania for
bids railroads to operate mines or
manufactures Of any kind. and the
federal antitrust law provides that
combines can be punished by fine
and Imprisonment and the judicia
arm of the government could enforce
it,
The miners of Pennsylvania have
behaved with wonderful moderation
but no word of praise or encourage
ment has been vouchsafed them by
the president, though he enlighten'
the public on much less important
matters at great length and minute
ness.
1t is. therefore, useless to lool
for relief from trust eXactions
from republican president or a re
publican congress; they are bound &c
their idols.