Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-07-10
bnI tsS Their Regulation Being
Prepared ~ Nj. Littledeld.
ROOSEVEL1S DETERMINED ATTITUDE
The President Wants the Measure Intro
duced at the Short SesSson = Con-
gress and 10 Tired of "Hot AlF'
ON the Subject.

Washington, July 7.-Representa'
tive Littlefeld, of Maine, recognized
as one of the ablest lawyers in con-
gress, is preparing, at the suggestion
Of President Roosevelt, q bill for the
regulation of trusts and combines in
restraint Of trade to be introduced
at the short session of congress. Be-
ginning at Pittsburg, the home of
the worlds greatest trust, the presi-
dent expressed himself in unmistak-
able language on the trust question.
He does not want to precipitate q
panic by attempting to confiscate
property, but it is semi-officially on
nounced that in connection with the
Cuban question he proposes while
making q grand tour this summer
and fall to pave the way for anti
trust legislation of an effective kind.
Representative Littlefeld is attor-
ney general Of his state and is law
yer of such conspicuous attainments
that bill prepared by him after
consultation with Attorney General
Knox will place the government in
Q position where it can protect the
people from further encroachments
and regulate the trusts and indus
trial combinations. The object OF
such speeches is apparent. There has
been an endless amount of resolut-
ing and political hot air" on the sub
ject of trusts and the president, in
his administration, proposes to do
something. He already has done
enough to make the illegal combina-
tions fear him, and has nothing to
gain from them in political way
unless he abjectly surrenders. This
he will not do. 1t was fight be-
tween trusts that kept the republic
an majority from passing the one
measure during the last session of
congress on which the administra-
ton had set its heart. Elkins and
Burrows, with their 16 followers,
stood by the beet sugar trust.
Aldrich stood by the refined sugar
trust.
Instead Of the government reEu-
lating the trusts the trusts regulated
legislation. Republican leaders know
that unless something is done by
their party an opposition party will
do it. 1t is an open secret that the
republicans were scared from the
very beginning Of the last congress.
They feared that the democrats
would force tariff discussion. The
Bryan following in the senate pushed
imperialism and the best democratic
politicians freely admit in private
conversation that stupendous poll
tical blunder was committed.
If the anti-imperialists ever had a
peg to stand on President Roosevelt
cut It down in his Fourth of July
proclamation. What he did in the
Philippine issue he will do in the
trust issue. The tariff question will
in a similar manner be stolen from
the democrats unless indications are
at fault. All the campaign literature
the democrats have is on the thread
bare Philippine question. Democrats
all over the country are appealing
20 vne u-niocranc congressional CON-
mittee for trust and tariff literature.
All the committee has to send them
are speeches on the Philippine ques-
ton. The majority Of republican
senators and representatives recog-
nize that their party must take up
the tariff for revision. The presi-
dent is recognized advocate of
such a course. The only question is
whether they will beat the demo-
Gratis to 1t. The situation has been
canvassed and the republicans see
they cannot go into the fall cam
paign promising a revision Of the
tariff but they can talk regulations
Of the trusts and reciprocity and
then before the next presidential
election, II they carry the next con-
eress, enact a new tariff law.