West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1902-09-11
WASHING TON LETTER.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT HAS A SCHEME
FOR FEDERAL CONTROL OF THE
TRUSTS.
The Wilson Bill Produced More Reye.
nue. Than The Mckinley Bill.

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WASHINGTON Sept. 8, Iooa.--
Who coached the President? is
the question which leading Demo.
Gratis are asking each other this
week. No one gives Mr.. Roosevelt
credit for the exceptionally able
politics which he has displayed in
his speeches in New England and
all are wondering who is the power
behind the throne. The extent to
which the public will be taken in
by the specious arguments advanced
is another matter of interest.
Viewed from the standpoint of the
politician, Mr.. Roosevelt's scheme
for Federal control of the trusts is a
mastery conception. In the first
place, 1t is pointed out, nothing
along that line can be done without
an amendment to the constitution
and in the meantime the trusts will
have time to so strongly intrench
themselves as to be practically un-
assailable. In the second place, if
the President is successful in leading
the attention of the people away
from practicable lines and into the
realms of constitutional amendment
he will, at least for the time being,
preserve from further attack the all
essential Dingley tariff schedule, the
revision of which is so strongly
demanded by the western members
of his party, and, looking into the
future, if the Republican party can
succeed in securing for the President
by constitutional amendment and
congressional legislation, the con-
troll of the trusts, it will have con-
verified his Office into an autocracy
which will render it almost inn
possible to un seat president elect
ed by that party. The whole trend
OF the Roosevelt administration,
say leading Democrats, has been
along the line of concentration of
power in the White House. The
attainment of the end advocated by
the President would be the culmina-
ton of that policy. 1t is generally
believed, however, that the Ameri-
can people are too shrewd to be
misled and that they will recognize
that the present incumbent of the
Width House, even if he be himself
honest, is menace to American
ideals and to liberty and that in
this instance he is being made the
tool OF men who are far his superiors
In forecast and sagacity. Im-
agine", said leading Democrat,
last evening, "ihe condition of the
country with all power over the
trusts vested in the President and
Mark Hanna in the Waite House.
Mr.. Roosevelt cannot serve longer
than 1908 at most and after that
Mr.. Hanna, or some man of his
type, will become the logical ex-
ponent of Republican doctrines and
the inevitable leader of the party"
4
A statement which is being re.
peatedly made by Republican spell
binders calls for an emphatic denial
by everyone interested in the truth
of history. refer TO the statement
that the panic of 1893 was a result
of the passage of the Wilson bill by
the Democratic Congress. There
probably was never more widely
repeated falsehood, nor one that is
more generally believed, and yet il
is matter Of common knowledge,
to every official and every cor
respondent who was in Washington
at that time, that the panic was un-
| der way and bound to come before
President Harrison left the White
House. In fact, the bonds for
popular loan TO restore the gold re-
serve had been engraved before MIR.
Harrison left Washington. On leav.
ing Washington after his first term
Mr.. Cleveland left large surplus in
the Treasury. On returning for his
second term he found deficit.
This statement may be verified by
the treasury reports. The Wilson
bill, which has been credited with
cost V the country more than the
Civil War, was productive OF far
more revenue than the Mckinley
bill, the high schedules of which
had actually served to decrease the
customs receipts because they put
severe check on importation. The
inordinately high tariff OF the
Mckinley bill, Republican ex-
travagahce, and possibly the sher-
man bill, passed by a Republican
Congress, were the real factors
which combined to produce a panic
which had its inception during the
Harrison administration but which