The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-17
It Has Focused Public Attention
on the Workings Of One Great
Trade Combine.
The Presidents Message to Congress
and Congress Action Awaited
With Interest.
a Discussion Of What Has Been
Called "Morgomania" or the
A. Financial Bighead.

Buisding, Washin0to,,.
Washington, Oct 17.-That anti trust
legislation and anti -railroad legislation
have been advanced ten years, is the opin-
ion expressed by such veterans In public
life as Senator George G, Vest and Mat
thew Stanley Quay. Both are conserva-
tive and worldly wise, and both have had
q long experience in matters legislative.
This opinion Is shared by President
Roosevelt, and, in fact, by almost every
public man In Washington. Members Of
the interstate commerce commission be-
lieve that the government regulation for
which they stand, and for which. in
larger measure. they have worked assidu-
ously, will now be vastly easier to secure
from congress. Political economists with
q leaning toward socialism, say that they
have gained much in the demonstration Of
the necessity for stronger government
control, and the government ownership
Of natural monopolies. particularly the
railroad companies. Public attention has
been conferred upon the working Of one
trust, and the public has been compelled
to witness a spectacle Of arrogance and
greed such as no one believed possible.
President Roosevelt knows that there
are times when public sentiment is awake
and ready for action, and he believes that
this Is one Of those favorable junctures.
Congress will hear from him this win
ter on the subject of this and other trusts,
and it may be predicted with safety that
the matter will not be dropped until there
have been results.
A Very Able Move.
From a purely political viewpoint
President Roosevelt's settlement of the
coal strike must be regarded as very
able move. 1t was a bold one, whatever
else it was He was creating precedent.
No man in the White House ever before
has assumed to intervene In an industrial
dispute. Cleveland's participation In the
trouble Of 1894 was along the line OF
official duty in executing the laws for
preserving order. He did not concern
himself with the Industrial controversy,
and made no attempt to settle 1t by
mediation or otherwise. Roosevelt did
not profess to be acting In his official
capacity, except in so far as his Office
enabled him to voice what seemed to him
O. demand Of the people, But his action
gave an official and definite expression to
an overwhelming public sentiment, and
the people to whom he spoke were com
PEELED to listen. 1t was q, case Of vox
populi with vengeance. Without tho
support Of public opinion he could have
accomplished nothing. AS 1t WAS the pub
lio Endorsed him unanimously, and, in the
outcome. the public rs grateful for his
services. He might have shirked. He
In so doing he could have earned the
everlasting gratitude of the coal barons
and the J. Pierpont Morgans, big and lit
tie, all over the country. But Roosevelt Il
not the Sinking kind, and nothing coulc
be more characteristic than his 1ndifser'
ence to the conventtonalittes. It was
nothing to him that no previous presi-
dent had ever taken such step. He die
not inquire into the custom or etiquette
al, olicable to this sort Of an occasion. He
looked only for what he believed was the
right and having made himself sure Of
that he went ahead. No one can accuse
him of indulging In the spectacular; 1t was
not q sham battle or q "grandstand' play
It was really a test of power between
vested wealth as represented by Morgan
e. Co, and on the other hand. public
opinion, the voice Of the people who spoke
through the president Of the United
States.
Discussion Of "Morgomania."
1T has puzzled good many to under
stand how shrewds successful. worldly
wise men such as the presidents OF the
coal carrying railroads are supposed tt
be- and undoubtedly are, how such meT
could do and say the foolish things ane
deliberately court the disapproval OF tht
public at large, and the inevitable at
lacks through state and national legisla
lures.
The whole thing will be easier to under
stand II attention Is kept on ]. Pierpon
Morgan. The half dozen railroad pres1
dents are f1gureheads Morgan controls
the railroads and them. He has dictated
the policy from the beginning. Part o
the time he has chosen to keep in tn
BACKGROUND When there was any damn
ing to take he has been quite willing t.
nut it up to the railroad presidents H
has told the public that he was quit
helpless: he would gladly do something
and was even planning to bring shl
load of coal from Europe. He regrette
that the railroad presidents were such OBJ
stinate gentlemen. and limited that
would labor with them and see If he coul
not make them see the error OF the1
ways.
But when it came to a more agreeabl
role-when 1t came to the stage OF OFFER
Ing arbitration (of a certain plauslbl
sort) and doing something that might lea
to a settlement Of the strike-then you
uncle Pierpont was right to the front.
quite forgot about having no influenc
with the coal operators. and came troop
ing along in his private car Cor rattle
Baer's) and had nice public chat wit
the president. There was hardly a pre-
tense of keeping up the fiction that tn
coal road presidents were the real peop
and he only sympa thetic on-looker.
The question as to foolishness there
fore applies quite exclusively " D. III
pont Morgan. How did 1t happen tn;
he should have been SO unwise as to cou
wholesale damnation, and to put himse
in open hostility to the president OF tt
United States, and all the organize
power of the party in power? How did
happen that he should underestimate II
violence Of the storm, and neglect to con
in out Of the wet until drenched?
The answer to this might be found
the phenomenon which might be call
'.Morgomania." For the last year t
country has been swept by an, acute a
tack Of Morgan worship. The populate
of New York has been particularly su
feet to it. The average dweller in Ma
haitian has to think twice before he
sure whether Roosevelt or Morgan
president now, and no amount of thinkil
will convince him that Morgan is n
the greater man. Stock gamblers conju
with his name. Representatives Of t
New York papers interview Morgan
much as the Emperor Of China is a
preached by his subjects The incense
the worship has been waited to the no
trils of Mr.. Morgan until, at last. it h
made him dizzy. He has lost his sen
+. of proportion and perspective, and