The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-09
TRUST MAGNATEs AGAINST RoosE-

TRUST MAGNATEs AGAINST ROosE-
WELT,
A day or two ago. in commenting
upon an interview with Congressman
Brantley, published in the Morning
News, we expressed the opinion that
the fight that the President was max
ing on trusts was not sufficiently Wig
orous and aggressive to arouse the OPP
position of trust newspapers and trust
magnates. 1t seems, however, that
while the trust newspapers have not
been saying anything against the Pres
ident and the trust magnates have not
been criticising him both the trust
newspapers and trust magnates regard
him with a feeling of considerable bit
terness. 1t is stated on what seems
to be good authority that the trust
magnates warned him that if he did
not let the trust question alone he
would have to fight for the Republican
nomination in 1904.
The evidence of this is found in the
announcement made by Senator Platt
a few days ago that the Republican
State Convention of New York would
not follow Republican conventions in
other states which have indorsed the
President for the presidential nominal
ton of his party in 1904.
1t seems that the Republican leaders
in New York and of the country gen
orally and the trust magnates did not
want the trust question made the lead
ing issue in the state and congressional
campaigns this fall, and it would not
have been. as far as the Republicans
are concerned, If the President in his
New England tour had not given the
trusts first place among the campaign
issues.
A story is told that on his return
from New England a committee repre-
senting Republican leaders and trust
magnates called upon him at Oyster
Bay, and requested him to drop the
trust question in future speeches if he
wanted the Republican nomination for
President, and that he declined to ac-
cede to the request, saying that he did
not intend any harm to trusts that
were rightly conducted, but that he
thought all trusts should be supervis-
ed and controlled by the general gov
eminent.
OF course the President will have
friends in the Republican State Con-
vention of New York, and they will
not permit him to be turned down
without a fight. Should the conven-
ton, however, follow Senator Platt's
lead and do the bidding of the trusts,
it is quite certain that, as far as the
President is concerned, there would at
once be begun a fight that would split
the Republican party in every state.
There would be a Roosevelt faction and
an anti Roosevelt faction, and if the
President should be nominated the
fight might be carried into the cam
paign. In that event the chances for
the election of a Democratic President
would be greatly improved.
But what the President is saying
about trusts in his speeches is not cal
culated to do them a great deal of
harm. In his speech at Wheeling. w.
Va, the other day, it seemed almost
as if he were apologzing for them. 1t
will be recalled that he said that the
formation of trusts could no more be
stopped than the Mississippi could be
damned, and that an attempt to de-
stroy them would result in financial
and industrial disaster, just as an at
tempt to dam the Mississippi would
result in the destruction of the coun-
try adjacent to it.
While therefore he has not stopped
talking about trusts 1t may be that he
has decided to change his tone, in a
measure, in regard to them so as not
to break with the leaders of his party
and trust magnates that furnish the
money with which Republican cam
paigns are conducted If he were to
abandon his fight on trusts he might
get the presidential nomination of his
party. but he would never be elected
President.