The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1903-02-13
WASHINGTON NEWS
NEW YORK AMERICAN
CORRESPONDENT
Shows up the antitrust Farce,
Ard pocLefeIIer TELEGRAM FAKE.


And Rockefeller Telegram Fake.
Washington, Feb. S.-The Admin
~istration and the Administrations
Senators appear to have been caught
';red-handed'' in the act Of pulling
the wool over the eyes Of the public.
A story was printed to-day, sent
out by the Associated Press. which,
it is said. received the imrrimalnr of
President Roosevelt himself last
night. the Whole purpose of which
Standard Oil Company was fighting
inno .uous Section 6 (thepublicity sec
tom Of the Department of Commerce
bill, and that the President, Elkins,
Kean and Aldrich rushed to the front
and crammed that terrible section
down the throat Of John d. Rock
efeller.
The Republican members of the
Interstate Commerce Committee who
are supposed to have knocked out MIR.
Rockefeller are Elkins, Cullom, Aid
rich, Kean, Dolliver, Foraker, Clapp
and Willard. Senator %ean is cred
tied with being a large stakeholder in
the Standard Oil, and Senator Aldrich
is a connection, by a recent marriage,
to John ID. Rockefeller.
Everybody in Washington is laugh
ing at the boomerang. RIO make the
matter more ridiculous the House to-
day, although it was Sunday, rushed
the conference report on the fearful
section 6 before the House, and it was
ordered printed.
All this vas to carry out the plot to
prove that thu Administration had
risen in its might and had at last
downed the head and foot of the
greatest trust in the universe.
1t is said upon trustworthy author
ity here that the story about the
Rockefeller telegram it is doub' ful if
there was more than one) was taken
to the White house late last night
and yised.
With the story about Rockefeller
wentout some additional matter to
the effect that if ANYBODY dared to OBJ
struct the h%eadlong, impetuous course
of the White House toward immedi-
ate and drastic antitrust legislation
there would be an extra session. This
was said ''authoritatively" for the
President about three months ago.
The most extraordinary part of the
whole matter was that it was actually
announced that the President now
favored the Elkins bill. Several days
ago he was in favor of vetoing it.
Whatever the attitude of the Presi-
dent may be on it, it is certain that
the Elkins bill was conceived with
the sole purpose Of getting up a dead
lock between it and the Littlefield
bill, which, if anything, is the Presi-
dents own bill.
From revelations made to-day, the
%concoctors Of the Rockefeller business
did not let enough Republicans into
the plot, or they have been very badly
coached, or perhaps when they saw
the story. wisely forgot their cue.
Senator Aldrich says he does not
know anything about it, or whether
it is a genuine telegram. Senator
Cullom says he doesn't know any
thing about it. And even Senator
Hanna, it is reported, never saw it.
But this much is %vouchsafed for
Senator Hanna. His friends say that
he has been simply overwhelmed
with kilograms from the trusts" to
see that bills do not 60 in this or that
shape. So perhaps he did receive one
recently or remotely from the Stand
ard Oil.
Senator Hanna's friends are sowing
broadcast the news that he has such
kilograms and that, Notwithstanding
that fact, he. too, is in favorofsection
e. The object of this is plain. They
are trying to produce the impression
that the Republicans of the Senate
rebuked the advice of Mr.. Rockefeller
or the man who sent the telegram for
him.
Here is the trick made.plain: IfMr.
Rockefeller says he didn't send the
telegram, OF even if he says he didn't
authorize it, the public is left to be-
lieve that some one who knows his
interests and wishes did send the
telegram. Therefore, for all practi-
cal purposes, the public has been given
the idea that the Standard Oil is
lighting the idea Of publicity in the
Department OF Commerce bill.
The most ridiculous part of the
whole farce is that Mr.. Rockefeller's
agent must have known on Friday
night, the night it is alleged he
the telegram, that the section
Six had already been agreed to and
that the Democrats knew that fact,
The telegram and the trip of the at
torney were absolutely, therefore.