The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1903-09-26
CONTROLLED BY TRUSTS.
Bureau OF Corporations Operated By
Roosevelt to Perpetuate
Their Graft.

II President Roosevelt is reelected,
next year it will be simply and solely
because a majority of the voters sin
cerely believe that he is helping them
to fight their battle with the trusts. So
odious have the hundreds Of protected
trusts become, both in the eyes of con-
sumers and investors, that no man who
openly favors them can hope to be elect
ed to any kind Of public office. 1t is not
strange. then, that President Roosevelt
Is seeking to have the public believe that
he Is an enemy Of all bad trusts-assum-
ing that there are som good ones.
But what did the president ever do
to really injure great corporations? AL
though he began political life as a siren
uous free trader. yet he recently, under
pressure from the Protective Tariff
league, Joined the standpatters, and thus
stands opposed to the most certain way
Of curbing the trusts and giving relief
to the people-by reducing the tariff du-
ties. As governor Of New York he called
an extra session Of the legislature to-
pass amendments to the Ford bill w.
tax the franchises Of the public service
corporations. The amendments were,
prepared by the corporation attorneys
and were intended to make the act I'M
constitutional. The courts have not yet,
after four years Of lost time, fully de-
cided the case. 1t was the presidents
voice that killed the Littleield antitrust
bill in the last congress and caused the
passage Of two sham antitrust bills, the
Elkins anti-rebate bill and the depart
ment Of commerce bill with its bureauof
corporations to give publicity to trusts.
The facts that are slowly coming to-
light in regard to this new bureau should
open the eyes Of the voters to the real
position Of the president on the trust
question. In discussing the Present
Statistical Outlook in Washington" the
correspondent Of the New York Journal
of Commerce and Commercial Bulletin
said on July q of this new bureau:
"The work now laid out for this bu-
reau is Of a really thorough type. and IL
it is pursued with vigor on the lines now
suggested there will be a good deal Of
complaint in the near future when the
methods now contemplated are actually
applied. Pressure Of the most strenuous
sort will undoubtedly be brought to bear
at the white house. Just how soon the
department will really begin to show Its
hand in the matter of trust investiga-
ton cannot be certainly predicted, but
those who are in position to know say
1t will not be until after the next presi-
Dental election. AS a matter of fact,
a good deal Of time is needed for the or
ganization Of the work and for laying
out special lines Of investigation. All
this will consume many months, and Sec
rotary Cortelyou is too tactful a mar to
weaken his strategic position by opening
fire in a presidential campaign, if there
would be any danger Of hurting his
party thereby. II will, therefore, be a
good while before there are any definite
results Of the inquiries of the bureau
Of corporations"
Is there anything In this statement
To brighten the trusts? Is It not clear
that this new bureau will give the trusts
two years more ~leeway-two years more
license to squeeze the people and ex-
tract money from their pockets-two'
years at 81, 900, o0o, 900 a year? And what
thsnH Publicity. That's all. and more
than all, for II il entirely optional with
the president whether any Of the facts.
gathered by the bureau are ever pub
lished or not. But the facts, when pub
liBhed, are intended to serve only as .
basis for conservative" antitrust legis.
lation sometime In the dim and distant
future.
President Roosevelt lighting the
trusts7 He Is their best friend. He,
as no other man living, knows how 70
tackle them and at the same time make
the multitude, who sees his fierce face
and vigorous gestures, believe that he
Is mauling the life out Of them. The
trusts have great need Of juEt such q
man at this juncture to save them from
the wrath Of an outraged people. 1t Is
a part Of their game that Wall street
and the trusts are to be against Roose-
welt this year. Next year when the
campaign is on it will be found that the
G. o. P. is getting financial support from
its old-time friendS-the trusts.-BY-
RON W. HOLT.