The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-02-20
THE STRENUOUS LIFE.
Chapter on Latitude ard Longitude
Among Reformers
APPLIED TO TRUST REGULATION

Washington Correspondence Mime
apolis Journal: In his campaign tt
secure some sort of antitrust legisla
ton at this session of congress Pres
counter than the public can possibly
understand.
The real battle has all been under
cover Only now and then has it
broken into the open, in such signif.
cant episodes as the exposure OF
Rockefeller's relations with certain
republican senators, Littlefield's vote
against the publicity bill, and Hender.
sons futile effort to nullify the admin
istration bills in the house.
The most formidable opposition has
been that in the presidents own par
ty. The democrats are in helpless
minority, and are addi ionally handi-
capped by their official position. The
real opposition has been that which
was certain to manifest itself through
the influential men in the party, the
managers who control the party or
g%anization, and who really control leg
islation. These few men, the senate
leaders, and the few house drivers,
have accorded a most reluctant and
grudging support to the presidents
endeavors.
1t is not necessary to pry into mo-
tives. The mere recollection of exist
ing conditions should be enough to
Campaign contributions, business af-
filiations-in general, conditions as
they are-there is nothing more to
be said. 1t is a moral certainty that,
left to themselves, these men would
never undertake seriously the task
eof perfecting real with emphasis on
the real) trust regulation.
But the devil should be given his
due, and it is only fair to these same
party leaders to state that they have
not withheld their support entirely
from the presidents antitrust pro-
gramme. Confronted as they were
with the strong sentiment through
out the country. and with a virile
and aggressive president who realized
the power which such a sentiment
placed in his hands, they determined
to compromise. To do otherwise
might entail serious consequences,
to themselves, to the party, and to
the interests which seemed to them
to be endangered. In the attitude of
the president they discovered a de-
termination, a s~tubbornness, or even
a bull-headedness-as they would
name (which was quite sure to
eventuate in an extra session of con-
gress, a quarrel between the executive
and the legislative branches, a special
message which would be an appeal
to the country and a denunciation OF
the party leaders-everything calcu-
lated to infame the people, unsettle
business. and open the way for the
party of the opposition to strengthen
itself, and possibly even to come intl
control of the government.
They had a parley. They %negotiat'
ed. They threshed it out on the give
and-take basis, as business men driy
ing a bargain. They agreed to take
so much and the president agreed tC
take so little. The final compact is
less than the president wanted and
more than the party leaders wanted
1t is a compromise.
ed by the strong men OF the party
and. strenuously urged by the eEecu
tive, has had to travel a rough road
1t has had to be snatched from pi,
falls, and to be helped over obstruc
tons. 1t has had to run the gauntlet
of the legislative assassin, and tt
meet the legislative h%ighwayman will
his %bludgeon.
And, meantime, a surreptious an
tagonism has developed to the author
of even so mild a compromise, which
is manifest in a persistent effort tt
discredit the measures and their spon
sors. The president has been subject
ed to a CALLING fire upon both TANKS
His motives and his sincerity arr
called in question by those whose
real grievance is that he will not LEM
himself to an insincere pretense
Along this line are the stories, which
are put in circulation, that the presi
dent is acting at the behest of tn;
trusts and that the legislation he i:
advocating is a nullity. Many OF thu