The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-09-24
CONTROLLED BN Ttt SIS.

II President Roosevelt is reelected
next year it will be simply ard solely
because a majority Of the voters sim
cereIy believe that he is helping them
to light their battle with the trusts. So
odious have the hundreds Of protected
trusts become, both in the eyes If con-
sinners and Investors, that TO man who
openly fGyorS th'm can hope to be elect
Cd to any kind Of public Office. 1t is NOT
strange. then, that President Roosevelt
is seeking to have tho public believe that
he Is an enemy of all bad ,rus's-assum-
Ing thar there are some good ones.
But what lid the president ever Go
to really injurc great corporations? AL
though he began political life as a stren-
nous free trader. yet he recently. under
pressure from the Protective Tariff
league, joined the stardpatters. and thus
stands opposed to the most certain way
CT curling the trusts and giving relief
to tho poune-hy rtiucir the tariff du-
tics, As governor Ct New York he called
ON extra session Of the LEGISLATURE to
pass amendments 10 the Ford bill to
tax the franchises Of the public service
corporations. The amendments were
prepared hy the CORPORATION attorneys,
ard were intended to make the act TN
constitutional The courts have 10; yet.
after four years Of LOST time. fully de- .
ctCCd the case. II was The PRESIDENTS
voice that Killed the Littlcfeld antitrust
bill in tn" last congress ard caused the
passage Of Two sham antitrust bills. the
Elltins anti-rebate bill ard the depart
mont Of commerce bin with It's lureauof
corporations TO liye publicity to trusts.
The facts that arc slowly coming tc
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 GGtiGO.7 in Nashtr etoH, the
CORE pouCent Of the New Ncrl: Journal
of Comm cree end Commercial Bulletin
said on July q Of this rev bureau:
THE work now laid out for this bu-
reau is of really thorough type. and II
II is pursued with yiSor on the lines row
suggested there will he a good Geal of
complaint in the near future when the
methods now conte mplated 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
ton cannot he certainly predicted. but
those who are in position to know say
II will rot be until after the next presi-
Dental election. AS matter CT fact,
q good deal of time is rCeGed for the or
ganization of TIE work and for laying
out special lines of investigation. All
this will consume many ncrths. ard Sec
rotary Cortelyou is too tactfui a man to
weaken his strategic position by opening
fire in a presidential campaign, if there
would be any danger Of hurting his
party thereby 1t 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 frichtel The trusts? Is il not clear
that this new bure2u will give the trusts
two years more lCeway-two years mere
liceEse TO squeeze tire people ard ex-
tract money from their pockots-two
years at 81 Oo0. geo coo year? Ard what
then? Publicity. That's all. ard more %
than all. fer It is 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
lished. are intended to serve Only asa
basis for conservative" antitrust legis-
lation sometime in the dim ard distant
future.
President Roosevelt fighting the d.
trusts? He Is their best friend He,
as no other man living. knows how to
tackle them and at the same time mako
the multitude. who sees his fierce face
ard vigorous gestures. believe that he
is mauling the life out Of them. The
trusts have great need of Just such a
man at this juncture 10 save them from
the wrath of an outraged people 1t Ia
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 II will be found that the
G. o. p is getting financial support from
Its oid-time friends-the trus.s.-BY.s
RON w. HOLT.