Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-11
Rockefellers' kilograms Have
Effect of Rousing Congress
to Action
STEPS ARE TAKEN
Speaker Henderson's Opposition About
Only Thing That Can Hinder the Ell
kins Bill From Becoming Law-Hen-
derson Says He Is Not Opposed to
Anti. Trust Legislation.

efeller and his associates in the Stand
ard Oil company have aided materially
in advancing trust legislation. Con-
gress has taken two more important
steps which give promise of complet
ing the program before the end Of the
week, the adoption of the conference
report on the department of commerce
bill, accepting the Nelson amendment
providing for publicity. There We're
only ten votes agains. the adoption
of the report. One of them was by
Mr.. Littlefeld of Maine. whose dis
appointment over his own trust bill
seems to have cooled his ardor.
The senate will take up the confer
ence report today or Thursday and
there is no doubt that it will be adopt
ed. This assured legislation furnishes
the permanent machinery for investi-
cation of trusts by the bureau of cor
porations, which is authorized to re-
cetve reports, and is to have the same
power for investigation now possessed
by the interstate commerce commits
sion as to railroads.
The Standard Oil company objected
particularly to this bureau of corpor-
atoms because it will be the machin-
cry OF publicity. which islso obnoxious
to that gigantic combination. The
Standard Oil company does not allow
Its own stockholders to know the de-
tails of Its business. They must be
wit fhni,
The men who control the business
OBJECT to having the government give
to the public information which they
deny to their own stockholders. These
men have opposed the Nelson amend
ment since 1t was made public.
No one found fault with them for
Hing protest and using influence to
check such legislation as they regard
ed as harmful to their business. It was
only when Mr.. Rockefeller and his as
sociates began to send kilograms to
senator's directing them to stop this
legislation that there was revolt.
The Standard Oil people made the
same mistake that the sugar trust made
several years ago and the coal barons
made last fall. 1t was Mr.. Rockefeller'c
first experience in trying to drive con-
Gress and he has learned that he can
not drive. His best friends could have
told him 1t was a mistake, but he did
not seek advice Of experienced legis
lators. He took advice from profess
sional lobbyists.
There is still much sensitiveness in
the senate over the exposure of the
kilograms. Not one Of the senators who
received these messages will publicly
ADMIT IT. Some OF them have shown their
kilograms to their associates, but they
deny any knowledge of these to the
newspaper correspondents.
None of these senators has any rea-
son to deny the receipt of the tele-
grams, but the name of the Standard
oli Is now so unpopular that they do
not care to be known as the men to
whom the Rockefeller people appealed
in such dictatorial language The sem
ators who did not receive kilograms are
also sensitive because no one will ac-
cept their denials as competent evil
dence.
The house also made progress yester-
day on the final legislative link in the
antitrust chain. Chairman Hepburn,
OF the committee on interstate and for
eign commerce, presented q unanimous
report on the Elkins rebate bill. The
committee amended the bill by restor-
ing it to its original form, giving the
attorney general power to bring suits
instead of comforting that power on the
United States district attorneys. It
was the original purpose of the bill to
have the attorney general control the
prosecution, but a concession was
made to some Of the democrats to have
the bill pass the senate by unanimous
consent.
There Is only one way to defeat this
bill now and that is for the committee
on rules to refuse to report a special
rule for its consideration. Should the
speaker refuse to allow his committee
to report rule, the bill would have to
go to the calendar and it would not be
reached before the end OF the session
Speaker Henderson has not been re-
garded as friendly to trust legislation
In fact he has been suspected of hos
tility to the administration program.
He, too, has grown sensitive under
criticism and has given out an inter,
view denying these reports and assert
ing that he has done everything possi-
BILE to help along trust legislation. This
avowed friendship for the party pro-
gram is accepted as q promise that the
speaker will now make good and lend
hand in securing a rule for the con-
sideration of the Elkins rebate bill. He
is chairman of the committee on rules
and can have rule reported whenever
he is ready to have the bill passed.
He can not stand on the Littlef1eld
bill as the work of The house, because
that bill is now before the senate COM
mittee on judiciary and is not likely
to be reported to the senate, because
the main feature of it. relating to pub
Lefty, has already been provided for in
the department of commerce bill. The
house is ready to pass the Elkins bill
whenever Speaker Henderson opens the
way for vote, and he promises to do
that before the close of the session.
The administration has won it's fight
for legislation to regulate the trusts
and John ID. Rockefeller unconsciously
aided it by his opposition, just as the
coal barons aided the president in his
efforts to stop the coal strike by their
first refusal to arbsrate.
OHIO CITIES IN CONVENTlON