Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-01-28

Asylvania Avnue. 1t is both harm
less and amusing to those who UNI
derstand G.. .. =. politics and meth
DDS, but it is played with great
vigor and strenuosity by the parti-
cipants. because they imagine that
"A majority of the voters are
chumps and can be fooled all the
time.
None of the numerous Republi-
cans who have introduced anti
trust bills wish any harm to the
trusts. Each, however, is anxious
to be seen posing as "a trust-buster,
and each is trying to steal anti
trust thunder from the others.
Hoar, Elkins, Littlefeld, Jenkins,
Knox and the President are in the
game. The President, backed up
by Acknowledgement Knox, is now
In the lead. Not only is he an ex-
perienced player. but he has the
advantage of position. Hence his
name Is most prominent in connec-
ton with antitrust bills.
That the President is an expert
player is evident to all who have
observed closely his recent moves.
Thus, the Washington Star, the
Administration organ, having an
nOunced, OH january 16. that no
drastic antitrust legislation was
proposed in Congress and that the
trusts had agreed to let mild leg
islation go through the Senate,
merely to satisfy the Presidents
demand for some kind of action,
there was an opportunity for de-
NAL which would he most effective.
The President utilized it fully
and sent for Senators Aldrich and
Spooner. the recognized party
leaders, and had simply read the
riot act to them in the presence of
his Attorney-General. He said:
Assurance haze been given that
Democratic Senators would not ac-
cept n meaningless antitrust bill,
but would give every assistance in
passing a comprehensive measure. "
IF the Republicans. he said,
did not take the initiative in max
ing laws to regulate the trusts. the
people would return the Demo
Gratis TO power.
The dispatch closed by saying:
The lecture given 10y the Pres
ident to the two leaders of the Sen
ate has disconcerned the Republ-
cans, who had hoped to arrange
mild compromise which would
keep the people quiet and prevent
an extra session of Congress.
They are much confused but not
without hope"
Very few appreciate more highly
than does the President the value
to a politician of being generally
considered the enemy of the great
corporations. Ever since he re-
signed from Free Trade Club of
New York in 1884, that he might
get on better in politics, a. he told
a friend, he has utilized every OPP
portunity to hit the corporations
with stuffed club. The voters in
New York will no longer take the
President seriously. On January
20, the Appellate Division of the
Supreme Court of New York
State decided that the Ford Fran
chise Bill wac unconstitutional.
The most interesting history of
this bill we'll illustrates the
methods of President Roosevelt.
As introduced by Senator Ford,
a Republican, the bill simply put
the franchises of all public utili-
ties into the category of real estate.
where they had been previous to
1898. There is no doubt about its
conStitutiOnality, as New York's
courts had declared that franchises
were properly real estate, for pur-
poses of taxation. Senator Ford
was making brilliant fight and
was contending with the attorneys
and lobbies of the great corpora
tons, whose franchises were worth
about 81 100000, 900, when the
Governor, perceiving Ford's
growing popularity, took a hand
in the game. Then, as now. he
ostentatiously called the legislative
leaders before him and read the
riot act" to them. He lectured
them on the unfairness of allowing
the corporations to go untaxed,
while loading taxes upon the peo-
pie. After he had gotten great