Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-10
ANTITRUST BILLS
A Satisfactory Outcome is
Expected.
EFFORT AT DELAY
TRUST MEN PLAYING THE CUBAN
RECIPROCITY TREATY.
Public Eye is Upon the Roosevelt
Knox Measure - Why Southern
Democrats Are Interested.

or less worthy or unworthy, personal or
patriotic, surrounding the antitrust bills In
Congress, a definite outcome is expected. A
dozen senators and representatives, at least
four committees and many subcommittee
are struggling for the credit of handling
antitrust legislation. The result, is that
with so many fingers in the pie the cook
ing is delayed.
But out of the complicated situation there
stands one prominent feature; that the
President of the United States is the orig
inal trust buster,'' the great and only
one for this occasion, with definite and spe-
cific bills introduced in Congress upon which
he will demand action.
1t doesn't concern him what committee
or what statesman or group of statesmen
take charge of the measure. While the
wrangling is proceeding among the solons
on the hill for the honor Of doing the
Presidents bidding that official sits in the
light-colored mansion at the other end Of
the avenue and in effect says: "Gentlemen,
the executive branch of the government
has suggested legislation upon which action
is expected and if action is not obtained
now there is a long summer ahead and a
new Congress close al hand
The Real Situation.
Such is the view of the situation enter
Every senator and representative interested
in the subject is aware of the friction ex-
listing between individuals and between the
Judiciary and interstate commerce commit
tees of the House and the Senate.
But undue Importance is not attached to
the squabbling. 1t is realized that the sit
uation will clear itself in a few days and
that personal interests will give way to
the necessities Of the case and matters Will
shape themselves along definite lines
''The case simply is this said one OBJ
server to a Star reporter today. The peo-
pie of the country at large do not know
ANYTHING about Senator Hoar's bill, or Sem
ator Cullom's bill. or Senator Elkins' inter
state commerce bill. or Mr.. Littlefeld's sub
committee bill, or the other measures pend
ing. They do know, however, that the At
torney General and the President of the
United States have prepared measures de-
signed to bring immediate results In the
fight against trusts. They will read those
measures because they consider them au-
thoritative, and they will expect Congress
to act upon them
'.They know that the President is insist
ing upon action and that his present inten-
ton, unless he can be dissuaded by the
powerful and insidious influences which we
know will attack him, Is to call the next
Congress together if this Congress does not
act.
1.-THE attention Of the country will be
focused upon the administration measures.
The country at large doesn't care a rap
who engineers the trust legislation through
Its different phases from subcommittee to
final enactment. The country is not going
to stand for any shilly-shallying on that
score. Senators and representatives will
be quick to realize that fact and l think
that in few days the dust which has been
raised by the shindy among the jealous
committees and committeeman will subside
and we will get down to business.
1t is not the open opposition to trust leg
s-t, t., hn rot
Vaccinations of powerful interests having
sympathizers in Congress present the great
est menace to legislation, and hold out the
promise of a possible extra session of Con-
greSs.
Struck Into Vitals of Question.
The public believes that the President in
recommending the prohibition of rebates
and in demanding publicity has struck into
the vitals of the trust question. The sugar
trust, the Standard Oil trust, the beef trust,
the -four trust and the coal trust cannot, it
is thought, live without the system of re-
bates from the transportation companies
upon which they have existed. The favors
they have received in one way or another
under that system have given them the adj
vantage over other producers, and have en-
abled them to maintain the monopoly
against which the public protests. Every
one of these great combinations of capital
must now fight the Presidents bills or find
It's monopoly in danger.
1t is said that had the President limited
his recommendation to the abolishing OF the
rebate system the railroads would not have
opposed him. They realize that abuses of
the system have grown up. and because Of
the community OF interests which now eX-
lists between the great railroad systems
there is no further necessity Of the present
MISUNDERSTANDING practices. However, the
Presidents bills do not stop with railroad
rebates, but go after the industrial trusts.
and these combinations of capital have
forced the railroads to join with them in
their fight for life
The first move in the fight Is to be DIS
cerned in the present play for delay The
Cuban reciprocity treaty is being made the
stalking horse. 1t is considered a very sig
nif1cant fac. that just as the opposition from
the beet sugar interests has been withdrawn
there should spring up a new opposition
from another quarter and by the members
of another political party.
1t is said today that democratic senator's
from a number of southern states will op-
pose the treaty, ostensibly In the interest OF
the cane sugar growers. 1t is known how
ever, that an industry in the south greater
than the cane industry is the cotton seed
oil industry. That is q branch of the Stand
ard Oil trust. 1t is notorious in the south
that friends of the cotton seed oil trust are
found in powerful places.
Working the Cuban Treaty.
The sugar trust would benefit by the rati-
ncdtlon OF the CUBAN reciprocity treaty, but
that benefit is bagatelle in comparison to
the interest at stake in pending antitrust
legislation, which that and all other trusts
want to beat. Friends of the Cuban reci-
procity treaty believe that they observe q
disposition to jockey the treaty along upon
one excuse and another, until the end OF
this month. If it Is not ratified by Janu-
airy 81 it expires and will have TO be re-
newed by further negotiations between the
Cuban government and the United States
That would mean bringing 1t up again
toward the close of the session and con-
Stunning more time.
The republican opponents of the Cuban
reciprocity treaty who nurse their opposi-
ton in secret are delighted with this prom
ised advance to the front Of the southern
democratic senators. They can keep In the
background and applaud and encourage
their democratic allies while themselves
holding up clean hands and declaring they
are not prosecuting a fight. The friends of
the Cuban treaty are very much disgusted
that the democrats who upon every occa-
sion loudly clamor for any and all kinds of