The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-11-04
Edwards Tells of Mag
 natc'S Work.
SOME SECRET HISTORY
Corporations Wanted a Friend
 ly Secretary
One of the Managers of Democratic Congressional Campaign Cakes Some Startling Charges as to Collusion of Trusts and
 the Administration.

Washington. Nov. 2-(Special.)-- "Corroborative of the statement made by Judge Parker on the stump con- cerning the shamelessnes5 of the pre- sent Republican administration in mak- ing Mir. Cortelyou chairman of the Re- publican National Committee in ordes to hold up the trusts by withholding the information possessed by him, 1 desire to give little history Of how Mir. Cortelyou became Secretary of the Department of Commerce. and Labor." said Charles A. Edwards. secretary of the Democratic Congressional Commit tee.
 T know it to be fact that T. Pier- pont Morgan wanted and demanded a friend as the head of this new depart- ment. When the bill for the creation of the new cabinet position. Secretary of Commerce and Labor was before Con- gress J. Pierpont Morgan insisted upon promise from the President that he would appoint MT. Cortelyou to the new place.
 Could Depend en Cortelyou.
 He knew Mir. Cortelyou and knew he could depend upon his silence with regard to the knowledge of corpora tions which might be acquired by him in his new position. After the promise was made. Mir. Morgan put his lobby to work and used every known influence he and his associates could command to secure the passage of the bill.
 If the promise had not been given the bill would never have seen daylight in Congress. These I know to be the facts.
 'Tn this connection 1t may be stated that very fe wpeop1e in this country know that the evidence obtained by the bureau of corporations under this department can only be seen by the President of the United States and used by him as he may see at. The following extracts from the United states statutes at large. providing for the formation land administration Of the Departmento Of Commerce and Labor ft7tm Congress- second sessipn.y chapter SEE. and passed in 1g033. show the President has exclusive control of the Information obtained concerning corporations. (Here follow extracts from the law.)
 T note that the Republican papers say that this information Is not secret and that it is open to everybody in the libraries of the country and that 1t is from that source that the Bureau of Corporations has obtained its knowl- edge of the corporations. Conceding. for the sake of argument, that the facts are correctly stated by the Re- publican journals their conclusions are still manifestly unsound.
 Even though 1t be true that the mat ter which has been gathered in the De- partment of Commerce and Labor came entirely from the public libraries, 1t Is also true that 1t has never been com piled in useful shape except by that Department.
 Must Be Collected. Tt will be apparent that all of the contents of these libraries on this point is useless unless 1t is collected by care- full. continued and laborious research. and then compiled. tabulated and plae- ed in such shape as to be intelligibie. and to convey some idea of the true situation to the reader.
 This has been done only by the De- partment of Commerce and Labor, and at considerable expense. Its chief and employees are therefore perhaps the only persons in the country posted as to the matter concerning corporations, for it's records are not open to the public in- spection. The selection of this man (whose inofrmation has been acquired while the chief of a great Government bureau. and at the Governments ex- pense), because of his knowledge thus acquired and thus to lay the hand of blackmail on the corporations is man. ifestly as culpable as if the information were a part of the secret archives of hls oflce."