Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-09-24

1ty for trusts was a difficult job for
even such a renowned special pleader
as Mr.. Root. Nor was he satisfied to
rest his case there, but tried to prove
it by adding:
mo investment in lawful business
has been 5eopardized. no fair and hon
est enterprise has been injured, but it
is certain that wherever the constitu-
tional power of the national govern
ment reaches trusts are being practical
~ regulated and curbed within lawful
bounds as they never have been before,
and the men of small capital are find
ing in the efficiency and skill of the ma
tional department Of justice a protec-
ton they never had before against the
crushing effect Of unlawful combina-
tons"
There again the facts do not agree
with Mr.. Root, for not one industrial
trust has been regulated and curbed
within lawful bounds by the Roose-
welt administration. Only two prosecu-
tons of trusts have been commenced,
and only one Of these was against an
industrial trust, and that is still hang
ing fire in the courts, and the trust in
questionable packers cOmbine-shOws
no signs of being regulated or curbed.
The other truSt-the railroad merger
has been ordered dissolved by the
courts, but Is still charging "all the
traffic viii bear" and there is still no
competition between the railroads that
We're combined in the merger. The PEG
pie of the northwest, where the merged
railroads are located, are obliged to pay
the same freight and passenger rates
as before the efficiency and skill OF
the department of Justice was brought
into play. These two cases against the
trusts is all the Roosevelt adminiStra-
ton has to boast of, and we have the
word of Mr.. Knox that there will be no
attempt ito run amuck' against any
other combinations.
The further boast of Mr.. Root that
the men Of small capital are being pro-
tected from the crushing effect of I'M
lawful combinations will be news to
most of them.
The Washington Post, that cannot be
said to be prejudiced against the Re
publican party, says, There is nothing
in the record to show that the man of
small capital is finding any protection
against the crushing effect of unlaw-
full combinations
A man of small capital, if he thinks
of cmbarking in the coal trade, will
find the coal trust fixes the price ana
rules for that business. and most of the
profits go TO the trust.
An independent meat market owned
and operated by men who refuse TO
deal with the beef trust and adhere to
prices fixed by the trust would be
forced into bankruptcy in short order in
any city of the country in which the
trust seeks to control business. In
Philadelphia and other cities the tObac-
co trust is refusing TO sell goods to
merchants who will not agree TO sell
none but trust made tobacCOS. In fact.
there has been nothing i'll the CONNER
cial or industrial history of the last
year to indicate that the man who
wishes to engage i'll business has any
more protection from the trusts than
he has had at any time since the era
Of consolidation and combination be-
gan.
We have noticed that the Department
of commerce and labor and the depart
very expensive experts at work running
the beef combine to its lair. We are
also informed by the administration
newspapers that Mr.. Moody, the new
attorney general, and Mr.. Metcalf, the
new secretary of commerce and labor.
have something mp their sleeves" and
the beef combine should beware.
Why this extraordinary activity just
as the campaign is opening, if the bad
trusts have all been curbed as Mr. Root
assures us they have? There is q
shrcwd suspicion by those who ought
10 know that any activity by the ad-
ministration against tie trusts at this
time is To gOad them to the proper frame
of mind To be liberal when Mr.. Cortel-
YOU presents the contribution box.
That. like Chairman Hanna. he will
promise immunity from molestatiOn if
the campaign fund is appropriately
'.fattcncd' can hardly he believed of
this honest reform administration. Yet
there are those we'll versed in Repub-
lican politics who are certain that even
bad trust that comes down with the
dust" need have no fear of the law.
That possibly explains why Mr.. Root
says there is no danger of any serious
complaint of trust eXactions." and
President Roosevelt agrees with him,
for he read and reread the Root speech
before it was delivered and said he was
delighted with it.