The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-08-19
Parker and the Trusts.

record. The chief promoter of his candi-
dacy was August Belmont. On April Is,
three days before the assembling of the
New York Democratic state convention,
which instructed delegation to the Ma
tional convention to vote as unit for
him, Judge Parker paid visit to New
York city. The object of that visit, and
what occurred at the conferences which
frankly IN The New York Times, an
ardent Parker supporter, on the follow
ing day. Appended is an extract from
its report:
Judge Alton B. Parker spent several
hours in this city yesterday in consulta-
tion with William f. Sheehan and others
discussing principally the draft of the
platform which has been prepared by ex-
Senator David B. Hill for adoption at
next Mondays Democratic State conven-
ton.
''Judge Parker, Mr.. Sheehan and Au-
in the afternoon Judge Parker, accom-
panied by Mr. Sheehan, left for his home
at Esopus, where he will remain until
after the state convention. Mr.. Shee-
han will remain at Judge Parker's home
until some time today, when he will go
to Albany to take the approved draft of
the platform back to Senator Hill.
GAS it stands the platform is under
stood to have the full approval of Judge
Parker, all of the propositions advanced
by Senator Hill as being likely to at
tract the radical vote having been elm
mated at the wish of the prospective
candidate for the presidency.
''The platform which has been approx
ed, and which, will be presented to the
convention ON Monday, is understood to
be drawn on ultra conservative lines, and
to avoid all references to the rocks on
which the party split in the last two ma
ytional campaigns"
The fourth plank of the platform thus
approved and subsequently adopted by
the convention, reads as follows:
Corporations chartered by the state
must be subject to just regulation by
the state in the interests of the people"
There is no installing the meaning of
that declaration. 1t abolishes national
control of trusts and all similar combina-
tions. If embodied in law it would
compel the repeal of the statute under
brought and won by President Roose-
welt. 1t is absurd to suppose that Judge
Parker, who is nothing if not an able
and experienced lawyer, could have read
and approved this declaration without
fully comprehending its meaning. 1t is
equally absurd to suppose that David
B. Hill and Mr.. Belmont were not fully
aware of its intent, and of its effect in
operation were it to become law. No
question that was to come before the
New York convention was calculated to
command more careful consideration
from Judge Parker and Ibis friends in
this conference than that of trusts. No
body knew better than they that the
only reason for taking the Democratic
nominee for the presidency from. the
state of New York was that President
Roosevelt had incurred the bitter hos
tility of Wall street because of his un-
compromising conduct in enforcing the
law against the trusts. The Democratic
hope rested solely upon finding candi
date who would not only get their votes
but their money in the campaign. Judge
Parker knew this, and Mr.. Belmont knew
it. The only safe course was to put in q
declaration favorable to the trusts, and
this was done. !.
and the platform had been adopted, the
Democratic state committee met or
April 30 to organize for the campaign
In the interim not a word came from
Judge Parker expressing dissatisfaction
with the platform which, aside from its
trust deliverance, was weak and mean
ingless. There had been much discus
sion as to the craftsmanship of the com
mittee, and several candidates for the
position had been suggested. The Park
er influence was exerted for Cord Meyer
and he was elected. The same influence
chairman of the executive committee
and he also was elected.
Who is Cord Meyer, and who is Pat.
rick H. McCarren? Let the record tell
the story:
Cord Meyer was one of the original
stockholders in the first organization OF
the sugar trust in 1897. Sixteen rein.
ing companies entered the combination
with total value of $6,59OO0O. The
second company to enter was the Dick
& Meyer Company, in which Cord Meyer
was interested. This company was put
in at 100000, and to it was issued a
total of several millions in trust certifi-
Gates. That was the usual trust meth
cd of procedure, as shown in the ship
building trust exposure. Havemeyer
testifying before a trust investigation
which was conducted by a joint com
mittee of the two houses of the New
York legislature in 1897, said with his
usual frankness, that the sugar trust
was formed to control the price and the