The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1904-10-21
ROOTS VAIN BOAST
ABSURD coNTEf'TIoH As TO
cURsINe OF TRUSTS.
Facts Show That Only TWO Alleged
Unlawful Combinations Have Been
Proceeded Against, and Those Have
Not Been Harmed.

When Elihu Root as temporary
chairman Of the Chicago convention
made the opening speech Of the Re
publican campaign, he especially held
up for glorifeation the aggressiveness
Of the Roosevelt administration
against the trusts and declared there
is mo longer any serious complaint OF
trust exactions" Now, surely Mr..
Root did not believe that his state
ment was true, for the newspapers OF
the country. which are mirrors Of
public opinion, are constantly filed
with complaints about the way the
trusts are plundering the people, and
Mr.. Root is a great newspaper reader.
But defending the Republican party
and the Roosevelt administration
from their evident. partially 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 jeOpardized, no fair and hon
est enterprise has been injured, but
it is certain that wherever the consti-
tutiOnal power Of the national gov
eminent reaches trusts are being
practically regulated and curbed with
in lawful bounds as they never have
been before, and the men OF small
capital are finding in the efficiency
and skill of the national department
Of justice a protection they never had
before against the crushing effect Of
unlawful combinations"
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 prose
cutiOns of trusts have been com
menced and only one Of these was
against an industrial trust, and that
is still hanging 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 or
dered dissolved by the courts, but is
still charging ''aH the traffic will
bear" and there is still no competi-
ton between the railroads that were
combined in the merger. The people
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
administration 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
protected from the crushing effect Of
unlawful combinations will be news
to most Of them.
The Washington Post, that cannot
be said to be prejudiced against the
Republican 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 unlawful combinations
A man Of small capital, if he thinks
Of embarking in the coal trade will
find the coal trust fixes the price and
rules for that business and most Of
the profits 90 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 to bankruptcy in short order
in any city Of the country in which
the trust seeks to control business.
In Philadelphia and other cities the
tobacco trust IS refusing to sell goods
TO merchants who viii not agree to
sell none but trust-made tObaccos.
In fact, there has been nothing in the
commercial or industrial history Of
the last year to indicate that the man
who wishes to engage in business has
any more protection from the trusts
than he has at any time since the era
Of consolidation and combination be-
gan.
We have noticed that the Depart
ment Of Commerce and Labor and the
Department Of Justice have a large
force of very expensive experts at
work running the beef combine TO its
lair. We are also informed By the
administration newspapers that Mr..
Metcaf. the new secretary of com
merce and labor, "have something I'D
their sleeve" 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 haye2
There is a shrewd suspicion BY those
who ought to know that any activity |
by the administration against the /
trusts at this time is to goad them |
to the proper frame OF mind to be
liberal when MI COrtelyOu presents |
the contribution box That like
Chairman Hanna he viii promise i'm |
munity from mOlestatiOn, if the cam |
paign fund is appropriately 'fattea- /
ed" can hardly be believed Of this
honest reform administration. Yet
there are those well versed in Repub- /
lfcan politics who are certain that /
even a bad trust. who comes down /
with the dust" need have no fear Of |
the law.
That possibly explains Why Mr..
Root says there is mo longer any !
serious complaint Of trusts exactions''
and President Roosevelt agrees with I
him. for he read and reread the Root !
speech before Il was delivered and /
=.sT 10 -aa Ta-TfuIFed nth II