The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1904-10-18
TENTiON TO ANTITRUST
LEAGUE APPEALS.
II. 3. Martin, the National Secretary,
Writes a Letter to President
Theodore Roosevelt.

Thrust League, has sent to President
letter arraigning the position of the ad
ministration on the trust question. and
saving that the experience of the Anti
Trust League with the president and
Ex-Attorney- General Knox will throw
some strong light on their attitude.
He says that at frequent intervals
he and other officers of the league fur
nished the president with positive.
documentary and convincing proofs
Of the violations of law by the trusts,
and that promises made at these times
were broken. He says that the action
of the administration against the
Northern Securities company was
against the newsest of the trusts, which
hardly had time to do much damage
even if it was SO disposed
Mr.. Martin says that the presidents
claim that he has executed the laws
resolutely and fearlessly" cannot be
made to apply to the enforcement of
antitrust laws. and that evidence in
the administrations possession was not
only put aside, but other evidence east
ly procurable was not sought On this
line Mr.. Martin says:
The only two actions begun by your
administration for the enforcement of
the antitrust laws We're the action for
an Injunction against the Northern Sc
curities company and against the Beef
Trust. The first We have already re-
ferred to, and the injunction against
district court has never been carried
to the higher court, While the trust has
been openly violating both the law
and the injunction to your knowledge,
and to mine and to that of every citi
zen of the United States.
Three years ago, the officers of the
American Antitrust League placed in
positive proofs, incontestable docu
mentary evidence of fragrant and enOr
mously oppressive and injurious viola
tons of the law on the part of half a
dozen of the greatest trusts in the
United States. Both you and your at
torney general repeatedly promised
sometimes orally and sometimes in
writing, that these cases would be
taken up and proceeded with. Every
one of these promises YOU have
brOken.1
Mr.. Martin takes issue with the
statement in the presidents letter that
the creation of a bureau Of corpora
tons and amendments to the interstate
given a chance to the national govern
ment to deal intelligently and ade
quately with the questions affecting
society whether for good or evil, be-
cause of the accumulation of capital
in great corporations and because of
the new relations caused thereby"
And what have you done, Nir. Pres
ident, with the bureau of corporations
since it was organized?" Mr.. Martin
asks You appointed your private
| secretary, Mr.. Cortelyou, as head of
that department, and then, after he had
!
violations Of the law on the part of the
trusts, did you transmit this data in
pie? oh, no. The bureau of corpora
tions, which was intended as a bureau
ofpublicity, you have made into a bu-
reau of secrecy.
You transferred Mr.. Cortelyou from
the head of that department with all
this secret information about the trusts
in his possession, to the position of
chairman of the republican national
committee, where he can use his infOr-
nation to sandbag campaign contribu-
tons out of the trusts for your cam
paign fund, Mr.. President.
Against all the hundreds, aye, thou
sands of men who have been practicing
plumber and eXtOrtiOn upon the peo-
pie in violation of the antitrust law,
which provides for the punishment,
fine. and imprisonment, you and your
attorney general have never caused a
| single warrant to issue, nor a single
arrest to be made, nor the conviction
! of single one to be secured.
Nay, even worse, for to the most
| powerful and notorious of these Of
| tenders against the antitrust law, the
proofs of whose criminality had al
ready been placed in your hands, you
extended the Inequalities of the White
House. and in return accepted their
hospitality
Grimes-They tell me Wickly has
married his boarding Mistress How did