The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1904-10-13
PULITLER'S CHARGES.
WHY ROOSEVELT MADE A BUREAU
OF CORPORATIONS.
George B. COftslyOu Tapping Corpora
lions For Campaign Funds a d.
Grave Question.

Your record In your own words. Mr..
President. shows that you began your
crusade for the regulation OF the great
corporations with an inslstent appeal
for publicity in the interests OF the
public" You seemed determined to
vindicate the peoples right to inspect
and examine the workings Of the great
corporations engaged In interstate COM
merce." even II it were necessary to
amend the Constitution of the United
States, believing. with many corpora
ton lawyers of your own party-and
of the Democratic party. for that mat
ter-that the Sherman law was rncon-
stitutional. You demanded this Pub
licity "as right from all corporations
affected by the law" and "not as IA
vor from some corporations"
Your persistence in good carse
finally triumphed. Congress. under the
pressure of the public opinion that You
had so skifully directed. enacted the
legislation you asked for. 1t created
n Department of Commerce. with Ru-
reau of Corporations. 1t extended the
scoDe of the Interstate Commerce law
to forbid the giving or receiving OF re-
hates. 1t passed an act providing for
the special advancement in the United
States courts of cases arising under
the antitrust laws. 1t gave You the
extraordinary. the unprecedented ap-
preparation OF 100000 to enforce stat
utes prohibiting combinations and con-
spiracies in restraint Of trade.
The first thing to do. as you said IN
your speech at Wheeling. was to "fnd
out the facts" Your initial step was
to appoint as your Secretary of Com
merce your private secretary. George
r. Cortelyou. The Bureau Of Corpora
tions was organized February 20, 1908
moro than nineteen months. more
than eighty weeks-exactly 5S3 days
ago-yes. exactly Five Hundred and
Eightv-three Days ago.
Will YOU kindly tell the country:
I. After these 5S3 days Of supposed
activity and official duty. how much
more does the public know about the
conduct and management Of these
great corporations than 1t knew be-
fore?
Q. After these 5S3 days Of supposed
activity and official duty. what single
witness has been subpoenaed?
3. After these 1883 days of supposed
activity and official duty. what single
witness has been comnelled to testify?
4. After these 5S3 days of supposed
activity and official duty. what docu-
mentarv evidence has been produced?
:. After these 5S3 days Of supposed
activity and official duty. what cornor-
alton magnate has been comnelled to
testify under oath rs to secret rebates
on freight charges or other acts Of con-
spiracy in restraint of trade?
G. After these 5S3 days of supposed
activity and official duty. what does
the public know about the work Of this
bureau of publicity?
Is there cornoration In the United
States. Mr. President. whose affairs are
administered in greater secrecy than
are the affairs Of your Bureau Of Cor
norations which was created to afford
publicity in the interest of the pub
lic?"
Does the public know anv less about
the internal workings of tho Standard
Oil Comnanv. for example than II does
about the internal workings of this
Bureau of Generations?
Yet IN your letter of acceptance you
havc-may I call it the magnificent an
dacity?-tO declare IF tie act creating
this bureau and of the related acts:
The Congress that created the Ru-
reau of Corporations. which. You say.
has been administered with entire
efficiency" gave you the UNIQUE. the
extraordinary approximation of $780,
600 to enforce existing laws against
corporations.
What is Your record in the eynendl
turn of this money? About $4,000 Of
1t has been spent for the purnose to
which it WIS appropriated The rest
has been lying idle in the Treasury for
5S3 days.
Do you mean to say that you are in
possession of all the "data" as to the
Organization. conduct and manage
ment" of the business of these corpora
tons? 1t was to collect such data that
the bureau was created.
DO you mean to say that this infor-
nation. or so much thereof as Won have
required. has been "made public" MS
the law SAYS it "shall be" 1t was TO
insure such publicity that you asked
for this legislation.
On the contrary, Mr.. President. Is 1t
not true that not one word. not one syl-
liable, not one letter has ever appeared
of that proper publicity about which
you talk so glibly?
But when your Presidential cam
paign began and Mr.. COrtelyou had
learned all he needed to know of the
secret business affairs Of the great
corporations. you made this Grand In
quisitor Of Corporations Chairman Of
your National Committee.
And why? Was Mr.. Cortelyou n
member of the National Committee?
No. Was he a member of any commit
tee. State or local? No. Had he any
reputation or experience as a campaign
manager? No. Did the veteran politi-
clans of your party desire his appoint
menf? No. Was there-could there be
any reason for his appointment ex-
cept that he knows from "diligent in