The broad ax., 1904-10-15
PULITzER'S CHARGES
EHY ROOSEVELT HLDE A BUEElB
or CORPORATIONS
lssrEs B CsrisIyou Tapping Csrpsra-
tisss For can-aigu Funas 4
Grave Question.

Dubuc" You seemed Determined tn
vindicate the peoples right TO ''insDect
and examine the workings OF tha great
CORPORATIONS ENGAGED IN Interstate com
merce." even II " were necessary to
amend the Constitution Of the United
States. believing. with many corpora-
tion lawyers Of your own party-and
OF the Democratic marty. for that mat
ter-that the Sherman law was uncon-
stitutiOnai. You demanded this Pub
licity cas- q right from al corporations
affected by the law" and mot a. Ia
vor from some generations"
Your persistence IN a good cause
finally triumuhed. Congress. under the
pressure OF the puhlic opinion that you
had 80 skilfully directed. enacted the
legislation you asked for. II created
q Department OF Commerce. with a Ru-
reau Of Corporations. II extended the
scooe Of the Interstate Commerce law
10 forbid the giving or receiving OF re-
bates. II passed an act Drovidiug for
the special advancement IN the United
States courts Of cases arising under
the antitrust laws. II gave You the
extraordinary. the unprecedeuted an
proDriafion Of $4,000 to enforce stat
ulC8 COulDA"AaNAoaA1 aAA4 WV
spiracies IN restraint Of trade.
SsS 80
The FIRST thing 10 do. AZ you said IN
your speech at Wheeling. was to "dnd
out the facts" Your initial step was
10 appoint a. your Secretary OF Com
merce your private secretary. George
B. Cortelyou. The Bureau Of Corpora
lions was organized February %. 1a0S
more than plneteen months. more
than eighty weeks-exactly hS3 day1
ago-yes. exactly Five Hundred and
Ei9htv-three Days ago.
VIII yen kindly tell the country:
I. After these hs3 DAYS OF supposed
activity and o6icial duty. how much
more does the public know about the
conduct and MANAGEMENT OF these
great corporations than It knew be
fore?
?. After these 6ss DAYS Of supposed
activity and ofhcial duty. what single
witness has been snbpoenaed?
3. After these hs3 days Of supposed
activity and ofBcial duty. what single
witness has been comneIIed 70 testify?
T. After these 5SS days OF supposed
ACTIVITY and official duty. what docu-
mentarv evidence has been produced?
8. After these SO days OF suooosed
activity and Official duty, what corDor-
alton magnate has been comuelled 70
testify under oath as tn secret rebates
on freight charges or other acts Of con-
spiracy In restraint If trade?
O. After fheas kS2 DAVIS Of supposed
activity ana of3ctal dHty. what daes
the public know shout the work Of this
bureau Of publicity?
II there = CORPORATION iu the Tinted
States Mr.. President. whose AFFAIRS are
IN greater secrecy than
are the affairs ~ your Bureau Of Cor
potations. which was created to afford
Publicity in the interest Of the pub
IIcY"
Does the public know anv less ahout
fine internal workings Of the Standard
on Combanv. for example than Il does
Bureau Of Cornorati0ns?
Yet In your letter Of accordance you
have-may 7 cal Il The magnificent au-
dacifyf-to declare NJ t--e act creating
this bureau and OF the related acts:
The Congress that created the Bu-
reau OF Corporations. which. Won say.
has been administered with entire
effsciency." gave you the unique. the
extraordinary approximation Of $780,
BOO to enforce existing laws against
What a. your record IN the exneudi-
lure Of this money? About $4,000 Of
Il has been spent for the purnose 10
which Il was auOrooriated. The rest
has been lying Idle in the Treasury for
$50 days.
Do you mean to say that you are in
Of all the data" as 70 the
Organization. conduct and manage
mentS Of the business Of these corpora-
tionsf It was to collect such data that
the bureau was created.
Do You mean IN say that this infor-
nation. or so much thereof as you have
required. has been made public" as
the law says II ashaIl be?' II was TO
Insure such publicity that you asked
FOR this legislation.
On the contrary. Mr.. President. n Il
not true that not one word. not one syl-
liable. not one letter has ever appeared
Of that proper publicity about which
ron talk 20 glibiy7
But when your Presidential cam
paign began and Mr.. Cortelyou had
learned al he needed 70 know Of the
secret business affairs OF the great
corporations. Jon made this Grand In
quisitor Of Corporations Chairman Of
your National Committee.
And whyf Was Mr.. Corteiyou 4
OF the National Committee7
No. Was he member OF any commit
tee. State or local? No. Had he any
or experiences as q campaign
No. Did the veteran pollti-
clans OF your party desire HIS appoint
mentf No. Was there-couid there be
ANY reason for his appointment ex-
eept that he knows from 'sdiligent IN
vestigation" the business secrets Of
these great corporations upon which
ron depend for your campaign fund.-
You WIN pardon a delicate question.
Mr.. President. but when the most IN
.ellieent Mr.. CorteIyou goes out TO col
let money FOR your campaign fund. az
ter spending the night IN your hosplt-
able home. e Il conceivable that these
% not assume that be rep
resenis IN peculiarly personal man
ner the President Of the United States5