Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-10-13
%PULITzER'S CHARGES.
WHY ROOSEVELT MADE A BUREAU
OF CORPORATIONS.
George B. cortefyon Tapping Corpora.
tons For Campaign Funds a
Grave Question.

crusade Tor the regulation OF the great
corporations with an insistent 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 if it were necessary to
amend the Constitution of the United
States, believing, with many corpora
tion lawyers of your W party-and
of the Democratic party, for that mat
ter-that the Sherman law was uncon-
stitutional. You demanded this Pub
licity "as a right from all corporations
affected by the law" and mot as a ia
vor from some corporations"
Your persistence in a good cause
finally triumphed. Congress, under the
pressure Of the public opinion that you
had so skilfully directed, enacted the
legislation you asked for. 1t created
a Department of Commerce, with a Blu
reau of Corporations. 1t extended the
scope of the Interstate Commerce law
to forbid the giving or receiving of re-
bates. 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 APP
preparation of S5C0,0O0 to enforce stat
utes prohibiting combinations and con-
spiracies in restraint of trade.
Il 81 y - o d
The first thing to do, as You said in
your speech at Wheeling. was to find
out the facts" Your initial step was
to appoint as your Secretary of Com
merce your private secretary, George
3. Cortelyou. The Bureau of Corpora
tions1was organized February 26, 1908
more than nineteen months more
than eighty weeks-eXactly 5S3 days
ago-yes, exactly Five Hundred and
Lighty-three Days ago.
Will you kindly tell the country:
1. 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 it knew be-
fore?
2. After these 5S3 days of supposed
activity and official duty, what single
witness has been %subpoenaed?
5. After these 5S3 days Of supposed
activity and official duty, what single
witness has been compelled to testify?
4. After these 5S3 days of supposed
activity and official duty, what docu-
mentarys evidence has been produced?
g.. After these 5S3 days of supposed
activity and official duty, what corpor-
ntipn \ rpotA hoc hopn oor,rnJ1n1 10
testify under oath as to secret rebates
on freight charges or other acts of con-
spiracy in restraint of trade?
G.. After these $50 days of supposed
activity and official duty, what does
the public know about the work of this
bureau of publicity?
Is there a corporation in the United
States. Mr.. President, whose affairs are
administered in greater secrecy than
are the affairs of your Bureau Of Cor
porations. which was created to afford
Publicity in the interest of the pub
lic?"
Does the public know any less about
the internal workings of the Standard
Oil Company, for example. than it does
about the internal workings Of this
Bureau Of Corporations?
Yet in your letter of acceptance you
haYe-may / call it the magnificent au-
dacity?-to declare of the act creating
this bureau and of the related acts:
The Congress that created the Blu
reau of Corporations, which, you say,
has been administered with entire
efficiency" gave you the unique. the
extraordinary appropriation Of $780,
600 to enforce existing laws against
corporations.
What is Your record in the eXnendi-
ture Of this money! About S26, 1000 of
it has been spent for the purpose to
which it was 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 you have
required, has been "made public" as
the law says it "shall be?" 1t was to
insure such publicity that you asked
for this legislation.
On the contrary. Mr.. President, Is II
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 oil
your National COMMITTEES.
And why? Wa Mr. Cortelyou o
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
ment? No. Was ~there-could there BIZ
any reason for his appointment ex
cept that he knows from .diligent in
vestigation" the business secrets OF
these great corporations upon which
you depend for your campaign fund?
y II
You will pardon a delicate question
Mr.. President, but when the most in
telligent Mr.. Cortelyou goes out to col
lect money for your campaign fund. af
ter spending the night in your hospit
able home, is it conceivable that thes,
corporations do not assume that he rep
resents in a peculiarly personal man
ner the President of the United States
Convincing.
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