Mexico Missouri message., 1904-10-13

chairman OF the Chicago convention
made the opening speech of the Re
publican campaign, he especially held
up for glorifcation 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 filled
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 difHcult job for even such
a renowned special pleader as Mr..
Root. Nor was he satisfied to rest
his case there, but tried to prove 1t
by adding:
mo investment in lawful business
has been ieopaTdized, no fair and hon
est enterprise has been injured, but
| Il is certain that wherever the constl-
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 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 WIS
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 'all 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
r any protection against the crushing
effect of unlawful combinations"
A man Of small capital If he thinks
I Of embarking In the coal trade will
5 find the coal trust fixes the price and
S rules for that business and most OF
a the profits go to the trust.
An independent meat market owned
and operated by men who refuse to
a deal with the beef trust and adhere
b to prices fixed by the trust would be
3 forced to bankruptcy in short order
Q in any city of the country in which
the trust seeks to control business
In Philadelphia and other cities the
T tobacco trust is refusing to sell goods
5 to merchants who will not agree tc
q sell none but trust-made tobaccos
8 In fact, there has been nothing in the
commercial or industrial history o.
the last year to indicate that the mar
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
g ment of Commerce and Labor and tn,
g Department of Justice have a largt
II force of very expensive experts a
r work running the beef combine to IL
lair. We are also informed by thu
administration newspapers that MI
II Metcalf, the new secretary of com
p merce and labor, have something vi
It their sleeve" and the Beef COMBINE
n should beware.
t. Why this extraordinary activity
just as the campaign is opening, /
3. the bad trusts have all been curbed
b as Mr. Root assures US they have
Il There is a shrewd suspicion by thos
v who ought to know that any activit
Il by the administration against tn
trusts at this time Is to goad ther
to the proper frame Of mind to b
n liberal when Mr.. COrtelyOu present
q the contribution box. That lik
q Chairman Hanna he will promise In
munity from molestatlon. II the can