The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-07
Current COMMENT

Right al the last moment with VlctorS
plainly III sight, has President Rooscyv -, :
surrendered on the railway rh'e ~ w.
After time and again Announcing ms ~
position to the broad court reVie" "u M,
Gated by Aldrlch, Lodge anu NnoA ,, .a
declaring TINT he favored only SUN s ,,,..
amendment ns would Insure INC l,u,,'u w..
biz constltutionnlity Mr.. ltoose. -.
nenrs to hnvc nj last accepted the propo-
sitinn For tle hrondcst kind Of court fo-H
view.
This .,comnronisc" agreement upon
which the Republican senator's are su ,,
to have fixed has been tagged INC A ~,
rot, ntnendment." but Mr.. Allison us
claims authority for II, ana IL WIS
through Altrlcl, that the anhouhcenons
was made. "Thc voice Is the VOICE ..
jacob, but tho hands are inc h"nus y
Tsnu."
Many friends Of real rate resu.n.lo,h
nre asserting their boiler thn' wy ,,,,,a.
dent sent In his vigorous message hsaihst
tho Standard on Company N order 20
cover ,,p his cnpituntion to tho senator
from Standard or on the rate question.
If the President was satisfied IN his own
mind MS to the Righteousness or ms
course IN accepting this last hour a'nona-
nent, why did no invite thirty-slx news
pnper correspondents to the Whitc ttouse
and endenvor personally 10 eApia'' "
then, his change of 'front.'
Mr.. Roosevelt says he Is willing TO trust
tho courts. and he does not believe they
Z will Institute tho broad review. lie seems
4 10 be willing also to trust Mr.. Knox, me
supposed representative of the. Pcnisyl-
vnnn Railroad; Mr. Glkihs, the rallrond
magnntc; Mr.. Foraker, the friend of the
Beef Trust, and Mr.. Aldrich, tho senator
from Standard OIL" And these the people
do not trust.
After all the struggle to secure for tho
Interstate Commerce Commission the
power to regulate railroad rates, Is tho
bill Mt last to be so changed that Its pur-
poses will be defeated?
Will President Roosevelt keep his
promise to the ear. but break It to the
hope? His message on the Standard Oh
combination with the railroads rang true
and strong. But II he surrenders on the
rate BILL what does that message amount
TO-? Was the message simply noisy
mnneuvers to divert public attention from
his capitulntion to the railroad sena!ors.
The plain. honest people OF the country
viii hope not. but the situation Is n singu-.
lar one and not unnnturally arouses aus
picion.-Baltlmore SUM-
No Standard Oil Prosecutions.
The Presidents message and the Stanu-
ard OIL report of Mr.. Garfield are IN
.teresting reading. of course, out my
MS interesting as they might have been
s1.nau or Eurbersons resolution direct
ing the Department OF Commerce and
Labor to forward all of Mr.. Garfield
report may bring out something regard
ing the Standard on Company TINT IS
really worth while The report already
sent to Congress Is an arrangement OF
the railroads, rather than of the stand
ard OH Company. and Its submission at
this time is supposed to have @ potent
effect in effeetlng railroad rate leglsia-
ton The public would probably vel
come official information II there IS
any. regarding the violation OF law by
tho Standard OIL. 1t would be still better
pleased to see some kind OF action By
the Department Of Justice. Mesa ges
and reports are all right but prosecu-
ton Of vlolators of the law is still more
effectual. s3#
The Bureau of Corporations has been
in existence several years. Plenty OF
money has been supplied by Congress
for the expenses Of investigation. Tho
Department OF Justice has also received
large sums With which to employ extra
counsel and perfect it's cases against
corpora lions violating the 1C1kins law
and the interstate commerce. law The
has attits head a man whose
courage and persistence cannot be ques-4
toned. Congress has provided laws.
money and machinery: Yet the greatest
trust in the country has not been prose
cuted, and there is no indication that
the attorney general is preparing TO
tackle it. 1t Is this great fact which
is disappointing to friends of the adj
ton The message and the re-
port tend to confirm the general impress
sion that the Standard OIL Comrany IS
the law While WAITING upon
Congress- to perfect a law c6~acting
railroad rate evils, 1t will be difficult to
convince the public that tho Department
of Justice could not wisely employ its
time and resources in, prosecuting the
big trust under the laws already IN ex-
istence. If tho Standard Is law-breaker
1t should be prosecuted, and If It is not
1t should not be Observation-Disclosures
ton Post