Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-17


err Company and Other Trusts to Be
Probed.
Washington, Sept. 17.-Herbert Knox
has just returned from his vacation,
which he spent in Connecticut, and
Is prepared to begin his winter cam
paign against illegal trusts and in the
interest of legitimate corporations. I'VE
intend to take up eight branches of
said Mr.. Smith to your
CORRESPONDENT These will be steel,
lumber, waterways, coastwise and the
canal and inland waterways-tobacco
cotton exchanges, farm implements,
that is the International Harvester
Company, and patents on agricultural
The investigations
which have been conducted by the bu-
reau of corporations have resulted IN
the prosecution of the beef trust, which,
thru legal technicality, fell short
of conviction, but which, it is hoped,
has proved a warning to the packers;
and the conviction of the Standard Oil
Company and it's sentence to pay a
fine OF $29,000,0O0, or just little less
than three-fourths of its profits for
last year. The bureau of corporations
does not conduct prosecutions, as that
branch of the work belongs to the de-
partment of justice, but it makes very
thorough Investigations, and when 1t
discovers violations of the law 1t re-
ports them to the department of jus
tice, which is Uncle Sans firm OF
lawyers, SO to speak.
q
There is no division of the govern
bureau Of corporations. 1t is hated by
the Standard people, by the beef trust
by the steel trust and the lumber trust
by the International Harvester Com
pany and all other institutions and
corporations which object to being
prosecuted when they violate the anti
trust and the anti-rebate laws. 1t is
so cordially hated that ]. P. Morgan's
daily paper devotes at least one edi-
torial a week to making fun of the
bureau and the commissioner and TIC
condemning it's work and methods
There are other people in the United
States, the great army of consum-
ers, for instance, who love the bu-
reau for the enemies it has made and
they are not likely to take much stock
in the editorials and garbled news
stories attacking its work. James r.
Garfield was the first commissioner of
corporations, and then Mr.. Smith was
his assistant. When Mr.. Garfield be-
came secretary of the interior after
having demonstrated his great ability
to the president and to all unpreju-
diced observers in the former posi-
ton, the president promoted Mr.. Smith
to the head of the bureau because he
regarded its work too important to be
entrusted to tyro, and Mr.. Smith
had shown marked ability, under Mr.
Garfield. And Herbert Knox Smith
has made good, to use the presidents
own words.
A singular instance of misrepresen-
tation attends the disposal of the New
Foundland fisheries question. Prac-
tically all the London papers are Civ
ing the full credit to Sir Robert Bond.
the New Foundalnd premier, for the
decision to send the controversy to The
Hague for adjudication. The fact is
that Whitelaw Reid, the American
ambassador at London, first suggested
the idea of arbitration to Secretary
Root when Mr. Reid was in Washing
ton last winter. Secretary Root
thought well of the idea, and upon it's
receiving the hearty approval of the
president, Mr.. Reid returned to Lon
don to endeavor, by every proper dip
lomatic method, to bring it about
Diplomacy in London is a somewhat
peculiar affair, and Mr. Reid employed
all the methods known to the most
skilled. His entertainments were the
most lavish, his wines of the finest
He entertained the nobility, and even
royalty, and finally he established his
position as such a good fellow" that
it was practically impossible for 1.-The
powers that be- to refuse his request
Now Sir Robert Bond, who we'll knows
tentions of New Foundland, sought by
every possible means to prevent the
case being tried at The Hague, and
Mr.. Reid's skilfu1 diplomacy defeated
him. Now that Sir Robert has been
signally defeated, he is going around
saying that he was responsible for the
whole thing in manner which re-
minds one of a certain once popular
picture of Thomas cat, who, having
been almost annihilated in fight with
a rival remarks, did you see me get
the best of him 2"
When it had been finally agreed tc
send the controversy to The Hague
it became necessary to complete mo-
dus Vivendi to control the taking OF
fish until The Hague tribunal shall
have rendered its decision, that is, ar
agreement on the points in dispute tc
cover only the intervening period. Sil
Robert insisted that the Americans
should not use purse seins, that they
should not fish on Sunday, and that
they should not employ New Found
landers as members of their crews. Mr.
Reid conceded the first two of these
points, and Great Britain agreed thai
the American shippers might employ
New Foundlanders, provided they tool
them on board outside of the three
mile limit, which is as far out to sea
as New Foundlands authority goes
under the terms of international law
Now Sir Robert is engaged in de-
nouncing the modus and has ever
threatened that New Foundland viii