The National tribune., 1907-07-25
TRUST BUSTING.
Continued from page one.)

tenSive reductions as would be newt
able the coming Winter.
The Republicans have such large
majority in the Senate that it will not
be possible for the Democrats to regain
control in that branch of Congress for
four or probably six years. Only one
third of the Senate is elected every wo
years Therefore, the Republicans in
any event, even if the Democrats win
the Presidency and the National House,
are sure to have voice in revision.
The trust money will come in very
handy next year. Much of the usual
supply of campaign funds for Repub-
licans has been cut off by the drastic
legislation of the last two years. The
railroads, which used tc contribute lib
orally, will refuse. Hartman, who
raised lot of money for the Repub-
licans at the solicitation of President
Roosevelt. as correspondence has
shown, can hardly be expected to re-
peat the performance after the Admin
istration has pursued him and exposed
mis- methods of consolidating properties.
The banks can no longer contribute, as
Congress has enacted law forbiddin2
that. The insurance companies, which
have probably been good for a half a
million dollars to the Republicans in
every Presidential campaign since 1896,
according to the testimony brought out
at insurance Investigations, will no
longer contribute. Their managers have
had a bitter experience with Republi-
cans along that line.
The highly protected interests are
therefore about all the Republicans
have to fall back upon and those ac-
quainted with the ways of politicians
will have little surprise that the stand
pat leaders, who are dominant in Re-
publican councils, should have seized
upon the great opportunity at a very
early day.
Railroad Legislation.
The railroad legislation that Presi-
dent Roosevelt plans to press as the
dominant legislative feature of Con-
gress at the coming session does not
worry the trusts in the slightest. He
proposes to make the consolidation of
competing lines impossible and to make
Investments in railroad securities safer
for the public. Both those propositions
will be welcomed by a large class of
citizens, but, of course. do not affect the
trusts. The enforcement of the Elkins
law against rebates has already prac-
tically stamped out that form of iniqui-
ty Therefore, the trusts, that have
been beneficiaries of rebates. have moth
ing further to fear from the Admins
tration in that particular.
1t is worth remembering that Presi-
vision now. as he has been ever since
he came into the White House. If he
could have had his way he would have
made Congress revise the tariff long
before this. But the standpatters are
especially intrenched in Senate and
House. All the leaders there are stand
patters. and the President has realized
forcefully that he would have a bigger
fight with Congress than ever If he
should undertake to compel Speaker!
Cannon and the Ways and Means Com
mittee to frame and press a tariff re-
vision before the House. There are
many schedules in a tariff bill. and hun
dreds of ways could be devised to de-
feat the Presidents plans
He regarded the railroad evils as very
grave. and believed they called for some
cure at the time he became President
quite as much as general conditions
called for a revision of the tariff Hell
entered upon that task, and secured the
enactment of the railroad-rate bill But
he regards his railroad legislation as
still short of the requirements. and
wants to make that a linality before
the end of his Administration. Conse-
quently he is bearing down hard upon
that proposition. and feels compelled to
leave the subject of tariff for future
consideration.
The standpatters. realizing his plight.
have made the most of ii for their own
ends. They have catered privately to
the trusts. The President has acuuiesce
in the plan for no revision during his
Administration. and more recently has
acquiesced also in the standpat demanl
that his campaign for revision, which
he would have advocated in public ad-
dresses be abandoned. He has seen tn.
of doing this to further his
legislative plans.
Hence the present situation. in which
the Republican leaders reason that they
will enter upon the next Presidential
under good auspices Hence i
it is also that the prosecution and the
investigation of trusts by the Govern
ment is giving the trusts themselves but |
little