The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1908-01-01
(By Wills j. Abbott

| ArnmOTelte special.
Washington. Jan. If republicans
imagine that the pamphlet just issued
by the department OF justice, show
! ing the civil and criminal cases In
stituted by the United States under
the Sherman antitrust and the in
terstate commerce laws. Is going to
make good republican campaign text
book material, they are mistaken. Any
way that you look at the facts and
figures compiled they form an indict
ment of the republican party that
carries It's own conviction. Even Pres
Ident Roosevelts activity under these
laws during the last three y ars is
not convincing; and II would be more
commcndablc to his party and him.
self II this activity did not show up
in such glaring form the inactivity
OF his own and previous administra-
tions. II President Roosevely has
been able to bring a hundred and
twonty-niro cases under the inter
state commerce laws. and twenty
eight cases under the Sherman law
In three years. why was he only
able to bring thirty cases under the
former laws and seven under the
latter in the over three years that
preceded his second term? Can 1t be
that during his first term the presi-
factors of wealth" for reelection?
The republican campaign exposures
of 1904 would indicate, that If that
was his purpose, he succeeded ad.
mirably.
And why is 1t that in all the re-
publican administrations preceding
the Roosevelt regime only seventy
acres were bought under the inter
state commerce laws aud ten cases
under the sherman laws. as against
a hundred and two cases under the
former laws and nine eases under
the latter In ClcVcAnd's second
administration alone. And It must
be remembered that Clevelinds sec.
ond administration Is the molly demo
cratic administration mentioned In
the report, and that 1t was demo
cratic more in the conservative than
the radical significance of the term.
Yet 1t suffers nothing by compa
with preceding or succeeding rcpub-
lican administrations in this matter
OF the enforcement of the antitrust
and interstate commerce laws.
There Is one other striking fact
about the report. Railroad prosecu-
tions seem to form the chief feature
of the presidents corporation policy
during the year now closing. Yet of
the thirty-cight such cases insti-
tuted this year, all have been brought
under the Eukins law. which does
not contain the Imprisonment penalty
and not under the presidents
own much heralded railroad rate bill,
which does contain such an imprison-
ment clause. Has the president no
faith in his own measure, or is he
afraid to enforce the jail sentence?
At this rate the present record of
no corporation officer or other person
being sent to Jail for the violation
OF these federal laws, will be main.
tanned Barring that Standard OIL
fine. which by the way wa not
levied upon the Standard OIL com.
pany proper but upon one of its
subsidiary companies which could not
pay II It would and would not pay
If 1t could, about one million dol
lars In fines have been imposed. All
this money will eventually be col.
lected by the fine out of the peck
cts OF the people. The public will be.
lieve IN these laws, and the persons
for who they are framed will respect
them, when some of the violators are
sent to Jail, but not until then