Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-09-29

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two of which were unsuccessful; one
Of the other two being the case which
was decided by Judge Taft in favor Of
the government.
| Under this administration a mass OF
such cases has been brought, including
the case against the Northern Securi-
ties company; against the beef pack
ers against the Federal Salt company;
against the General Paper company;
against the Otis and other elevator
companies; against the American To-
bacco company; against the powder
trust; against the Virginia. Carolina
Chemical company; against the Stand
ard Oil company and others.
What any Policies" Have Done.
In a number of these cases the gov
ernment has already succeeded by in
functions and otherwise. Some Of the
cases are now pending. In hardly any
important case against great law
breaking corporations has the govern
ment yet suffered final defeat.
AS regards suits to suppress railway
abuses, under the last Democratic ad-
ministration there were no indictments
against shippers for receiving rebates
or secret rates. Under my administra-
ton there have been forty-nine indict-
ments for secret rebates, resulting in
eighteen convictions; and in only four
cases have these indictments failed.
The other twenty-seven cases are still
pending. Among the railroads which
have been convicted are Chicago & AL
ton: Chicago, Burlington & Quincy;
the New York Central; the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific, and the Chica-
go, Milwaukee & st. Paul; while scores
Of cases are still pending against other
leading railroads.
Among the shippers that have been
convicted are some of the greatest cor
porations in the United States; as, for
instance, the American Sugar company,
the aggregate fine actually paid being
more than $150,O00; Swift & Co.; Ar
mour Packing company; the Cudahy
Packing company; Nelson Norris &
Co., each of whom was fined $4,000,
and the cases have now been carried
to the supreme court. The Standard
Oil case is still pending. This is rec
ord Of actual achievement, and beside
1t mere promises are empty indeed; and
they would not be made now with any
possibility of performing If it were not
for the achievement above recited.
The Steel Trust Deal.
You state that the steel company, with
my express consent, purchased one of
its largest rivals, and thus obtained
control Of over fifty per cent Of the
total output. This action of the steel
company (Which increased it's share Of
the total output by only about four per
cent and in no way altered the stand
ing of the company under the law)
may have been a violation Of your plan,
the absurdity Of which has been expos
ed by Governor Hughes, but there was
no violation of the law. I was cogni-
It was not entered into by the steel
corporation Of its own desire, but solely
at the urgent request Of the corpora
tion purchased and Of the big banks
holding more corporations securities,
in order to enable them to prevent a
crash which would have turned the
panic Of last fall into the most wide
spread disaster. I should indeed have
been derelict in my duty If I had not
efficiently used all the power of the
government, where it could be legally
and properly used (as 1t was in this
case) to see that the panic was kept
within the smallest possible radius and
the damage caused as slight as possi-
BILE. You would better understand the
principle on which I acted If you would
rid yourself Of the idea that am try
ing to discriminate for or against any
man or corporation because he or 1t
is either wealthy or not wealthy. I
regard such discrimination in either
direction as utterly incompatible with
spirit of honesty and fair dealing.
base my distinctions on conduct, not
on relative wealth. When the same
men who were leaders in the steel cor
poration acted in connection with the
Northern Securities suit in a manner
which l regarded as contrary to the
law, by my direction a successful suit
was Immediately undertaken against
them If they violate the law in con-
nection with any act Of the steel cor
poration, 1 will Immediately proceed
against them. Until they do violate
the law they will be treated precisely
as any other corporation, great or
small, which obeys the law, Is treated.
Believes In Square Deal.
treat each man and each corpora
tion with a view solely as to whether
he or it is acting rightly on a given
occasion. Let me give you an example.
| have proceeded against the corpora
ticns Of which Mr. E. H. Hartman is
the head on certain points in which
believe they have violated the law.
But when in connection with the break
ing of the Salton sea dam, one Of the
Hartman corporations. repaired the
dam, last winter did everything
could to have congress reimburse Mr..
Hartman for so much Of the obligation
as felt ought to come upon the Unit
ed States. l would hold myself unfit
to be president If I prosecuted Mr..
Hartman where I thought he had
broken the law and yet hesitated to do
him justice where I thought the facts
required that justice should be done
him. In exactly the same way 1 have
acted and shall act as regards the steel
corporation.
You ask me to name a single official
connected with a law defying corpora
tion who has declared or will declare
that he is supporting you. In a St
Louis paper which reaches me at the
time that the papers containing this
published letter of yours 1 find a state
ment from Judge Henry S. Priest, at
torney for the Waters Pierce Oil COM
pany, the western subsidiary or repre-
sentative of the Standard Oil company