The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-09-17
OLNEY SAYS ISSUE
IS: OUGHT c. 0. T.
SUFFER A DEFEAT
Declares Steel Trust Effected
an Arrangement with
Administration.
GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP
HAS IN EFFECT ARRIVED"
Says Attempt of Executive to
Dictate Successor Merits
Decisive Rebuke.

In a letter to the New York World
Richard olney, former Secretary of
State, says:
The question is: Ought the Republi-
can party to be defeated in the pend
ing presidential campaign That is the
issue now before the American people.
An Illustration of the Roosevelt pol
lcles and their; working under the
roosevelt regime is furnished by the
sherman antitrust law and It's enforce
lnent. No one has the right to saw.
and no ono can truthfully ,and prop
erly say, that Mr.. Bryan would not
ehdeaVor to execute that law against
any and all offenders. But Mr.. Taft.
as the imitator of Roosevelt. NAV be
expected to distinguish-may be ex-
pected to find good trusts as welI as
pad-and, unless he Is prepared to go
pack upon his model, may be expected
10 select some violators for prosecution
INC punishment and to give others a
cohipletes immunity bath. That. at ali
events, Is the course that has been
pursued by the Roosevelt administra-
tion-Taft being a part thereof.
In the case of the Steel Trust. one of
the most gigantic monopolies or at
temptst al monopoly the world has eyer
seem not only -haye. no legal proceed
1nss against 1T ever been instituted. but
IL stands so high in the good graces o.
the administration that its latest ac-
QUESTION of a formidable competing, in
terest is understood to have been con.
doned In advance, and not to have been
erected until an arrangement with til.
executive had first been reached.
democrats, it is urged, should. not
vote for Bryan because he has declared
for government ownership of railroads
II government regulation proves a fail
ure, as he links it will. This declara-
ton, wholly unnecessary n from the
view point of his political fortunes de-
cidedly detrimental. has the redeeming
feature of demonstrating that Bryan
al least has the courage of his convic-
tons.
With this position of Bryan-which
is certainly open and square-compare
the position of the Roosevelt and Taft
combination. 1t processes hostility to
government ownership of railroads.
Yet. Notwithstanding its professions. it
Is at the same time doing the things
and advocating the things which lead
straight to government ownership and,
indeed. make 1t inevitable. Not con-
tent with government revision of rates
through the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, IL w~Genfands for the COM
mission the power to initiate rates and
the power to prescribe the securities
II III amount of securities railroad
corporations may issue. But hen a
government gets SO far as to dictate
the prices a corporation may charge
for what Il sells and to fix the capital
it may invest in its business and pre-
scribe the securities by which that
capital Is to be raised, government
ownership has in effect arrived.
Purity Deserves Rebuke.
Democrats, it is said. should vote for
Mr.. Taft Instead of Mr.. Bryan, because
Mr.. Taft's election means good business
and Mr.. Bryan's the reverse, But it
is the Roosevelt policies enforced by
the Roosevelt methods which have
brought bad business, and If Mr.. Taft
is elected and does what he is leading
the Roosevelt wing of his party to ex-
pect, he will continue both the Roose-
Welt policies n the Roosevelt methods.
It is evident that ne defeat of the
Republican party in the coming ma
tional election may properly be well
coined in all quarters asa decisive and
deserved rebuke' of the. attempt of a
national executive to dictate his sue
cessor.