The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-10-30
ROckefeller's Declaration /
Favor of Judge Taft
Calls Forth Statement From
Democrat Candidate.
TAFT is FOR JOHN ID.
He Says 1t Is Merely a Case of
Reciprocity.
Declares Oil and Steel Trusts
Stand Together.

Napoleon, o., Oct. 30.-William ].
Bryan gave out a statement here to-
day commenting upon the declarations
of John d. Rockefeller, made in New
York that he would vote for William
H. Taft Mr.. Bryan said he was not
surprised at the declarations of Mr..
Rockefeller as the Standard Oil COM
pany and the Republican party have
been so closely related that many of
their interests are identical. Mr..
Bryan'S statement follows:
THE morning papers publish a
statement from Mr.. Rockefeller CIV
ing his reasons for supporting Mr..
Taft. He says:
If for no other reason 1 support
Mr.. Taft because on comparing him
personally with Mr.. Bryan, his chief
opponent l find the balance of fitness
and temperament entirely on his side.
The election of Mr.. Taft will, believe,
make for law and order and stability
of business. He is not man in
clined to rash experiments or to i'm
pede return of prosperity by ad
vocating measures subversive of in
dustrial progress
There are several things about
this statement that deserve attention.
The first clause says if for no other
reason but there already is reason.
He is for Mr.. Taft because Mr. Taft
is for him. He is for Mr.. Taft be-
cause Mr.. Taft is in sympathy with
the trusts. Mr.. Taft has been max
ing speeches. for many weeks and he
has not yet dweIt upon the iniquities
of the trusts or pointed out the
injustice done to the American people
by them. No wonder Mr.. Rockefeller
is for Mr.. Taft.
Again Mr.. Rockefeller says Mr.
Taft's election will make for law and
order. This is false. Mr.. Rockefeller's
corporation is the most notorious law
breaker in the United States and he is
for Mr.. Taft, because he does not want
the law enforced. If he thought that
Mr.. Taft would enforce the law against
the Standard Oil company and favored
the enactment of more stringent laws
against the Standard Oil company as
l do he would not be for Mr. Taft.
Mr.. Rockefeller also says that Mr..
Taft'S election will make for stability of
business What kind of business? Sta
bility in the trust business is what he
means. He thinks that Mr.. Taft's cleo
tion will enable the trusts to get a
tighter strangle grasp upon the Ameri-
can people and put their extortion upon
a more permanent foundation. He says
that Mr.. Taft is not a man inclined to
rash experiments. He might have omit
ted the word rash for Mr.. Taft is not
in favor of any kind of experiments in
the. way of remedial legislation. He
QOSS 1Ol pTOpOSe TSIn6Ql6S. ne Simply
glories in the past and wants to leave
conditions as they are.
Mr.. Rockefeller says that Mr.. Taft
would not advocate measures subver-
sive of industrial progress. but what
is industrial progress. Is it industrial
progress to allow one corporation to
swallow up or bankrupt all of the 9TH
-er corporations and then hold the
country at its mercy? Is it industrial
progress to destroy competition and
close the door of opportunity to the
young men of the country? Is it in
dustrial progress to destroy industrial
independence and establish a despot-
ism of monopoly?
1.-The Democrats have reason to be
grateful to Mr. Rockefeller for tear
ing the mask off the Republican cam
paign and revealing the duplicity that
has characterized it. Instead of open
ly attacking the side of monopoly the
Republican organization has kept up
a pretense of reform and Mr.. Roose-
welt rushed into the arena and allow
ed the charge that the trusts were op-
posed to Mr.. Taft to stand. 1 chal-
lenged him to name one trust officer
that was supporting me and not be-
ing able to find an official he named
St. Louis attorney who in one case
represented the president of a branch
of the Standard Oil company.
''Mr. Roosevelt, in his eagerness to
relieve the Republican candidate of
the OQ1um OF trust support accepted
this as proof that the Standard Oil
company was supporting me. Now
Mr.. Rockefeller, head of the STAN
dard Oil company, comes out openly
in support of Mr.. Taft and gives reas-
ons that lay bare the false pretenseS
upon which the Republican campaign
has been conducted. If the Repub-
lican party were honest it would an
nounce that having made arrange
ments with the trusts for the funds to
finance the campaign and having
pledged the Republican. party to pro-
tect the trusts from punishment, it
would release the rank and file of the
Republican party from further sup
port of the Republican ticket.
"The Republican party can not serve
two masters. Its real master has now
stepped forth and asserted his claim
to the party's services. No Republican
need be deceived any longer as to the
indissoluble bond that binds the Re-
publican organization to the predatory
interests of the country. 1t will be no
ticed that this statement comes out too
late to be used by the weekly newspa-
in time to be used in the business GEN.
ters to influence those business men
who look to the big financiers for ad-
vice.
Before taking UP another question:"
he said 'I want to say that we have
had another favor granted us this
morning. Mr.. Carnegie has come out
for Mr. Taft. Mr.. Carnegie holds the
largest block of steel bonds of any man
in the United States and he comes out
with Mr.. Rockefeller. And 1t was that
steel trust that went to the White
House and got permission from the
president to absorb a rival, and the
steel trust is today supporting Mr. Taft
as it helped to secure his nomination" 4"
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