The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-03

seat. to be filled by Indiana, the home State of the Democratic Vice Presi- dent candidate.
 During the campaign the Indepen- dence League, founded by William R. Hearst, caused consternation In the Democratic camp by attacking Charles N. Haskell, the Democratic treasurer, alleging that he was an old tool of the Standard oil. Mir. Haskell resigned under fire. Herman Ridjer of New York took his place. The leagues candidate for President was Thomas L. Hisgen of Massachusetts.
 Others mentioned in Standard oil letters read by Hearst were Senator Bailey of Texas. former Senator Mo- Laurin of South Carolina, Senator Foraker of Ohio, former Congressman Joseph Sibley of Pennsylvania, and certain Judges of that State. John D. Archboid wrote the letters for the oil company which Hearst made pub lie.
 Twelve days after our election Cuba elected as it's second President Miguel Gomez.
 Federal Battles with the Trusts.
 These disclosures also added inter- est to the Governments suit to dis- solve the Standard oil on the ground tudt IL IS n HUHORolys IUnu ~. IsoNA efeller, its chief mentor. took the stand in New York in November vol- untarily and told how he built up the corporation from as4.ooo to a $6s5,o0o.- 900 concern, mostly on borrowed money. He was forced to confess that the Standard profted hugely by talk ing rebates and forcing rivals to pay terminal charges and other fees be- cause of monopoiistic privileges po- sessed by the Standard. Meantime the famous 2s,o0o,oo0 fine imposed by Judge Landis upon the Standard oil Company of Indiana was upset by the decisions of two higher courts. the case now having been brought before the United States Supreme Court.
 As a result of the Governments war on the Tobacco Trust. the vast cor poration headed by J. B. Duke was declared illegal on November by the Circuit Court of New York. Judge Coxe In his opinion said that the trust in some of its branches controlled s5 per cent Of the tobacco business of the country.
 Popular feeling against the trust be- came so infiamed in the tobacco reg ions of Kentucky, Tennessee. Arkan- sas. Mississippi. Georgia and Alabama, where, despite the vast earnings of the monopoly. growers were being paid less and less for raw material, that in many places the farmers and their allies adopted Ku Kluy methods to ob- tain higher prices. In the "Black Patch. district of western Kentucky and northwestern Tennessee. the whip, gun and torch were used so frequent ly and wantoniy that veritable reign of terrior prevailed.
 Farmers who would not join in holding back their tobacco. or sold to the trust before the time agreed upon by their neighbors, as well as lawyers, doctors and business men who had any dealings whatever with the tTusts were visited by night riders." and either brutally punished or murdered Meanwhile, tobacco prices increased from s4 to ss and more a hundred and bank deposits in the Black Patch were quadrupled.
 The atrocious murder. on October 20, of Captain Quentin Rankin by night riding squatters, who were be- ing prevented from fishing in Reel fool Lake. in northwestern Tennessee. prompted Governor Patterson of Ten- nsssee to propose that the Governors of the six States threatened by the night riders combine in checking their lawlessness. Governor Patterson brought about the capture of ninety prisoners, from some of whom con- fessions were obtained showing how thoroughly the slayers of Rankin were organized.
 In New England another alleged trust, the New York. New Haven & Hartford Railroad. received a legal setback at the hands of the Federal the company from buying stock con- kTAI n% hn R, Maine Gvfah n expansion of the road, 1t was charg- ed, would create a railroad monopoly in New England. A remarkable deal was then put through. by means of which Wall street believes that the New Haven and the New York Central obtained control of the B. 6 M. so that the two roads can divide New England's trafac between them. John L. Billiard of Meriden. Conn. former ly thought to be worth no more than million. Announced that he had something like $14000,000 Knowl- edge of this disposition of the prop erty became public in September.
 For the purpose of developing the natural resources of the country for the general good of the public Presi- dent Roosevelt called a conference in June of all the Governors of States and Territories each being also asked to invite three men from his State as additional members of the congress. Such eminent private citizens as W. J. Bryan. J. J. Hill and John Mitchell were present and addressed the gather ing. Particular attention was called by many speakers to the necessity of preserving the forests. as well as the supplies of ores, coal and natural gas against private usurpation and waste. Irrigation, swamp drainage, as we'll as the protection and improvement of rivers for navigation and water power were also advocated as absolutely es- sential to the proper commercial de- velopment of the country, and the Governors effected permanent organi- zation whose object is to further con- servation of our natural resources, A second meeting of the Governors was held in Washington beginning Dec ember and was presided over by Presl- dent-elect Taft.
 The Sixtleth Congress and Its Work.
 The first session of the Sixtieth Con- gress adjourned on May 30. Besides the Emergency Currency bill 1t enacted several important statutes. It made the militia an integral part of the nation al military establishment; authorized the construction of two battleships of is to cost $600O, 900: reorganized the Consular service and modified the Customs law: enacted a new Employers Liability law as a substitute for the one declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court; appropriated $2s,227. .0oG for the Panama Canal, and remitted S10. 800, 900 of the indemnity from China resulting from the Boxer inEurrec- ton.
 Eleven conventions proposed by the