The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-01-12
CJLBERSON.S ABLE ANSWER.

| Roosevelt should be amended. is
plain and mandatory. Under its pro-
visions no executive officer has the
right to wink at violations but must
SEQ that they are punished. Because
the law is so plain the trusts are work
ing to secure such amendments to the
| law as will emasculate it, and in ms
| last message Mr.. Roosevelt recon-
mended such amendments as the
trusts desire.
Some weeks ago Senator Culberson
a resolution calling upon
the Attorney General, n ofhcer
| charged with the duty of executing
the antitrust law. to state whether
he had brought an action against the
Steel Trust because of the acquisition
of the Tennessee one OF It's
competitors, and if not, the reason Tor
his nOn-actiOn. The absorption OF
hat by the Steel Trust was
| a clear violation OF the Sherman anti
trust law which Mr.. Ronaparte had
| sworn to enforce. Instead of permit
ting his Attorney General to answer
| the resolution, the President makes
reply assuming full responsibility for
the failure to execute the plain law.
| He SAYS. in substance. that Judge Gary
and Mr.. Frick-heads of the Steel
Trust and leading bankers-repre-
scented to him hat unless the Steel
| Trust was allowed to absorb the Ten
/ nessee company then in financial trou-
| BILE "a general smash-up and panic
would ensue. He said those steel men
declared they did not wish to buy the
company, but would do so to save the
country from a ''smasn-up'' if assured
not be punished. Under the circum-
stances the President says Il answered
hat while of course / could not adj
wise them to take the action proposed
I felt it no public duty of mine to
interpose any objection"-and he had
taken an oath to punish violations of
the Sherman antitrust law which the
| purchase violated. Nobody except Mr..
Roosevelt believes q word Gary and
| Frick said about not wishing to buy
the Tennessee Coal. and Iron Com
pany. Indeed it is generally believed
they had long had their eyes upon it
ana SelZeO upon the IIldncldl tTOuDle
to gobble it up and to do SO by execu-
tive violations of the law and pose
as the phiIanthropic savers of national
prosperity than in their real attitude
of criminals.
Senator Culberson's answer to the
Presidents remarkable avoWal that in
effect asserts the right of the eXecu-
| two 70 narppit n >in1ofinn# of tho crimi-
nal law, when, in his judgment. that
law should be violated, was dignified
and able. He declared that the Pres
ident's attitude surprised nobody be-
cause it was characteristic of the dis
tinguished occupant of the White
House" and but a natural and logical
corro1ary to the main dogma of his
message that he is absolveo from any
legal restraint whatever and he
added that this action shows that one
more arbitrary and lawless act of an
important nature has been traced to
the Chief Magistrate of the country,
| who is solemnly obligted by the Con-
stitution not only to obey the law him
self, but to take care that it is faith
fully executed by others" AT the very
time, too, that the Attorney General
was in receipt of a letter from the
President virtually directing him to
permit the Steel Trust to violate the
law, the Attorney General was prose
cutting the Tobacco trust which was
convicted. Judge Lacombie said of
the Tobacco Trust that it made no diff
ference whether through che enter
prise Of the Tobacco Trust it had at
large expense opened or developed
new markets for American tobacco in
China, India or Japan. that the alb
sOrptiOn of independent companies by
the Tobacco Trust, however small
those companies may have been or
how inappreciable their business, was
d contract or combination in violation
of the Sherman law. And yet the
Steel Trust gets Presidential permits
sion to violate the law while the To-
bacco Trust is convicted for doing the
very thing the President permitted the
Steel Trust to do.
The respons Of the president
said Mr.. CulbersoH, lis a full and
complete-answer to the resolution of
the Senate. 1t shows that no action
has been taken by the Department of
Justice and that none has been taken
because the President took the matter
in his own hands, as is not infrc-
Quently the case. 1t shows further
that one other arbitrary and lawlcss
act Of an important nature has been
traced to the thief Magistrate of the
country. III is solemnly obliged by
the Constitution not only to obey the
law himself, but to take care that it
is faithfully executed by others"
Mr.. K~oosevelts trust policy is to let
the Steel Trust and such other trusts
as be chooses to favor to violate the
law while bowling in q loud voice in
denunciation of such trusts as have not
journeyed to the White House to ask
the royal permission to run rough
Shod over the law.
Men have been driven from office
for less usurpation of power that Mr.