The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-26
Believes All Problems of Gov
eminent Will Be Solved.
STRUGGLE HARD ONE
Calls Attention to Failure of
Litigation Against Trusts.
Opening Day at Garfield Park a
Pronounced Success.

dress last evening by Governor Her
bert S. Hadley before almost
capacity audience. In introducing
the speaker Governor Walter Roscoe
Stubbs said: IT am proud of the fact
that this man is product of the
state of Kansas and that when Mis-
souri, wanted to get a good governor
they were compelled to come over
here to Kansas for him. He is a man
of the highest type of citizenship 1iv
ing today and he stands for the high
Ideals exemp1ihed by our last presi
dent, Theodore Roosevelt"
The address given by Governor
Hadley was an able one, and the as
sembly was held in rapt attention.
The subject of the discourse was
1.-THE Rules of Business and the Laws
of Men," and what he said related,
in general way. to discussion of
the trust and railroad question ana
the efforts of the state and national
governments to deal with both of
these questions.
He said at the beginning that he
felt like apologizing for talking about
subjects that had been SO completely
exhausted, but that he realized that
when one was expected by reason of
official activities, to discuss railroads
and trusts. he disappoints if he dis
cusses Hamlet
He said. in part: 81 realize that 1
would incorrectly express the feelings
of the people of the state whom I
have the honor to represent. as well
as the feelings of the people of this
state, if 1 could offer you nothing to-
day except jeremiad as to the exist
ing conditions in our public life and
commercial affairs. That evils exist
today, both in our public life and
commercial affairs, no one can deny,
and that evils will continue to arise
In the future is as sure as fate. But
the spirit of pessimism never righted
a wrong nor solved a problem. the
optimism and hopefulness of the peo-
pie of this country is one of the best
guarantees that we Will meet ana
solve, and solve successfully, the
different problems that arise to con-
front us. It would, however, be the
height of folly to refuse to recognize
the evidence of difficulties or of con-
troversies. to understand them fully
and to discuss plainly the proper
methods for their correction. That
there exists today and has existed IN
the past conflict between the rules
of business and the laws of men has
been written plainly in the records
of our criminal courts and in the
pages of the reports or 1nvestlgatlons
conducted by the nation and the
state. That this controversy will con-
tinue is a fact that all familiar with
conditions well recognize. And that
the methods adopted by the state and
national governments IN their en-
competition in the world OF trade
have not been entirely successful. is
demonstrated by the results OF the
prosecutions that have been IN
stituted by the national government
and by the states against COM
biuations and trusts.
"Even where cases have been sue
cessfully prosecuted against the trust
nv the national government or the
states, the Judgment of the court has
apparently been imperative and 1nef.
fectual to secure discontinuance OF
the evils complained of. Take the
beef trust for example. The govern
ment brought a civil suit in Chicago
to dissolve it, The United States cir
cult court overru1ed the demurrer of
the packing companies and entered
Judgment dissolving and enjoining the
combination alleged to exist among
the defendants. The beef trust ap-
pealed to the supreme court of the
United States which, in turn, affirmed
what came of it? The beef trust still
exists with power to fix the price of
cattle to the producer and the price
of beef to the consumer.
The Northern Securities Case.
.The Northern Securities case will
likewise serve as an example. That
was also a battle with no casualties.
The consolidation of the Great North
ern. the Northern Pacific and the Bur-
Iington in the form of a holding COM
panv the Northern Securities COM
pany. was declared unlawful by the
supreme court of the United States,
and ret the consolidation still exists in
another form and no lesson was ap-
parentIy learned by our captains of in
dustry from the decision. They still
continue to buy up one railroad with
the earnings or the proceeds from the
sale of bonds of another, without
reference to the question as to wheth-
er it is a connecting or competing line.
The experience has been the same
abou. two years ago, with quite dis
play of satisfaction, that the national
government had secured an important
decision from the supreme court of the
United States against the paper trust
and the tobacco trust. But it is to be
noted that the price of paper has not
declined and the newspap ers are just
as anxious as ever for the repeal of
the tariff on wood pulp. The tobacco
trust, in one form or other, seems to
be still in control of the situation and
the complaints of the tobacco growers
of the south have not decreased either
in number or in intensity. The efforts
Of the states have been equally inef-
fective. In 1890, Ohio dissolved the
Standard Oil trust. But the nine trus-
tees who controlled that trust simply
became nine directors in a New Jersey
corporation and the trust continued.
Texas ousted the Standard Oil COM
pany some ten years later, but the
company got a new charter between
two days and continued business with
out so much as discharging an en-
ploye or changing the signs of its
business And all the time the price
of refined oil continued to advance to
the consumer, and the price of petro-
leum to decline to the producer. The
state of New York successfully prose
cuted suit resulting in a classic de-
cision against the sugar trust. But no
one has been so optimistic as to con-
tend that the existence and operation
of the sugar trust has been seriously
impaired.
Convicting the Trusts.
"In Missouri, the courts convicted
the Insurance Trust and the Beef
Trust and imposed fines. But neither
combination changed its plan of or