The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-05-11

surance to the American people and
the trusts that the Sherman anti trust
law will be strictly enforced except
when and where it might hurt the
trusts. AS soon as possible congress
will be prevailed upon to eliminate all
provisions and penalties of the law
that are Objectionable to the trusts.
1t was in line with this new interpre
tation of the Roosevelt policies that
Attorney General Wickersham had the
indictments against the beef trust
magnates dismissed in the federal
courts at Chicago, and there was no
difficulty in having this done by feder-
al judges who had set aside the $685.
100000 fine of the Standard Oil COM
pany and given the Rockefeller combi-
nation a clean bill of health.
Nothing to Fear.
At the recent New York Bar ASSOC
citation banquet at Sherrys, Joseph
H. Choate. who presided, made it clear
that the occasion was sort of love
feast because of the removal of the
sword of Damocles which Theodore
Roosevelt kept suspended over the
heads of the trust chiefs. Like a paean
of joy like a hallelujah of triumph
was this declaration from Mr.. Choate:
He (Wickersham) has been a cor
poration lawyer, a defender of institu-
tons which twelve months ago were
universally condemned. 1t is high time
thew had their innings. The best law
yers in the country are always cor
poration lawyers, for corporations
have large interests and require the
best minds and ablest lawyers to de-
fend their interests"
There is no mistaking the meaning
of these words. The trusts which were
made to fear the law by the Roosevelt
administration are now to have their
innings. The trusts are again in the
saddle booted and spurred and the
American people are saddled and
bridled or harnessed ready to be ridden
or driven.
NaqeI a Trust Man.
Another proof that the trusts are IN
the saddle, under the Taft administra-
ton is the presence Of Nagel, former
" an emplOye of the Standard OIL
company, as a member of the cabinet
In his position as head of the depart
ment of commerce and labor, Nagel
can save the Rockefeller interests from
troublesome investigation. 1t is now
easy to believe that John D. Rockefel
Ter was sincere when he declared near
the close of the late presidential cam
paign that he, as a loyal republican,
favored the election of Taft, believing
that the commercial interests of the
country would be safer under Taft than
under Bryan
= Still another convincing proof that
the trusts hold the whip hand in this
grand government "Of the people, by
the people and for the people" is the
fact that the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill
now before congress studiously pro-
tects monopolies by levying heavier
taxes upon the necessaries that enter
so largely into the cost of living for
the plain people while lowering the
duties on most of the luxuries used by
the rich.
Surrender Was Amiable.
That the Taft administration had
made an amiable surrender to the
trusts was plain enough before Joseph
H. Choate played the role of Burchard
by declaring with brutal frankness
that the trusts would now have their
innings. But even the wayfaring man
though a fool cannot fail to read and
understand the meaning of these words.
Wickersham made no effort to re-
Duke Choate, but contented himself
with a weak reminder that the Sher
man antitrust law is still on the stat
ate books and might be enforced in
some cases if it suited the pleasure of
the department of justice. 1t is possible
that it may be enforced against some
little trust or against some labor or
ganization, but the big trusts know
that they have no reason to be afraid
The immunity granted the beef trust
is an earnest of the metamorphosed
Roosevelt policies as interpreted by the
new administration.
Well, what of it? What are the Amer
lean people going to do about it? In
all probability they will become suffi-
GENTLY indignant to elect a democrat
ic house of representatives next year.
but it is doubtful if it go farther than
that. The democrats as usual will
miss their opportunity to elect a pres
ident in 1912, by nominating William
j. Bryan again, and that will mean a
second term for Taft. If any other
democrat is nominated Bryan will sulk
and lead his devoted followers to be-
lieve that the party has gone to the
demnition bow vows that Wall street
controls the nominee and that Taft is
more desirable than such a democrat
|, the party could win under such a
handicap it would be q nj 'a.le.
Lesson On Franchises.
Cities much smaller than New York
can learn a profitable lesson from the
study of conditions here brought about
by the reckless granting of long term
franchises for street railways, surface,
elevated and subway lines, to corpor-
ations without adequate compensation
The Ryan interests have gained pos
session of these lines one by one un
til they now have practically complete
control of the transportation facilities
of the metropolis Even the subway
built by the city has fallen into the
hands of Ryan under a rs year lease
These lines were so vastly overcapi-
f9lized by RYAN that thou oo11Il NOT