Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-06-26
sThsre Never Has Boon an Honest Ef.
fort 20 Enforce IL" Charges the Law
ysr-oresds tho Awakening and
Fears an Uphsaval In the United

the scandals Of the country for many
years. 1t has robbed the public and
ruined its would be competitors. But
It is no worse than many Of the others
in Its criminal methods and not quite
SO bad as some.
'This suddenly aroused virtuous abb
florence Of its methods is amusing. 1t
accidentally happens at the moment to
be the scapegoat, but as the govern
ment has waited until after the prin-
cipal offenders are dead It doesn't
much matter. Whenever the govern
ment really wants to bring the GRIM
inal rich who are managing these con-
spiracies that are notoriousfy violat-
ing the criminal law within the pen
altles Of that Law, 1t will not be Diff
cult. There never has been an honest,
Intelligent effort to enforce tho ample
provisions Of the law against any Of
tho monster monopolies.
'eThe government has had no trou-
BILE in convictins and driving out of
business a few poor, struggling, COM
paratively harmless combinations that
were put together to prevent bank
ruptcy and secure small profit. But
the financial buccaneers who have been
holding up the country in the neces-
stiles Of life, keeping out foreign COM
petition through the tariff at one end
and crushing home competition at the
other until the increase in cost Of liv-
Ing Is alarming, have remained i'm
mune until every lawyer who has had
to deal with this big question knows
that the pretended enforcement of the
law is huge farce.
EVERY time the government has
had a chance to enforce the criminal
provisions Of the law (Which consti-
tute the only effective part, the 9TH
ers being mainly academic) it has run.
There are always SO many reasons for
not doing things that 1t II never diff
cult to find one. We learned that les
son In the recent ventilation Of cor
porats dishonesty when every exposed
criminal went UNPUBLISHED, most Of
them back at the old game on slightly
modified lines. including the subsidiz-
ing Of part Of the press through ex-
travasant advertising at the policy
holders expense and jeering at the
discounted muck rakers'
I'VE al know that the ANTITRUST law
IS being openly douted and violated
every day by some Of the most power
full men In the land. There are num-
berless secret, unlawful pools to con-
troll prices and restrict production op-
Grating in New York today, many Of
them under written agreements that
are criminal conspiracies on their face.
"1f fraction Of the energy that is
wasted In smashing gambling house
doors and watching saloons, etc., were
expended in getting evidence that is
obtainnble we should soon be able to
bring this great evil under control.
Somehow or other it looks as If
the power Of these men is too much
for the government. The evidence Of
crimes has been for years available
to the public authorities IL they would
go about their task as they do in fer
reting out smugglers, counterfeiters,
postof1ice thieves and other classes of
criminals.
I'VE are told by a certain section Of
the press, and some gentlemen around
Wall street are regaining their SNUG
confidence in that belief, that there
has been a reaction in the public mind
against what they are pleased to call
Attacks on these criminal conspir-
acies.
"For the sake Of the country let us
hope these gentlemen are mistaken,
for IL they are right we shall have an
upheaval in this country as compared
to which the mild and harmless ex-
pcr1ments Of the last administration
will seem like a midsummer zephyr
alongside cyclone.
These pools and combinations arN
growing stronger and more numerous.
individual enterprise is being stran-
gled. Unless they are brought within
tho clutch Of the criminal law and de-
sttoycd the future is fraught with dan
ger. The only way to regulate them is
to bury them. So long as the presi-
Dent Of the United States can defy the
law by giving tt!;a::. Immunity a:d go
unrebuked the sentiment Of the coun-
try is callous.
II dread the awakening. We are
hysterical. press ridden people. and we
90 to extremes.
until the public mind is aroused to
a recognition Of the extent Of the evils
from which we are suffering and tho
far greater dangers that are threaten.
Ing US It is useless to attempt to bring
these men within the law. Their DOW
sr u 90 great that they are practically
ab6vc the law except when confronted
With IN aroused public opinion. I de-
veeed ny time and money to that serv.
~ In the life insurance fight at great
personal sacrifice and with the aid Of
thu most distinguished body Of public
spirited citsens ever got together
with only temporary results and Of
the most unsatisfactory kind, and We
had nothing for our pains but abuse
and Misrepresentation. IN the end
one Of the companies whose agents
had been forging ballots. when the
agents were caught in the act. waa