New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1910-05-11
VITAL WASHINGTON NEWS
BY Tavenner, Staff Washington, Correspon-
dent of this newspaper.

dent of this newspaper.
Washington, May 7th.-The Demo-
Gratis, assisted by a handful of fighting
progressive Republicans, have forced
a Republican administration to aban-
don some OF the worst of the corpora
tion-serving clauses placed in the
railroad regulation bill by Attorney
General Wickersham.
Wickersham framed this bill after a
conference with six railroad presi-
dents. Wall street knew long before
the public appearance of the bill that
it would be so drawn as to annul that
feature of the Sherman antitrust law
which prevents mergers. Railroad
interests bought and sold stock on the
strength of their advance information.
It is not plain as yetewho supplied
Wall street with information as.to the
kind of bill Wickersham would
draft.
Had the bill become aalaw as pre-
pared by the attorney general, it
would have practically destroyed all
that has been accomplished in the last
twenty years to give the government
some measure of control over the rail-
roads of the country.
No attorney general of the United
States has ever been revealed in just
the position Mr.. Wickersham now
occupies.
Instead of having drawn bill that
would tend to place greater safe
guards about the rights of the people,
as might naturally be expected from a
public officer who is receiving asalary
on the assumption that his Office is
giving such protection to the people,
Wickersham has been charged on the
floor of the Senate with having attemp-
ted to take from the masses even such
inadequate safeguards as they now
enjoy, while at the same time giving
the corporate interests the right to
merge and do other things that the
Sherman law has forbidden them from
doing.
At the time of Wickersham' appoint
ment it was averred that he had been
selected by President Taft in difference
to the wishes OF the corporations of
the country, who had spent money and
coerced workingmen to vote the Re-
publican ticket, and who demanded as
compensation for this service the pri-
vilege of naming the attorney general.
The feverish interest of special pri-
vilege in this Office may be realized at
full value when it is understood that
the attorney general is in absolute
charge of the prosecuting machinery
of the government.
Whether understands appointment
really was the result of a prediction
arrangement or not, the trusts have
had no occasion to be dissatisfied with
the Presidents selection. Whenever
the rights of the people and special
privilege come into conflict, Mr..
Wickersham decides favorably to the
corporate interests and against the
people. Some assert that Wickers-
ham leans toward the corporations
because of his temperament, and
others attribute his attitude to force
Of habit, he having long been cor
poration lawyer in New York. What
ever the reason, the records of the
Attorney Generals Office show that
Wickersham's opinions are invariably
favorable to the big campaign fund
contributing corporations.
President Taft's definition of
Republican" member of Congress is
one who will vote for legislation in
dorsed by him whether said Congress-
man believes the legislation is good
or bad.
The President complains that the
insurgents visit him at the White
House and assure him of their great
personal respect and well-wishes, and
then go to the Capitol and vote
against his railroad regulation bill.
why do you act this way?' a
progressive Republican was asked.
DO you not respect the President of
the United States?''
81 do. indeed, respect the President,
both personally and officially was.
the reply. But I have even more
respect for the welfare of 10000, 900
people of this country. The President
sends the Congress railroad regula-
ton bill which absolutely annuls the
Sherman anti-trust law. Along with
the bill comes the ultimatum that our
vote on this measure will be consider