The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-02-09
guishsd law stnOer sit up and take no

bOihSJ BSuSIdl ls SOOu loWyOA' DuS "
poor detective, and is utterly oblivlous
to the fact that he needs facts to es-
tablish a case. He argues the law
most learnedly, but seems utterly in
capable Of ascertaining the existence
of those incriminating acts which the
law was designed to punish"
Facts Indicated by the Evidence.
In association with Mr.. Stanley
agents of the American Antitrust
league have been working up the evil
dence in the case. am informed that
the foes of the trust promise to prove
at the hearings such significant facts
as these:
The directors Of the trust control
the manufacture and price Of steel
in the United States.
They form practically the dominat-
ing force on the directorates of the
great railway systems of the United
States.
They dominate the mobile banking
capital of the New York financial COM
munity.
The colossal financial resources Of
the three great New York insurance
companies are at their command.
Attack May Depress Business.
This is a prodigious and a danger
GUS power to be held in a few hands
even If the owners of those hands
are as responsible and as conserva-
tive as ]. PierpOnt Morgan and his as
sociates on the Steel trust directory.
And even their conservatism is a mat
ter of some question. Mr.. Stanley as
serts that Judge Gary threatens
boldly that to attack the steel trust
is to destroy prosperity in this coun-
try, and announces his power to pro-
duce panics and depression whenever
congress dares to do It,"
Nobody doubts the ability of the
steel trust magates to accomplish
this execrable task If they undertook
it-though perhaps in doing 1t they
might break themselves as did the
New York banks when they started
out to give congress an object les
son" in 1893 But merely by enforc-
ing curtailment of railway construc-
ton and expenditures they could bring
on a serious depression in business.
However 1t may be remarked paren-
thetically that a trust which sells in
Chilli for STATS per ton the same steel
rails that it purveys at home for 1913
is not unselfishly encouraging railway
H. hn TTnitAd Ctofnu
The criticism has been expressed
upon Mr.. Stanleys resolution that
being brought in at this short session
there will scarcely be time to get
action upon 1t, and, furthermore, that
If it is adopted the investigating COM
mittee will be Republican commit
tee and might be predisposed in IA
vor of the trust. But the Stanley
resolution provides for the selection
of the committee by the whole house,
not for its appointment by the speak
er. | am informed that the socalled
insurgent Republicans will join with
the Democrats and appoint commit
tee that will really investigate. If half
Representative Stanley in his COM
mittee address can be substartiated,
the attorney general will not only be
forced to proceed against the United
States Steel corporation, but will be
obliged to give some heed to Governor
Harmon's famous maxim: Guilt is
always personal"
The New Republican League.
And speaking of the insurgents,
they are beginning now to insurge to
some purpose. The establishment OF
the National Progressive Republican
league has, of course, been widely an
nounced through the press associa-
tions The character of its officers
and charter members give to it Pc
culiar political significance which
probably has not been SO generally
celebrated. To begin with, the presi-
! dent Is Senatore Bourne of Oregon,
who won a fleeting fame as the In
ventor of the phrase "a second elec-
toral term" and urging Roosevet's
| denomination on that theory. But
| Bourne deserves better fame for his
speech on the Oregon plan," in
which he admirably advocated every
progressive doctrine from the initia.
tive and referendum to the election OF
senators by direct vote of the people
All that program President Taft op
poses. The first vice-president Of the
league Is Representative Norris OF
| Nebraska, who precipitated the fight
on the Cannon rules and was for some
time ruled out of the White House
The treasurer is Charles R. Crane OF
Chicago, appointed minister to China
denied an audience with the secretary
of state for the purpose of getting in
structions and then peremptorily re
called after his family and his bag
gage were on the ship which was tc
take him to his post.
1t does not look lf15 4 very friendly
organization for President Taft Il
face In his effort to secure a genomi
nation, does it?
Nine United States senators, among
them Bristow, LaFollette. Beveridgt
and Cummins, sign the declaration o.
principles. Six governors and 13 rep
resentatives, one of the latter sena
or-elect-Poindexter of Washington
join. Among the unofficial signer'
are such thick-andTn1n Roosevelt
men as Clifford Pinchot and William
Allen White. But | am quite conf