The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-17
Pa sT,IAsrEn ~ PUNK.

r
PASTaI.tSTI1R IN PUNK.
Mir. Pomerene. the now United States
Senator from Ohio. whose beard is not
vet grown. has been making a good
deal Of stir in the American House
of Lords since he was sent to Wash-
ington In our dispatches yesterday
an account was given OF how he had
delivered "a prepared speech" calling
upon the Attorney General to under
take the criminal prosecution of tho
officers of the Standard Oil and Amer
lean Tobacco Companies under the re-
oent decision Of the Supreme Court OF
the United States against these two
corporations. There was n good deal
OF tinsel and sawdust and brass band
in Pomerenes speech. That is why 1t
was delivered we suppose, 1t Will
read we'll out in the country districts
of Ohio and at all the cross roads
stores in that State, where the men
assemble at stated times to white
sticks and chew tobacco, discussing
the affairs OF the nation meantime,
the word will spread from mouth TO
mouth and pole to pole that Pomerene
is the long looked for deliverer of the
peoples rights come at last into his
full estate of punk oratory the very
thing the groundlings most admire
In the opinion of the Ohio Senator.
the Interpretation of the sherman
Antitrust Law by the Supreme Court
is perfectly clear That will be news
TO a great many ooiectors throughout
the country, but it Is gratifying to
know that Pomerene understands it.
and thar. understanding 1t, he is
brave enough to insist that Congress
shall Instruct Wickersham. the Attor-
ney-General of the United States, as to
his duty and how he shall discharge
It, "a decent sense OF self-respect.v
said the Ohio senator. requires the
Government either 10 enforce this law
or to repeal it," and. therefore, he has
introduced a resolution expressing
the judgment OF Congress that the
Attorney General ought TO begin Grim
inal proceedings against the officers
OF the Standard Oil and Tobacco
Trusts lin order that the majesty OF
the law might he preserved"
The resolution is a good one, but it
does not go far enough A committee
should be appointed BY the two Houses
of Congress to examine all the material
IN the way of evidence and otherwise
the Attorney General has in hand, and
to direct him as TO whether he shall
proceed by writ of rouster or by the
ordinary methods used in such cases.
or BY we'll organized military move
ment The statement made by Mr..
Pomerene that Congress has made the
Attorney General and clothed him with
power In such cases is'true In sense !;
but as we look at 1t, Congress has
no more right to give SPECIFIC instruc-
tons to the Department Of Justice as
to what 1t shall do or shall not do In
the prosecution of this work than 1t
mas TO fix the time at which the farm
ers Of Ohio shall plant peas or feed
their stock
We can understand that Mr. Pom
creme has been much uplifted by his
sudden and wholly unexpected eleva-
ton into Senatorial dignity. but he is
talking far too much TO make him of
any real value to his State or to the
country The next thing we hear.
proba bly,, he Will be introducing reso-
lutions directing the President to in
form Congress as to all matters of
administration. and we should all like
to know what the President is think
ing about. and why he is thinking at
all when there are SO many able men
In the United States Senate who can
Keep the country Informed by means OF
prepared speeches" as to the duty and
obligations of those who have been
| entrusted with administrative func-
tions.