The Detroit times., 1911-02-15
MORGAN'S HAND
IS SEEN IN PLOT
Gibson Gardner Throws Light on
Hitchcock's Scheme To Boost
Postal Rate on Magazines
Nv gibson GARDNER.

WASHINGTON, ID. c.. Feb. 10
The effort OF President TAFT and POST
master General Hitchcock TO put out
OF business such independent maya
zines as have refused TO be driven
into the Morgan publishing trust 10
meeting with desperate resistance.
washington Is filed with owners.
publishers and editors of magazines.
Conferences are being held ana plans
made tn secure hearing before the
blow Is struck. IL this Is refused pro
gressive Republicans viii unite win
progressive Democrats TO oppose the
administrations plan TO railroad the
Penrose amendment into law
Until last Saturday the editors OF
magazines could not believe that Sen
ators Penrose and Carter were seri-
Gus in their reported Intention 10 IN
crease the postal rate on the adver-
Using sections OF magazines from one
10 four cents an ounce. Such TAX
would be confiscation. Instead OF fur.
nishing new revenue and wiping out
the deficit, the changed rate wouio
put every popular magazine out OF
business.
Now the editors know that this Is
what the Penrose proposition Is IN
tended to accomplish. Word has gone
forth that Mr.. Morgan's publishing
trust Is the only refuge Tor the inde-
pendent magazines. Those VINO re-
fuse TO bend the knee Will feel the
blow which Mr.. Morgan's tools IN
Washington have planned to strike !.
Light il thrown on the character or
the legislative move by some happen
ings which preceded 1t. Those hap
penings have Just become known. A
number of weeks ago an attorney rep
resenting the Morgan banking trust
was named by President Taft to take
up the subject Of an increase In the
magazine postal rate with leading rep
resentatives of the larger magazines.
This was done. Several conferences
were held. and as result the impress
sion was left on the minds or the cd
itors that no action would be taken
during the present congress. These
conferences continued side by side
with the negotiations which resulted
in driving several OF the independent
magazines into the new Morgan maya
zine combine.
Suddenly the conferences came TO
an end at the same time that IL was
discovered that no more magazines
could be brought into the Morgan
trust without additional pressure.
The attorney appointed by Presf-
dent Taft dropped the negotiations,
and at once President Taft called
Senators Crane and Carter to the
White House and gave orders for the
introduction OF the Penrose amend
ment to the postal bill. There were
no hearings. There were no argu-
ments. Postmaster General Hitch
cock came TO the capital building and
was closeted with the committee be-
hind the locked door OF the commit
tee room.
Ii was Senator Bourne who, chanc-
ing TO be a member OF the committee,
brought the news OF what was hap
pening
Back OF the proposition to drive the
independent magazines Into the hands
of wall-st. Is the well known desire of
President Taft and Postmaster Gener-
al Hitchcock to avenge themselves
for criticism at the hands OF indie
pendent writer's like Ida Tarbell. Ray
Stannard Baker, Finley Peter Dunno
and Lincoln Steffens.
President Taft Is credited with the
strange idea that move like this
will silence opposition to his admin
istration from this quarter and clear
the way for his nomination for Sec
ond term.
In working out the triple purpose
of satisfying spleen. helping Morgan
and silencing future opposition, the
administration relies for help on
scores of special privilege senators
and representatives who have them
selves suffered from truthful exposure
and have been anxious for some
chance TO strike back at the independ-
ent magazines.
Behind the attack are also the rail-
roads and the express monopoly. The
latter hopes for business which would
be driven from the mails. The rail-
roads wish TO divert attention from
the demand for the reorganization OF
the entire postal service, a step which
would show the favoritism and graft
which really account for postal de-
ficits year after year.
But what rs most desired--the con-
sideration which makes this attack
most dangerous--is the determination
of the Taft administration to club the
independent magazines into subservi.
ence or the ditch. Taft DEGREES that
what he calls the Undertaking maya
zine" must be suppressed. IL the 9th.
er magazines are suppressed along
with them, so much the worse for
them. Let them go to Mr.. Morgan
and be saved"