The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-11-16
HIS TRUST CURE.
Col. Roosevelt Suggests Remedy
for the Monopoly Evil.
Says Control and Not Annihila-
tiOn Is Needed.
HE WAS NOT MISLED.
Again Defends His Course in the
Tennessee Deal.
Believes the Steel Magnates Told
Him the Truth.
HE WAS NOT MISLED

New York. Nov. 16.-Recent htiga-
ton and legislation to regulate the
trusts is discussed. and remedy to
meet the present situation is suggested
by Theodore Roosevelt in an editorial
entitled The Trusts the People and
the Square DEAL published today IN
The Outlook.
THE suit against the steel trust by
the government Mr.. Roosevelt be-
gins. has brought vividly before our
people the need of reducing to order
our chaotic government policy as re-
CARDS business"
"The national government exercises
control over interstate commerce ran
ways, and it can in similar Lashloh,
through all appropriate governmental
body. exercise control over all Industrial
organizations engaged in Interstate
commerce This control should be ex-
ercised, not by the courts, pur Dy an
administrative bureau or board sucn as
the bureau of corporations or the IN
terstate commerce commission; 1or the
courts cannot with ADVANTAGE ferna-
nently perform executive ana dOillAnAsei a
tive functions"
Before taking up his general theme.
Mr.. Roosevelt pauses to deny that tne
representatives of the steel corporation
Ynisled him while he was president Re
ferrina to he suit against the steel
trust. he says:
Was Not Deceived.
zone of the grounds for the suit Is
the acquisition by the steel corpora
fiou of the Tennessee Coal and Iron
conpauv; and it has been alleged, on
the authority of the government OIL
Gals engaged in carrying on the SUIT.
that as regards this transaction was
misled by the representatives OF me
steel corporation and that the Iacts
were not accurately or truthfully ia1o
before me- This statement is not cor
rect I believed at the time that the
facts in the case were as represented
to me on behalf of the steel corpora
ton. and my further knowledge mas
convinced me that this was true L
believed at the time that the repre-
sentatives of the steel corporation toId
would be worked in the percentage OF
the business which the proposed &C
ouisition would give the steel corpor-
alton and further inquiry has con-
WINGED me that they did So 1 was not
ToisIed The Representatives OF the
steel corporation told the truth as
to what the effect of the action at
that time would be, and any statement
that I was misled and that the repre-
sentatiVes of the steel corporation dlu
not thus tell the truth as to the facts
of the case is itself not in accordance
with the truth
1T has been alleged that the pur-
chase by the steel corporation OF the
company gave the steel corporation
practically a monopoly of the south
ern iron ores"that Is, of the iron ores
south of the Potomac and the Ohio
Ny information. which I have every
reason to believe is accurate and not
successfully to be challenged, is that
of these southern iron ores, the steel
corporation has. including the proper
~ gained from the Tennessee Coal &
Iron company, less than 20 per cent
perhaps not over 16 per cent This
Is a very much smaller percentage
than the percentage it holds of the
Lake Superior ores, which, even after
the surrender of the Hill lease, will be
slightly over so per cent
Situation Unchanged.
According to my view. therefore,
and unless-which do not beneve
posi- ble-these figures can be success
fully challenged, the acquisition OF the
Tennessee Coal & Iron Co.'s ores in no
way changed the situation as regards
making the steel corporation mono
polv. The showing as to the percent
age of reduction of all kinds OF steel
ingota and steel castings in the United
States by the steel corporation ana by
ali other manufacturers respectively
makes an even stronger case It makes
the case even stronger than put II
in nv testimony before the investiga-
ing committee, for I was scrupulouSly
careful to make statements that erred,
II at all. against my own position
Returning to the main subject, Mr
Roosevelt continued:
aaTo attempt to meet whole problem
not by administrative governments
action but by a succession of Lawsuits
is hopeless from the standpoint oil
working out a permanently sat1sfac-
+orv solution. Moreover, the results
sought to be achieved are achieved
only in extremely insufficient anc
fragmentary measure by breaking uK
all big corporations. whether they
have behaved well or Ill, into number
of little corporations which it is per
fectIy certain will be largely and per
haps altogether under the same con
troll such action is harsh and mis-
chievous if the corporation is guilty o.
nothing except its size; and where, a.
in the case of the Standard Oil, ane
especially the tobacco trust, the cor
poration has been guilty of iTnmora
and anti-sOcial practices, there IS neet
for far more drastic and thorougi
going action than any that has beer
taken under the recent decree of thu
supreme court
The Tobacco Trust case.
I'm the case of the tobacco. trust
for instance the settlement in the cir
emit court, in which the representa-
lives of the government seem incline'
TO concur. practically leaves all of tn
companies still substantially under tn
control of % original defendant IS
S11ch a. result is lamentable from tn
standpoint of Justice. The decision o
the circuit court, If allowed to stanc
means that the tobacco trust ma
merely been obliged to change it
clothes, that none Of the real offender
have received any real punishment
surely miscarriage of Justice IS no
too strong a term to apply to such
result when considered in connectio
with what the supreme court said t
this trust.
THE effort to prohibit all combine
lions. good or bad, is bound to fail an
ought to fail; when made it merel
means that some of the worst COR d
nations re not checked and hones
cN..-.