Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-18
GREEN SAYS L nc. lisa TRUST
Editor Of Liberal Will Be Important
Witness at Investigation.
sT1Rs UP NEBRASKA FARMERS
ThrOueh Columns of His PaPoE He
PoIBts out that Consumer May
Repsdiate n Debt 60 Corpora
tfon that is = Trust.

W. Fl. Green. editor Of the Nebraska
Liberal, will probably be the most impor-
tant witness in the Investigation OF the
International Harvester company which
seems likely to be conducted by congress
next December. Mr.. Green has been Tor
years a resident Of Creighton. Neb.. and
was selling farm machinery when accord
ing TO his story, he incurred the dislike OF
the international Harvester company
through his criticism Of it's methods. the
company refused TO sell him any more
harvesterz. This was in 1906 and Mr. Green
his fighting blood stirred, established The
Nebraska Liberal" with which he essayed
to scalp the trust
The undertaking was not 80 foolhardy as
some may have thought. Within few
months the editor OF the ''Liberaf' was
recognized az a leader and was elected
president OF the Democratic State Press
association. He was nominated later as
democratic candidate for lieutenant gov
ernor. all because he was carrying on a
singie-hRnded fight against the 1nterna-
tional Harvester company. which he de-
clares to be a trust.
They have II in for me because say
what please said Mr.. Green. who was
in Omaha Thursday, on his way back
from Washington. and because I am stir
ring up the farmers TO take advantage OF
the Nebraska statute which allows a con-
sumner to repudiate a debt 20 a corpora
ton II he can prove that the creditor is a
trust That statute on our books Is very
much neglected but I have got men to
thinking about it's possibilities.
Called to Washington.
while I was In Washington. where ]
went in response to a request from the
attorney generals department, 1 was in
daily conference with Edward p. Grosve-
nor, who will probably have charge OF the
case II the attorney general brings a dis
solution suit against this trust. / was
asked IL the dissolution OF the trust would
help the consumer and l replied. The con-
sumner will be satisfied whenever the trusts
hesitate TO break the law and nothing else
will do any good,
Representative Foster of Illinois, chair
man Of the rules committee, introduced the
resolution asking for the congressional in
resolution by a committee of nine and It
will be brought up again in the winter.
The attorney general may start proceed
ings earlier, however, and from what ]
could learn something is sure to be done
either by congress or by the department
Attorneys for the harvester company
recently protested against the Foster reso-
luton, asserting that they ought to wait
for an investigation, which was begun
years ago by the Department of Commerc,
and Labor 1t is just the fact that three
or four years have already been wasted
in that investigation that Is making the
rest of the interested officials wonder about
it. Congress will go straight at It and
may get results"
Mr.. Green is a mild hammered man ant
does not look like belligerent fighter OF
the interests" although he admits Q
streak of anarchism in his blood, which h,
Inherited from his father, who left Penn
syivania thirty-two years ago as a striker
because of intolerable conditions in tn,
steel mills. La Toilette has the upper hant
now, he thinks, and that insures progress
That little Frenchman." said Mr.. Green
It's revengeful and they fried him in hi
own grease years ago. Now he has tn
upper hand, and these trusts and interest
will suffer for It."