The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-07
Trust Lobbyists
 As ''Farmers''
Their Crops Principally Lumber
 and Paper Trust Dividends
Using the Farmer" as a Cats paw to Defeat Reciprocity Aldrich's Monetary Commis- sion Dips Deeply Into Treasury Why Sugar Trust Magnates Are Not Prosecuted
By Tavenner.)

Washington, June That the farm CTS" principally interested in killing
 reciprocity are Wall Street farmers"
 whose "crops" consist chiefly of lum-
 Der and paper trust dividends, was re-
 vealed In testimony taken by the Sem | ate Finance committee.
 l It was shown that alleged attorneys | for the National Grange, are really professional lobbyists for the big tar | if trusts. Their argument when seek | ing business is that they can pull the necessary wires Yin Washington to de- | feat or bring about the passage of any | legislation they may be assigned up- | on.
 One was made to admit under cross examination that the anti-reciprocity 1 literature with which the agricultural
 districts have recently been flooded came direct from the lobbyist head | quarters within a stones throw of Wall Street. He also admitted that | the American Lumber Manufacturers | Association, the Pulp and Print Paper Association and the American Wool | Manufacturers Association Qumber | trust, paper trust and wool trust, re- | spectively) are among those who | pledged them selves to finance this holy | crusade for the farmers.
 These lobbyists have among their clients some of the best farmers in Wall Street. The firm was shown to have represented as lobbyists the | Whiskey Security Company, (whiskey trust) and the Standard Oil Company, | the latter of which organizations is | headed by John D. Rockefeller, whose occupation as big oil farmer is | beyond controversy.
 COMMISSION APPLY NAMED. It Is known now why Senator AL drich calls his lame duck commission a monetary" commission. It is be- cause it spends so much money. The Monetary commission, according to a | treasury report, has expended $207,- 13048 of the peoples money on Europ- can travel, meetings at famous sum- mer resorts, on manuscripts, book translations, monographs and mem- bers' salaries. The report also con- tains various insinuating entries that
 read account clerical force and per sons in attendance on commission The European trip cost s19, ,25O.18. It was nice summer trip and anybody | who has travelled with a Cook party will tell you that a select little party of half dozen can make mighty fine circuit of the continent for SIS, 9,250.18- The account is not itemiZed beyond this statement Indeed, Senator AL drich has fixed it so the commission
 may spend any amount of money it
 desires without consulting anyone, and
 without giving a detailed report to
 anyone. The former Senator is not
 hampered by any formalit1es what
 ever. He has only to reach into the
 treasury, get money and sign re-
 ceipt. It is appalling to contemplate what would happen to the treasury if all commissions and departments of the government were permitted to em- ploy similarly loose business methods while spending the peoples money.
 However, as a fresh-air fund to pro- mote the recuperation of lame ducks, the commission is manifestly a big success To this end witness the meeting of the commission at Nara gansett Pier in July, 1909. It takes monetary backing to go to Narragan- sett in July. The bill was s3,493.74!
 And Senator Cummins of Iowa Is sufficiently inconsiderate of the health of the lame ducks to contend that the commission is absolutely useless to the people, and that it ought to be abolished.
 CAT OUT OF BAG.
 Soon after President Taft entered started by members of Congress to bring about an investigation of the sugar trust. It was not partisan movement. Senator Borah of Idaho, Republican, introduced a sugar inves- tigation resolution in the Senate, and Campbell of Kansas introduced a similar one in the House
 The President was greatly displeas- ed. He sent a message to Congress advising against an investigation on the ground that 1t might give immun- ity to the men higher up-and other wise embarass the government The message was based on an opinion of
 yyoIx1 was inspiring Washington dispatches at the time with the impression that he was about to prosecute the men higher-up for the s2,000,000 sugar un- derweight frauds.
 Now comes the Attorney General with the statement, made under oath before a House Investigating Commit heads of the Sugar trust could be successfully prosecuted for the under weight frauds. He also says that they would not have secured immun- ity from prosecution had they testi- fled.
 by both the President and the attor- ney general as to why the sugar trust should not be investigated under a Re publican house, are now admitted to have been fictitious. l
 The real reason as to why the Re- Ol1CAnS were 10 permit a Congressional investigation of the su- gar trust now becomes debatable. Was it because the attorney general had been a former sugar trust attorney and was prejudiced in favor of the inno- cence of the men higher up? Was it because Henry P. Taft, the brother of the President. was a sugar trust at torney? Or was it because the su- gar trust has always been a friend and ally of the Republican party, and one of its star campaign contributors?
 RUNNING DOWN A CLUE.
 While investigating expenditures in the state department, where it cost s2oO to shoe four horses for a year the House Investigating committee struck upon a clue tending to show that an artist named Rosenthal had been paid ss50 for painting a portrait of Justice ". R. Day and that the s2.45o Rosenthal testified he had signed a blank voucher for ss5O. It appears that subsequently, someone made the voucher appear that Rosen- thai had acknowledged the receipt of s2,450.
 As it is the duty of the committee under the law to investigate the ex- penditures in the state department, Chairman Ramlin of Missouri ordered the state department to product it's books Instead of S=-sS>,cing the books Secretary of State Knox appear ed before the committee with a let ter from the President ordering him not to comply with the committees demands For the present. the mat ter ends here. Chairman Hamlin 1