Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1911-10-06
DEFENDS THE SUPREME COURT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE SAYS HIGH
TRIBUNAL SHOULD NOT BE
ATTACKED.
TWO GREAT DECISIONS"
THUS HE cHARAcTERIzEs FIND
INGs OF COURT IN STANDARD
OIL AND TOBACCO CASES

Pocatello, Idaho, Oct. 6.-In a
speech before the chamber of com
merce today, President Taft bitterly
assailed the critics of the United
States supreme court and asserted
anew his views as to the relation of
the government to business.
Il love judges and love courts,
said the president. "They are my
ideals on earth that typify what we
shall meet afterward in heaven under
a just God. And when court is do
ing its duty, when it is trying to in
terpret the law as it ought to be, to
have it condemned and attacked and
its motives questioned for mere poll
tical purposes without any solid
ground for attack, goes to my heart
and I resent it with deep indigna-
tion."
President Taft said he had received
many criticisms on the point, but as
yet he had failed to receive an an
swer to his challenge to w. J. Bryan
and other publicists, to cite a single
case of combination in restraint of
trade which ought to be condemned
and which would not be condemned
under the supreme courts interpreta
tion of the antitrust law in the Stand
ard Oil and Tobacco trust cases.
What distinguishes this country
from any other one" said the presi-
dent, "is the supreme court that we
have in washington, that oft has stood
between us and errors that might
have been committed that would have
been great injurors to the country,
and to turn upon that court and to
question its motives and to attack il
seems to me to lay the ak at the
root of the tree of our civilization
Mr.. Taft referred to the supreme
courts disposal of the Standard Oil
and Tobacco cases as 1.-TWO great de-
cisions."
"They we're two of the greatest
trusts that existed" he said, "and,
in the working out of the decree, the
court had to make a remedy. The
Standard Oil company presented all
the phases of illegality and criminal
ity necessary to establish monopoly
at a time when they did not feel the
necessity for concealing their me-
thods or their motives. The tobacco
trust represented an organization
made in anticipation of the operation
of the law, helped out by the advice
Of cunning lawyers in order to avoid
is operation. But against them both
now when we must get together for
been pronounced
Mr.. Taft said it was unfortunate
that the country had gotten into
condition that required remedy like
this. A remedy of any evil he said,
was bound to produce for time, not
business disaster, but difficult situa-
tion that might make business slow.
But after the solution had been work
cd out he saw no reason why the
country should not go to greater and
greater prosperity.
ITO one in my place" said the
president, There is no discretion
with reference to the trial of cases
brought to the attention of the exc
cutive as violations Of the law. The
prosecutions must go on. 1t is not for
the executive to say he can withhold
criminal prosecutions, or any kind of
prosecutions just to help business.
Business must reform itself, and these
executive duties must be performed
under the oath of office that took
and under the oath that those under
me took.
But when that part or the business
community that thought that the anti
trust statute did not mean anything
understands that it is to be enforced