The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-11-30

President Taft's Annual Mes
SAFE to Confress 10 In the
Hands of the Printer
ANOTHER rEMOCRAHC row

Steel Trust Has Developed an Ugly
Fight between Themselwes--Rock-
efeller and His Pastor Placed In q
Bad Lght-A Political MIx-Up-
Colonel Roosevelt VIII Not support
Amy Candidate for President
Mr.. Pfnchot and the Insurgent
Movement-Specula a. to Why
Judge Pritchard and K. G. Duncan
Should Announce simultaneously
That They Are for Taft.
Washington, D. c.. Nov. IS, 1911.
Especial to The Caucasian.)
A Republican from the western
part OF North Carolina. who was here
Monday. says that there Is no little
speculation in Western Carolina as TO
just why Judge Pritchard has sud-
denly come out in favor OF the re-
nomination OF President Taft. He
says that it has been generally under
stood for sometime, judging from the
way that a number of Judge Pritch
ards friends were talking, that he
and they were opposed to President
Taft.
1t is interesting to note that the
declaration Of Mr.. Duncan for Presi
dent Taft was made about the same
time that it became known that
Judge Pritchard had come out for
him.
A Row in the Steel Trust Invesigat-
ing Committee.
The committee appointed by the
Democratic Congress at the last ses-
sion, to investigate the steel trust,
has developed an ugly fight between
the Democratic members Of that COM
mittee.
When the committee met this fall,
1t seems that Mr.. Stanley, the Demo
cratic Chairman, wanted to proceed
with the investigation On certain
lines, while Mr.. Littleton, Democratic
Congressman from New York, op-
posed continuing the investigating
while the steel trust was being prose-
cuted in the courts under an action
brought by the Attorney-General m
der the Sherman antitrust law. This
brought On sharp words between the
Democratic majority members Of the
committee. One side charged that
the other was defending the steel
trust, while the other side charged
that those who were insisting on in
vestigating the trust now, were do
ing it to bear the stock market, to
help certain stock brokers in New
York.
It looks as If the committee will
have to stop investigating the steel
trust and proceed to investigate each
other, who are resting under these
serious charges made against each
other.
A Charge Against Mr.. Rockefeller.
Last week, two Merritt brothers,
from Minnesota, appeared before the
steel investigating committee and
made serious charges against John D.
Rockefeller, the head of the Standard
Oil Trust. They stated that they
were large owners in big iron ore
deposit in Minnesota, which has since
been gobbled up by the Standard Oil
people and the Steel people.
They say that certain Baptist
preacher, acting as their friend and
as a friend of Mr.. Rockefeller, came
to them several years ago and told
them that he could get Mr.. Rocke-
feller to lend them money to develop
their property, and that he did get
Mr.. Rockeller to lend them more than
$40O, 900. They testify that, later, Mr..
Rockefeller, through this preacher,
suddenly called the loan and squeezed
them out, taking over that property
which is to-day worth over $7,000,-
900.
Mr.. Rockefeller replies by produc-
ing a statement which the Merritt
brothers signed at the time of the
settlement with Mr.. Rockefeller to
the effect that they did not blame
MI. hOCk0l0u0T iOI uoinS any InAAS
wrong.
The Merritt brothers answer this
by saying that they did sign such a
statement, but they did it upon COM
pulsion and at the demand OF Mr..
Rockefeller and through the hope OF
saving something. They allege. how
ever, that Mr.. Rockefeller was heart
less and completely ruined them.
Mr.. Rockefeller's preacher is out
in another statement denouncing the
Merritts; but there comes, at this
stage of the proceedings, an interest
ing statement that Senator Clapp, of
Minnesota, was the attorney for the
Merritt brothers at the time, and that
he intends to go on the stand and tell