Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-06-14
TAFT ADMINISTRATION TO FALL
HEIR TO BENEFIT OF COR.
PoRATIoN SUITS.
UNITED STATES STEEL AND
HARVESTER TRUST NEXT
More Prestige to Be Gained From These
Prosecutions Than From Oil and To-
baceo Cases-Prices Of Products
Como Nearer to Poeketbooks Of Peo-
pie Who Have the Votes.
Especial Correspondence

Washington, June 1.-THE depart
ment of justice is paving the way as
rapidly as possible for attacks under
the Sherman law against two Of the
greatest corporations and alleged COM
binations in restraint Of trade in the
country. These are the United States
Steel Corporation and the international
Harvester Company.
Rumors pro and con on the question
of whether the government will pros
ecUte these corporations have been
floating about for weeks and months.
The facts are the department of Jus
tice is getting ready TO prosecute both
of them. Investigations of each one
are under way.
The Importance Of these proposed
prosecutions from business and in
dUstrial standpoint is obvious. In addl-
ton. they have a large political inn
portance. In political way, 1t is
probable that the prosecution of the
steel corporation and the harvester
trust would work a larger influence
than either the Standard Oil prosecu-
ton or the attack on the tobacco trust
Politicians See Point.
Shrewd politicians in Washington
are not overlooking this They are
pointing out that if the administration
assails the steel corporation and the
harvester trust it Will be extremely
popular with large share Of the pub
lie and especially with the farmers
The farmers have long been in the
clutches Of the harvester trust for their
For rbeI. heliaya and
the steel corporation has been extract
ing good prices from them for barbed
wire and other articles Of constant
necessity on the farm. 1t needs nc
prophet to see that President Taft and
Attorney General Wickersham will get
lot of CONNIE rdation from the agri-
cultural regions if they set out to crush
these combinations.
Democrats Help Adninistra alton.
In this connection, II Is pointed out
! that the house leaders are playing poll
F., itics of doubtful value to the democrats
in going after the steel corporation.
| looks much as If they were doing the
very thing calculated to help the ad'
rninistration The Stanley committee
thus far has brought out little that was
not known before save academic ex-
pressions Of views on corporation mat
ters, 1t has succeeded IN portrayins
pretty clearly some Of the methods OF
the steel corporation But II the ad-
minis tration turns in and sues to crush
steel, in the opinion Of good many
who have been watching the situation
i, will be the nresiden: and not the
democratic house that viii! get the
credit in the eyes of the country. Ihat
is, the Stanley will kick up the dust
over steel and beat the tomtoms about
it and at the proper psychological mo-
ment the administration will walk IN
and grapple with the octopus in 1ull
view Of the whole audience.
President Taft has no doubt alienat-
ed some part of the farmers by his
support Of reciprocity. No indication is
given that he has alieEated as many as
the foes of reciprocity aLege. But still
he has estranged some. Successful at
tack of the steel and harvester com :
b!nat!ons might completely overshadow
any loss Of support growing out OF rec
iprocity which the president has sur
fered.