New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-05
President Swings to the North
and Back, While Roosevelt
Follows q Trail from
! East to West.
HARVESTER BLAME PLACED
Executive, at a Great Meeting in
Baltimore, Asserts Ex -Presi-
dent Stopped Prosecution
When Perkins Threat
ened to Fight.

Baltimore MAY 4-The Maryland pri-
mary campaign closed tonight the hot
test ever waged in Maryland The six
teen votes which the state will have in
the national conventions will he deter
mined by the personal preference for
Presidential candidates expressed h. the
voters on Monday.
Both President Taft and Theodore
Roosevelt were in the state tonight.
Leading the fight up 10 the last hour.
After bisecting the state from north
70 south yesterday Colonel Roosevelt
crossed it to-day from east to west. and
delivered his parting shot tonight at
Cumberland. on the edge Of the Alle-
ghanies. The President entered the state
early to-day. and after blazing a trail
almost to the northern boundary and
back again. made his last appeal in Bal
tinore tonight.
Although brief. the campaign has been
vigorously conducted. All the candi-
dates whose names appear on the pri-
mary ballots, Taft. Roosevelt. Clark.
Harmon and Wilson. have visited the
state during the short three weeks since
the new primary bill became a Law.
coIorel Stopped Harvester Probe.
In the closing speech Of campaign
trip Of fourteen hours through MARYLAND,
President Taft added new chapter TO
the history Of the Harvester trust here
tonight Speaking to an audience that
filed the Lyric Theatre to the doors, Mr..
TAFT declared that Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt did prevent the prosecution Of
that trust after George ". Perkins. one
Of its directors. and now Roosevelt
supporter. had asked that the trust be
notstaken into the courts. The Presi-
dent intmated that Charles J. Bonaparte,
Attorney General under Mr. Roosevelt.
was mistaken" when he said that he
CMr TofD was present at a Cabinet
meeting which decided against prosecu-
ton. and said that the diary Of Herbert
Knox Smith. then and now head of the
Bureau Of Corporations, proved that AT
the time referred to he was on a trip
around the world.
Mr.. Taft's explanation of the Harvester
points on which he attacked Colonel
Roosevelt. lie said that his predecessors 5
attitude toward the trusts showed clear
~ that he wished 10 perfect benevo-
lent "despotism' that would discrimi-
nate between the good and the bad
trusts. He insisted that Mr.. Roosevelt
was striving To make this campaign one
A. i
be arrayed against him who had more.
In concise form he listed the achieve
ments Of his administration and the
charges which Mr.. Roosevelt has made
against IT, declaring that in his term in
the White House there had been more
progressive legislation enacted than in
any previous Presidents term since the
Civil War.
Perkins Threatened TO Fight
The Presidents Baltimore speech was
delivered just before he left for Wash
ington, where he will take breakfast and
luncheon before leaving there for Gin
cinnati for short stay. In it he said, in
part:
The truth about the harvester trust Is
that Mr.. Bonaparte thought 1t ought TO lie
prosecuted. George w. Perkins. who was a
director in the harvester trust, then d dircC-
tor in the steel trust and also a member
of the firm Of Morgan Co., came over
10 Washington and pleaded with Herbert
Knox Smith. Of the Bureau Of Corpora
tons, not to bring the suit, and induced
Nr. Smith TO make a report to Mr.. Roose-
welt m which he set forth the fact that the
steel trust and the harvester trust and
the other Morgan interests had attempted
10 carry out Mr.. Roosevelts idea of public
ity, and. therefore. they ought not TO be
subjected TO prosecution under the anti
trust law, even though they were technical
ly guilty, threatening that II they were
prosecuted they would fight the adminstra-
ton. would give them no more access to
their books and would conduct themselves
in opposition TO the administration
The result was that Mr. smith made a re-
velt in which he detailed this conversa-
ton and recommended that no suit be
brought until he had made a full investi-
cation OF the harvester trust, Before this
report was made by the Assistant DIG
trict Attorney Of North Dakota and by the
District Attorney OF Minnesota that there
was ground for prosecuting the harvester
trust and that this trust had violated the
antitrust law.
Between September q and November I
the matter was under consideration. and
on November the President directed Her
bert Knox Smith to notify Mr.. Perkins
that no prosecution would be begun until
after the investigation. That settled the
matter because that Is what Mr.. Perkins
Now, Mr. Roosevelt says that / was pres
cnt at the Cabinet meeting in which IL was
decided not 10 prosecute the trust until
after the investigation. Az a matter OF
fact, l was not in the country between
August and December. I had been TO the
Philippines and was on my way around
the world Mr. Bonaparte says that the
Cabinet meeting took place I'm January.
This is altogether a mistake. as " Is
shown by Mr. Smiths diary that the mat
ter wes decided In November. Discussions,
therefore, could not have been had with q
view 20 deciding anything, because the de
ciEion had already been made and Mr..
Perkins had been notified that his applica-
ton had been granted
The President said he was not attack
ing Colonel Roosevelt "as Influenced by
improper motives toward the trusts" but
that he vas pointing out that the colo
nels position was weak in view Of the
hnancing Of the Roosevelt campaign
Mr.. Roosevelt's assumption of virtue
Is so intense that II is sufficient 10 purify
sny one when he becomes a supporter Of
Mr. Roosevelt even though IL be trust
and even though IL be a director Of a
trust contributing 10 his campaign
In other words, when the facts are
shown with reference 10 his failing TO
prosecute certain trusts and With refer
ence 10 contributors from q directing
oincer OF such trusts, II hardly lies in
MS mouth, rs . matter Of the square
oesl To charge ne with being controlled