New-York tribune., 1912-08-31
COLONEL OLD ALLY OF
PERKINS" "--HANSBROUGH
Ex-senator Tells Roosevelt
"Wa|I Street Scout" Blocked
Justice in 1902.
TRUSTS AID PROGRESSIVES
Former President in Open Let
ter Is Branded as a Foe To
Be Most Dreaded by
the People.

tue IeOple.
In M open letter to Colonel Roosevelt
ex-senator Henry g. Hansbrough. az
North Dakota. chides the former Prcsi-
dent for leaving the impression In his
recent Boston speech that his acquaint-
ance with George W Perkins began with
| the present campaign.
"1n my Judgment" says Mr.. Hans
hrough. ''one admonishlnG word to Mr.
Perkins from the President Of the United
States In 1902 would have put an end TO
/ his efforts in creating the present .monop-
oily In agricultural machinery Instead
Mr.. Perkins was welcome visitor. a
confidential adviser. at the White House.
and to my personal knowledge, exerted
powerful influence In blocking the wheels
Of justice in the Washington departments.
thus escaping prosecution"
Ex-senator Hansbrough tells Colonel
Roosevelt that his was the protecting and
fostering hand that saved the steel and
harvester trusts from prosecution. "They
would be the worst Of ingrates II they did
not support you now" he declares.
Mr.. Hansbroush's Letter.
The letter of Mr.. Hansbrougn who calls
Mr.. Perkins the political scout Of Wall
street" follows:
The Hon Theodore Roosevelt oyster
Ny Dear Colonel In an interview of
the lStn inst you s3y: 81 will tell every
one thdt there is not fair question whicn
/ can he asked me TO whiCh | AN lot ally
TO give a fair reply tnat ! b.H-vr will 20
COnVinCiLg.'
Ia your Boston speech Of the nth, VIII, n
some one in the audience asked, Say.
| how about Perkins % you cX Ii ned 40
as to leave tue impression tat al frs.
You were somewhat suspic.ou- about TIE
lropriety OF Ar PerkiEs's support OF yoJ,
but that when he assured you that you
were the only pubic ma. VINO was 'u!-
ing to bring about such conditions as we
ought 10 have you acce,ted MS sup
port.
Now propose te submit - fair queS,.
/ ion" 10 YOU. but before doing so. II " II
| NE neCesst ry To TeIer bneh, 10 ,Ine past
political ana present industT hist lry. /
also have had ftue experience Win Mr..
Perkins, or rather with tnc mono TOiisuc
concern which he OTSaHize1 aLodt year
after you became Pres dent OF the United
States. Mr Perkins and his trust we 4
| In politics then. as they are now ana ac-
cordins 10 repeated statements by Mr;
Perkins himself he wa a Hrsoial ir1ehd
and admirer OF yours long prior 10 tha'
time. and has been ever since.
From what YOU said IN your recent
Boston speech, one would imagine thI'
your acquaintance with Mr.. Perkins BE-
gan with the present campaign. In other
words those who do not know to the
contrary would Sup. ose that j. was J !.
first appearance in III cs. Ihe n.S,o,y
well with such a supposit!on. The inter
national Harvester trust, put tOsetM Dy
Mr.. Perkins during the summer oi 4."[, VA
defiance of the plain terms OF me ar
trust law. which YOU had previously AK
3 a n oath 10 defend and execute. com Ints
business with politics IN feuaIh hau,,
degree IL Is not only the rnost ihso.enl
aud danperous monopoly we nave; II lS
stso The most inddious and powerful p'-
litiCal machine I'm exist nee wa az -
witress to its ope auons IN AZ IeasL o'I
campaign and know "herSOt
Il emrioys like methods In your benan
now I corgratuat' you rpo1 having NJ.
Perkins on your stan OF conhdeniiai ih@u-
ayers nr.
Asr have said 1t Is an insidioMs ana
a powerful political machine. MS -
due to the nature or the ouslneso -,
which IL Is engaged. Throusn 'Cs ~
~ arents and block men II reaches
directlv every farmer In the country ana
indirectlv a multitude OF merchants anu
shopkeepers In the small clues hto ~ Wv,
Iage There are hundreds OF tnese en- en-
rIoyas OF the trust In every state IN 'he
linton. particularly in the West anu I
NIddle West, and they know the political
necessities OF their employer lhey
como into Immediate contact win the
voters. and. there being no longer any
.competition in their line Of business.
i tbev ARE i'm position TO grant tavors or
To- withhold them as their helpless GUS
toners are dmenable TO their de lres OF
the reverse. -
cised in n wav to delight the most adroit
political bosses in the land Indeed. II is
n notorious fact that the so-called polt-
ical bosses easily become part hno pat
eel of This gigantic machine ana work ia
harmony with IT, Thus the task OF the
bo g Is greatly simplihed. All ne mas 70
do Is to ascertain what Is wanted az
trust headquarters and then JOIN ms
machine forces with the held forces or
Mir Perkins Some astounding polltcaI
results are sure to iollo". LOT IL ~ az
invincble combination, paru' uIarly II
its candidate happens TO be one VINO con
fuses the issues by preaching CIVIC
righteousness: ,.,- 49,,
latest political policy OF big business.
II we are to have some OF tn" cHtrhor-
djnary thinss you advocate it Will be
! necessary that we also have stupen-
douR organization to do the addluohaI
work YOU would impose upon the peopie
and the government. with plethOrlc
! treasury behind ii from which the larger
fexptnses can he paid .... .
In the days OF competition between the
makers Of farm machinery, "ncil IINd'
manufacturers sought to excel IN the
quality of their products and the reason
ableness Of their prices. II was COM
mon thing 10 read In the country and
other newspapers elaborat' advertise
ments of the. different articles that loci
| competitive agents had for sale. II was
a sure sign OF healthy trade conditions.
! In "a Journey across the continent one
| will not met with such q thing now,
! not since Mr.. Perkins, monopoly came
! into vogue. Why. indeed, should the
trust, or any trust for that matter, make
known It's business through the news.
papeIs or otherw Sc? Surely II does not
need to advertis its products, for 1t has
no competition. In the ten years since
! the Harvester trust vas organized II has
| managed to secure almost complete con-
troll. and ACCORDING 20 d recent state
ment published broadcast as news Item
\ on June q, II makes more than 20 per
cent of the agricultural implements OF all
descriptions sold in this country Com
sumers must buy of the Perkins trust
or do without"
| In the same statement we are told
that during the past five years the aver.
age percentage earned on the preferred
stock of this young trust was 2lA. ana
on the common stock. after allowing I
Ier cent for the preferred, l212. In lslo'
when the trust was but eight years old.
4 IA "a ,.iH ~ d 10.