The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-07-06
ROOSEVELT SAYS
WILSON'S STAND
IS MENAC|NG
Dangerous Alike to Farmers
and to Working Men
WILSON A FREE TRADER
Sherman Act Wrong and Was Never
Meant to Be Enforced-Super-
vision of Trusts

Oyster Bay, N. Y, July s. Col.
Roosevelt livened things up bit to-
day by an attack on Gov Wilson and
the platforms adopted by the Repub-
llcan and Demouratic conventions
Wilson, he declared, was a free trad
er at heart and the Democratic party
could not 90 before the country on
its platform and hope to receive the
support of the people.
The Roosevelt leaders had a long
conference tonight, attended by Sena-
tor Dixon, Medill Mccormick, Frank
A. Munsey, George w. Perkins, Hen
ry l.. Stoddard, c. ]. Hamlin, RoOse
welt worker in Buffalo, and others.
They discussed plans of campaign for
the various states The colonel was
asked about report from New York
that $485, 600 had already been raised
to finance his campaign, and, while
he would make no definite reply, he
indicated that he was sure funds
would not be lacking.
Gov. Wilson and the party as rep
resented by the Baltimore convention
he declared, were occupying an incOn
sistent position on the tariff IF it
were rigidly adhered to-" he said, ut
would plunge the country into ruin.
The colonel reiterated his intention
of making the conditions that result
III the high cost of diving the big is
sue of his campaign, and said that
he was making deep study into
these conditions He was asked If
he would have formal statement to
make soon and replied:
81 think that it will be fully two
weeks after the convention call is
issued before | will make a formal
declaration. Then, however. | shall
place before the people a full state
ment of my beliefs and what | think
should be done. 1t will show on wha.
issues the campaign of The Progress
siN es is to be made"
He said that particular attention
would be paid to the high cost OF
milk, eggs and meat.
Il am going into an exhaustive ex-
position of the reasons" said he."The
trust may have something to do with
the price of meat, but there must be
some other reason for the high cost
of milk and eggs. | don't know what
the Beef Trust is doing. but the gov
eminent has to know and the govern
ment has got to control.
Clothing, | understand. is not real
ly any higher than it was a year ago. Z"
il was the Sherman Antitrust law
which the colonel selected as the ba-
sis for his attack on the platforms
of the two parties. THE platforms, "
he said, both call for the rigid en-
forcement of the antitrust law. They
are wrong"
The position which he outlined In
the Osawatomie speech two years
ago would be held. he said. In that
speech he declared that the great bus.
mess enterprises had come to stay
and should be controlled by means of
close supervision of the national gov
eminent.
An attempt to abolish them would
De futile" said he. THE platforms
of the Democratic and Republican
parties fail to grasp the situation
which confronts the country. The
Sherman Antitrust law was on the
statute books for years. and it was
never enforced until | became presi-
dent. said in my messages and
speeches that the law was wrong. but
that as long as it was a law would
enforce IL.
IT was one of the laws which was
never meant to be enforced rigidlv.
and If the Democratic or Republican
parties should go into power and at
tempt TO live up to their pledges they
would work great harm. II strictly
enforced. the law would do much
damage to unoffending persons. such
as farmers who have formed co-oper.
alive associations"
Turning TO the tariff. Col Roose.
welt declared that the Democratic
party had gone on record in favor of
free entry OF the necessities of life
vi course" said he. the first per.
sons that such a policy would harm
would be the farmers. The Demo.
cratic party could do only one of two
things- IL might wink at the tariff
plank and admit that IL was written
Tor campaign purposes only. or II
might attempt TO enforce IL. which
would mean ruin to the country.
should free trade be adopted II
would be only a temporary thing. as
It's effects would be so disastrous that
the country would soon come back ia
the principle OF protection. II would
be possible for the big moneyed in.
terests to build up great industries
in China and Japan. to take advan.
tage of the cheap labor there and i'm.
port the products into mis- country
to undersell domestic goods.
am not so sure that the tariff Is
the chief factor in the high cost OF
hNlng. So far as ! can see. the arti
cles which have gone up in price are
meat eggs. milk and butter Butter
and eggs OF course, are not affected
oy the tarih. In regard to meat.
think II is less the tariff than the
trusts which has caused high prices >