The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-05-01

his purpose those whom he found in
power. Indeed, throughout his life he
has defended that course as the only
sensible course to pursue. l have
merely followed his example, and
do not hesitate to point with satisfac
ton to the legislation which has beer
enacted in my three years.
For him now to deny credit fol
this after he gave it to me in his
speech in the New York convention
is another instance of his failure tc
meet his standard of square deal.
Interstate Commerce Bill.
"S. In the first regular session OF
congress the attorney general, with
the assistance of Interstate Com
merce Commissioners Knapp and
Prouty and Senator Townsend, agreed
upon the basis of needed amendments
to the interstate commerce law. The
much as we recommended it except
that telephone and telegraph compan
les were put under the commission.
at is an excellent measure, bring
ing the railroads much more complete
ly under the commissions control
than ever before We attempted to
embody other provisions in the bill
which We're defeated. These defeat
ed amendments Mr. Roosevelt de-
nounces as vicious, and seeks to create
the impression that my administra
ton is entitled to no credit for the
act as it became law, although it
was passed by republican votes and
signed by me as president.
There were perhaps ten insurgents
and forty-two regulars who voted for
the bill in the senate, but he contends
that only the insurgents are to be com
mended for the bill.
Insurgents Violated Pledge.
"What were the vicious provisions
defeated by the insurgents? One pro-
vision prohibited the future purchase
by one road of stock in a competing
road, another with clauses protecting
minority stockholders in roads where
such a relation already existed. An.
other introduced limitation as to the
issuing of stocks and bonds to be con-
commission. Another made legal and
took out of the antitrust law certain
temporary agreements between rail
roads as to rates.
"All these things had been recon-
mended by Mr.. Roosevelt and had been
promised in the platform of the re-
publican party, but in the senate they
were stricken out at the instance OF
the insurgents, on the ground that
they involved too great an amendment
to the antitrust law.
"In view of his support of these very
provisions in his messages and else
where, is it square deal for him now
to describe them as vicious?
D.ferds Commerce Court.
"Mr. Roosevelt also complains of
the establishment of the commerce
court as a reactionary step. 1t has
rendered few decisions which have
not met the views of the interstate
commerce commission because it re.
versed that commissions action and
therefore the cry is the court must be
recalled.
"The commerce court was created
for the purpose Of expedition, so that
when shipper secured an order
against railroad company and an
appeal was taken it could be promptly
disposed of. The commerce court has
reduced the average time of the exam
ination of orders of the interstate
commerce commission from two years
to six months.
"If the Commerce court exceeds its
jurisdiction or makes wrong decis'
ion, then the supreme court is at hand
to remedy it, and that is what the SUI
preme court is now doing with its de.
cisiOns; but if the commerce court
lis abolished, then the shippers of the
country will be RENTED again at the
instance of the railroads to sixty or
seventy United States courts all over
the country, there will arise great con-
trariety of decisions, and the delays
which are now reduced to six months
will agar be increased to two years.
Those are the facts, and they are not
the loose and vague indictments of
one who does not know.
Roosevelt Changed Trust Stand.
80. Then my course as to trusts is
held up to ridicule by Mr.. Roosevelt.
In many speech approved by Mr..
Roosevelt I claimed credit for his en-
forcement of the antitrust act. When
he was president l went out upon the
platform and advocated as strongly
as l could the necessity for the prose
cution of trusts under that act.
so did his attorney general They
began the Standard Oil prosecution
and they began the tobacco prosecu-
ton in Mr.. Roosevelt's administers
ton and by his direction. My attor.
ney general carried them on. The
active counsel in the Standard Oil
case was Mr.. Kellogg, who was es-
pecially employed by Mr.. Roosevelt
for this purpose, and it was pressed
TO a complete decree in the supreme
court OF the United States.
"Now | find Mr. Roosevelt coming
the other way, denouncing the anti.
trust law and denouncing prosecutions
under it. He says that the decree of
the court in the Standard Oil case is
ineffective, that the price of the stock
has gol up, and in some way or other
| am responsible for the fact that the
price did go up and that my admins.
tration is to be condemned because
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