Arizona republican., 1912-04-25
PERKINS WAS GOOD FRIEND

(Continued from Page One)
 press. on March :. Commissioner Smith notified the Harvester companv that the inquiry would be into the corporation and value of it's property. securities, and general management of the business.
 It appears by his letter of August $, that Commissioner Smith has be- gun an investigation but has ~ not made such progress with it as ho would like to on account of being crowded with work. Mr Perkins rel quest to me is that before the com pany is exposed to certain loss and damage that the mere institution or suit would entail, that this inyestj @atlon by AIr. Smith. as required by the senate resolution, be carried tu completion. He explicitly states to me there would be no intention to plead an examination by the depart ment of commerce and labor as con ferring immunity from proceedings bv the department of justice Will you see MT. Perkins and Commissioner Smith, go over the matter in full ana
 
 Tile suit until l hear from you
 Sincerely yours
 THEODORE ROOSEVELT"
 Commissioner Smith wrote the pres idont that MT Perkins had outlined the position of the Harvester com pany as having committed no viola tion of law of which it knew and only wished the Investigation then under way by the department of com merce and labor to be continued.
 The company was willing to stand prosecution if found to have violated any statutes, he said. The commis- sioner wrote the president in part as follows:
 ITO th" extent of my present knowledge l am satisfied the facts are as stated by the company. with the single exception that ] do not have definite knowledge as to the nature of the cases now in the hands of the department of justice but from expressions of the attorney general, l am inclined to believe it is as NIr. Perkins stated. purely a technical legal question
 As to the principle of fair dealing and good policy involved. l also con cur emphatically with the attitude Of the company. II certainly is true this company has been most open with the bureau Furthermore, the attitude of the Morgan interests gen erally, which control this company. have been one of active cooperation Tn the investigation of the steel in- dustry the United States steel cor pOratiOn has already spent thousands of dollars compiling for the bureau the most complete. and intimate in formation aS to the business. Its of fiCers have gone to immense trouble and loss of time to facilitate iu every way our work As tO the legal question. whether this company's or ganiZatiOn has been in violation Of the Sherman law, l have not partic- ularly intended to take. nor have any fixed position on that subject therefore feel that starting d suit under the Sherman act against the company would be moral injus- tice and d reversal of the advanced modern policy of the presidency in dealing with corporate business. This case raises the question in cuded in what the president has call ed the good and bad trusts ques- tiion. whether combinations, as such. shall be prohibited whether the gov crnment is going to try to forbid all combinations. regardless of their methods or ends, or whether. on the other hand, it is going to pursue the | policy frequently stated by the pres 1 ident of regulations and control rath- CT than prohibition. Finally this case against the company is a civil, not criminal one. Delay will not 1 affect the case through any statute of 1 limitation. If there is a good eqUi- l table case against the company, ii 1 would be a thousand fold better to 1 shape il for trial after an investiga- 1 ton by the bureau than now" 1 Commissioner Smiths letter tC President Roosevelt, was accompanied by letter of endorsement from Os- car Straus, then secretary of the department of commerce and labor
 The sending of the correspondence to the senate was marked by scnsa- tional incidents. Only a few weeks l ago Attorney General Wickcrshan fIatly refused to send it in respons, to a request hy Senator Lea, O1 1 Tennessee. Today Senator Johnston of Alabama allcd upon the attOrnc! | general for the correspondence, anC within two hours it was in hand. WASHINGTON, April 24-Hope O dissolving the $14O,OOO.OOO Interna