East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-08-09
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George W Perkins will be the chair
man 90. tie executive committee for
the bull moose par
shall Democracy ty, according to an
Give Way a nounc c ement
To Feudalism? m de yesterday
Perkins is promi-
nently identified with the steel trust
the harvester trusts and other mo-
nopolies He is one of the men who
made before breakfast call on Roos-
evelt while the colonel was president
and persuaded him to allow the steel
trust to gobble up the Tennessee Coal
* Iron Co. in violation of the law
The steel trust, according to an Of
ficial of the present administration, is
over capitalized to the extent of more
than s7O0,OOO.OOO. 1t is also a bene-
ficiary by the protective tariff, it be-
ing estimated that the tariff on steel
means S4O,0OO.OOO year to the trust
While receiving such protection the
trust, as shown by evidence given the
Stanley committee, almost invariably
sells its products abroad cheaper than
at home. In 1910 the average domes-
tic price per gross ton on steel rails
was $2s; abroad the average price
charged by the trust for the same
product was s2416. During the same
year the trust sold wire nails abroad
at an average price of $237 per ton
cheaper than in America; structural
steel was sold abroad at an average
price of $3.50 per ton cheaper than
at home. The same general conditions
were found to be true during all the
years from 1906 to 1910. The Stan
ley committee secured its nforma-
ton not from opponents of the trust
but from records submitted by the
United States Steel Corporation itself
Do the people want to support a
candidate whose chief financial backei
and executive committee chairman, is
the political agent of the steel trust
and kindred concerns? If Roosevelt
j. so acceptable to Perkins and his
friends is he a suitable man for the
rest Of the country?
The simple truth of the matter is
that while the bull moose movement
is intended by most Of its followers
TO be strongly progressive and while
it's platform takes advanced ground
on many subjects not at issue, the
move is reactionary with reference to
the big subjects Of the tariff and the
trusts Roosevelt would not attempt
10 control the trusts by depriving
them of unjust advantages. He wants
10 regulate them under scheme pro-
posed by the trusts themselves. II
would amount in effect to allowing
the trusts TO curb themselves as they
see fit. Such proceeding would not
be progressive. it would be retrogres-
siye. 1t would be applying 14th CEN
tury principles to the goth century in
dustrial situation. II would be the
surrender Of democracy to feudal-
ism. 1t would be giving the reigns Of
power formally and legally into the
hands of the plunderbund: it would
fix the burden Of overcapitalization
firmly upon the backs of the people
and make the republic permanently a
nation with a few hundred or a few
thousand lords and millions Of serfs
True progressives have no business
backing the Roosevelt candidacy with
its Perkins-Gary theory OF handling
big business. They should align
themselves behind Woodrow Wilson
who has shown himself conspicuously
independent Of the masters Of finance
and who proposes If elected to be-