The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-05-04
FAvoR1rE TRUSTS OF ROOSEVELT.

While the American people do not take. kindly
to the personal attacks being made upon each other
by President Taft and Colonel Roosevelt yet it must
be admitted that the President put on Mr..
Roosevelt when he charged that the Colonel, while
President, played favorite with some trusts while
prosecuting others.
His in permitting the United States Steel
Corporation to obtain control Of the Tennessee Coal
and Iron company, transaction clearly in violation
OF the federal law, was anything but creditable.
But his letter given out by President Taft, to his
attorney general, advising that no steps be taken
against the harvester trust puts Colonel Roosevelt
in an unenviable position, from which he has been
unable to extricate himself
Capitalism experienced it's most rapid growth
and development during Roosevelt's two terms as
president. When the Colonel succeeded President
Mckinley the total amount of the stock and bond
issue OF all the combinations and trusts including
the railways then in combination, was only SO 1884,
100000.
When he turned the country over to Taft whom
he had selected his successor the total capitaliza
| ton of the trusts and combinations amounted to
the enormous of $31, 672 900 900, more than 70
per cent of which was water. Prices were put up
on transportation, and the products of the mines
and factories to pay interest and dividends on this
! fraudulent capitalization
If, in the earlier stages of trust formation Pres
dent Roosevelt had used all the power of this great
government to enforce the Antitrust Law it would
have saved the people the payment of hundreds of
millions of dollars wrongfully taken from them in
| excessive necessares of life.
Had this been done before these combined mono
! poles acquired such absolute mastery the people
would not now be confronted with this momentous
question: care these trusts and combinations
stronger than the government itself?' That is the
supreme issue. Can the people free themselves from
this power? Can the unjust burden of fraudulent
capitalization be lifted from them?
The trusts and combinations, the railroads, the
steel trus the coal trust all are scheming to secure
some action by the government which will legaize
their proceedings and sanction their fictitious cap
itaization.
The situation is critical. 1t may be expected
from the attitude of the Supreme Court as shown in
the Standard Oil and Tobacco cases. that any act
the part of the executive the legislative branch
OF government, giving countenance to a trust or
combination will be construed an approval of the
thousands of millions of watered stocks and bonds
issued and will fasten upon the people for all time
the speculative capitalization of public service
and business corporations.
Roosevelt and Taft, by their records have shown
that they cannot be trusted to relieve the people
from trust extortion Both should be cast aside and
candidate chosen, who by his record, has given
evidence Of integrity, courage and conviction to
actually solve the problems that are confronting u.s.
| LA Toilette is the man.
But what right have we to advise the Republican
party?