The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1912-05-04
Editorial Araignment of
One, Theodore Roosevelt
(From PfIILA. PUBLIC LEDGER)

! shows conclusively that not only was
Mr.. Roosevelt's statement false, but
that the circumstances were such that
it could not possibly have been true.
The Colonel declared that, even if he
did withdraw the suit against the
Harvester Trust, he did it with the
concurrence of his entire Cabinet.
Mr.. Taft produces the exact and in
disputable proof that Mr.. Taft was in
the Philippines at the time Mr.. Roose-
welt ordered his Attorney General,
Bonaparte, not to take action against
the Harvester Trust. Mr.. Taft also
declares that he never head the case
discussed or mentioned at any time,
and. moreover, he produces the proof
from Secretary Root and Secretary
Wilson that they had not discussed
the question in Cabinet meetings, ana
that they were in entire ignorance of
this apparently secret withdrawal of
the suit against this mighty trust that
is supposed to be the chief oppressor
of the farmers of the West-those
farmers in whose interest Mr.. Roose-
welt processes to have repudiated his
pledge" to support Canadian reci
procity after he had encouraged Taft |
in honeyed terms to negotiate the
agreement.
1t is in order for Mr.. Roosevelt, the !
inventor of the square deal-the man.
ly open, upstandisg citizen who hates
trusts, bosses and oppressors-to
make some disclosures if he has
naught to conceal; if Perkins and Nc
Cormick, of the Harvester Trust, have
each given $4,000 for the New York
primary elections, how much are they
giving to the Roosevelt campaign in
the 4S States of the nation?
The entrance of Perkins, of the
Harvester and of the Steel Trusts,
into active politics raises new doubts
on the Tennessee Coal and Iron deal.
At the time the Steel Trust was per-
mitted by Mr.. Roosevelt to gobble
Tennessee Coal and Iron there was a
disposition to believe that Mr..
Roosevelt feared a panic, and permit
ed the merger in the public interest;
low doubts are permissible.
Mr. Roosevelt's real third-term &C.
1vity began shortly after the Taft
decided that it must
ring suit against the great Steel
trust, which Mr.. Roosevelt had pro-
ected, and the prime mover and
hampton of Roosevelt, George w.
Perkins, also began his activity as a
roosevelt boomer at about the same
ime or shortly thereafter Mr.. Roose- +
elt appeared before the Stanley Com
nittee and defended his action, and
t that period he wrote his famous
rust article for the Outlook, in which
e began to sheer at the Presidents =
andling of the trust problems and to
peak most beautifully about the Steel
rust.
At the very least this is a curious
ecord for the champion of the plain (
eople. We do not imagine that Mr. t
aft or his campaign managers will
llege or even intimate that Mr.
roosevelt is involved in any turpitude
4 this connection, but they are in a
air way to show that the mania for
he third term and the inordinate v
reed for illimitable power have GER 81
ainly led Mr.. Roosevelt into a posi- fl
on which it is very fortunate that q
lr. Taft does not occupy Can any n
ne imagine what would have hap Il
ened to Mr.. Taft If it could have been N
hown that he had favored the Steel y
rust or the Harvester Trust and that "
most Immediately the chiefs of n
lose trusts-the Morgan interests" IL
were pouring out money for the
urpose of capturing the nomination
'r poor Taft ,? From the heights of
loral indignation Mr.. Roosevelt, who
as been intimating that Taft is
rock just because some bosses are
Importing him, would have emitted
UGH a roar of abuse that the world
ould have rung with it.
Incidentally. Mr.. Roosevelt has plac-