The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-04-30

ing to serve it after they get ituo of.
fie, is again being demonstrated.
When Theodore Roosevelt was
President of the United States he per.
mitted the Steel Trust to absorb its
principal rival, the Tennessee Coal
and Iron company. This permission 20
violate the law was worth millions OF
dollars to the steel trust, because it
practically assured the trust a mon
opoly, leaving it free, by the simple
process of tightening the screws on
the public, to extort most any price
it desired for its products.
The absorption of the Tennessee
company by the steel trust was in di-
rect violation of both the spirit and
the letter of the law. No one denies
this. Not even the attorneys for the
steel trust contend now, or ever did
contend, that the deal was legal.
This is not the only favor Theodore
Roosevelt did for the steel trust, or
the harvester trust, at the request Of
Geo. w. Perkins, then partner of j.
Pierpont Morgan,
Roosevelts commissioner of cor
porations investigated the harvester
trust, found it illegal, but at the sug.
gestion of Mr.. Perkins, the report
was not made public.
The most exhaustive search OF the
80 hn
that Roosevelt was president fails to
show the passage of a single measure
that even in the most remote manner
affected the monopoly or the huge
dividends of the steel trust. Hundreds
of such measures were introduced in
both the House and Senate while Mr..
Roosevelt was president. Each and
every one was chloroformed in com
mittee, and Mr.. Roosevelt never raised
his voice in protest.
Mr.. Roosevelt is now candidate
for office. Every politician in the land
is aware that he is spending more
money to obtain delegates than any
candidate for the presidency has spent
in the last quarter century. Where is
this money coming from? Let us see
Eton Huntington Hooker, treasurer
OF the Roosevelt League, has just filed
with the Secretary of State of New
York list of contributors to the
Roosevelt campaign fund, This sworn
affidavit reveals that In the city of
New York alone, Geo. w. Perkins,
organizer Of the harvester trust and
director OF the steel trust, spent $15,-
900. Frank A. Munsey, the largest in
dividual holder of the steel trusts
common stock in the country, contrib.
uted $4,000 more, Thirty thousand
dollars of steel trust money spent in n
city of one state alone, and there are
AZ states in the Union! This sworn
statement shows that in New York
City $59, 1865 was spent to get about
$4,000 Roosevelt votes, or practically
81 vote.
Senator Stephenson spent only hall
as much per vote in Wisconsin, and il
was declared that he thus debauched
American standards, and should not
be permitted to occupy seat in the
Senate!
The point Of this article, however
is that the steel trust stands by its
friends.
How Monopoly Works
A fine example OF how the railroads
OF this country put on the screws" is
revealed by study OF the statement
OF earnings issued annually by the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
one OF the anthracite coal carrying
roads. The following figures show the
charge per ton mile, of hauling an,
thra0ite coal and general merchandise
over period OF -four years:
1911 1910 1908 1905
Coal (cents) 0.S3 O.S3 0.S6 o.. 81
Merchandise ,0,67 O.69 O.7O 0.7O
These figures show that The railroad
gets more for hauling coal than it does
for hauling merchandise. and It Is
ridiculous TO suppose that II costs the
railroad any more to haul ton of
one kind Of material than 1t does an,
other, A ton is II ton after It is once
loaded onto a freight car,
The only explanation for the higher
coal charge Is that all competition has
been suppressed in the coal carrying
trade, whereas the roads are still
forced to fight each other for their
merchandise patronage. Coal il
charged "all the traffic will bear" and
II will bear great deal because the
railroads control the coal fields and
the transportation, and fix the tide
water price by agreement among them
selves.
What viii He Do?
VIII President Talt have the nerve
10 veto the Democratic bill to cut the
tariff rate on wool?
Schedule *" places rate of 141