Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-04-25

washington, April lU.-WlUly vi.
Imperative statements" sent out fro1h
the Taft national headquarters, and
greedily swallowed by the despairing
Tory organs, show that, with the evil
dent approval of the president, the
limit Is to be taken off in the cam
paign of personal abuse of Colonel
Roosevelt
So desperate have the managers Of
the Taft collapsed campaign become
especially since the landslide in
Illinois, followed by what reaction
airy newspaper terms the Earthquake"
in Pennsylvania, and facing similar
crushing defeats wherever the voters
Ito quote President Taft) ARE al
lowed" voice, that deliberate plan
of Misrepresentation and falsehood
has been formulated in the vain hope
of somehow checking the Roosevelt
groundswell.
One of the absurd charges to be
made against Roosevelt is that special
privilege prefers him to Taft, and this
charge Is to be made by Lorimer's
man, Mckinley. acting as the head Of
the Taft forces, and by Penrose, Gal
linger, Crane, Cannon and the others
who are really directing the Taft cam
paign.
Unfortunately for the purposes of
Mr.. Taft, the greatest aid given spe-
cial privilege and the greatest blow
struck at the public interest is the re-
cent court dissolution" of the tobacco
trust. which, preserving absolutely the
monopoly which the law forbids, has
SO enriched the monopelists that all
other special privilege beneticiaries
are clamorous to be subjected to the
same form Of prosecution by the Taft
administration. They fear that the
administration will not last long
enough to enable them to obtain the
immunity from punishment for rob-
berry Of the American people in direct
violation of the law as the tobacco
trust has received.
Taft managers contend that the re-
organization of the tobacco trust is
entirely matter for which the courts
are responsible, and that Mr.. Taft
cannot be blamed. This is untrue.
The decree which the court issued was
framed by the lawyers Of the trust
and the attorney general. The court
finding both parties to the suit in
agreement, acted as requested.
Nor is it possible to blame the at
torney general for this, because Presi
dent Taft is on record in a message tc
congress as heartily approving the de
cree, declaring it to be the most per
feet enforcement of the antitrust law
and making plain his determination tc
oppose any interference with the set
Element of the case. Following this
with the consent and approval OF Taft
the attorney general possessing undel
the law the sole right to appeal to the
Supreme court from the decree which
he and Taft had agreed to, refused tt
make such an appeal and, under in
structions from Taft, cut the publ,
off from the privilege of having tn,
farcical enforcement OF the law, wlicl
he, Taft, had urged in behalf of the to
bacco trust, reviewed by the Suprem,
| court.
1t needs nothing more than this t,
| convince any sane man that Taft him
self, controlling the activities OF tn
attorney general, has been more usefu
to special privilege, and to the tobac
co trust and the Standard Oil monopc
ly particularly, than all other force
that have worked against the public
In view of these circumstances, a,
attack upon Theodore Roosevelt
| planned by men whose service to spe
cial privilege is revealed in every az
ton, becomes more than deliberat
policy of falsehood.
From the Taft managers such pc
10y might be expected. From Tai
himself such policy demonstrates
lack Of regard for the place he hold
and the duty he owes the America
people as whole so startling as to b
absolutely deplorable. The futility {
it all will increase it's offensiveness t
the public.