El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-17
TRUSTS CREW FAST
UNDER ROOSEVELT
Increased From 149 to 10000
While He Was President,
Says La Toilette.

Washington, D c., Aug. 17-in
picturesque. spontaneous outburst dur
! ing debate on the presidents wool
! tariff veto in the senate. senator La
Toilette yesterday attacked the new
Progressive porty. and swore new al
Iegiance to progressive Republican
ism.
The original insurgent' poured out
flood OF imprisoned oratory that
kept the floor and galleries rapt and
silent.
After reviewing the trust record OF
Col. Roosevelt, senator LaFollette de-
clared that the former president was
not the man to find the way out now"
He said that when the Republican
party. through its progressive assO-
ciates. had reached a point where it
would respond to the purposes for
which it was born, an attempt is made
at Chicago to divert it"
Senator Stone asked Mr.. LaFOllette
whether he meant the nomination Of
president Taft or the nomination of
eXpresident Roosevelt.
I am surprised" began senator La
Toilette, that I left the senator from
Missouri in doubt I hope I did not
leave doubt in the mind of any one
else"
Then moving down the center aisle,
he continued:
Hot Shot For Teddy.
On the day that Theodore Roose-
welt was made president Of the United
States. there were 149 trusts and COM
binations in the United States. When
he turned this government over to
William Howard Taft, there were TO-
O20 plants in combination. When he
became president the trusts had an
aggregate capitalization of $4,000, 00O,-
600 and when he left the presidency
they had an aggregate capitalization
Of $4,000 100000. and more than 20
percent of it was water
The present administration has
sought TO apply the anti trust law
more vigorously than its predecessor;
but the time to have applied the Sher-
man anti trust law effectively was in
the infancy of trusts, when there were
only 149.
Il don't believe that the man who
was president at the time of all times
in the history Of the Sherman anti
trust law when il could have been
made potential in deciding trust legis-
lation-I do not think the man who
was president then is the man to find
the way out.
Then turning to senator Stone. SEN
ator LaFollette bowed and inquired:
Does that answer the senator from
Missouri"
That does fairly WELL responded
senator Stone, drily.
Speech Was Spontaneous.
Senator LaFollette's outburst came
without warning He arose to make
an analysis of the presidents veto
message of the wool bill, but had
spoken scarcely a dozen words when
the break came. He saw that many
senators had left their
seats as he began to speak and with
a bitter smile he turned to the presi-
dent of the senate:
Il note the fact he said. that on
the Republican side there are just Il
senators present I am constrained to
speculate a bit about this. I am i'm
PEELED to question whether that condi-
ton may not be a sort of prophecy
Of what is to come"
Senator LaFollette then continued:
Commences Diversion.
Il don't believe the country is GO
ing to find any measure of relief by
off into unexplored fields
under the guidance of a pilot who
aired a very supreme control while
we we're getting into exactly the same
condition the country is in today.
I didn't intend to make this sort
Of a speech. But I would like to 90
on. I intend to go on in two or three
weeks. night and day. I am never go
ing to stop until the Republicans in
the house of representatives and in
the senate and each of the legislatures |
are truly progressives. am going to
keep the fight in the Republican party.
think that the best instru-
nent through which to progress
Now when it is the purpose TO
make the Republican party respond
to the purposes for which it was born,
an attempt is made at Chicago to df- ;
vert it 1t won't succeed"