Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-05-18

( would not stultify himself by tempo
rarizing with the subject in any man
nef.
Thereafter Mr.. Perkins and Mr..
Smith (and / think Mr. McCormick)
went out and interviewed President
Roosevelt and succeeded in persuading
him not to prosecute the Harvester
trust, and shortly thereafter President
Roosevelt instructed Attorney General
Bonaparte not to take action.
Attorney General Bonaparte gave
me this explanation for the purpose
of assuring me that he had not in
tentionally broken his word with me
in the matter of authorizing me to in
stitute a suit against the Harvester
trust. Mr.. Bonaparte plainly indicated
to me that he was offended because
the recommendation of the Harvester
trust people had apparently had more
weight with the president than his
own recommendation and advice
Mr.. Ifilles then refers to Colonel
Roosevelts declaration that none of
the papers in the Harvester trust We're
ever suppressed and reviews the re-
cont presentation of some of the pa
pers to the senate.
The statement then continues:
These papers show that the Har
vester trust was about to be prosecut-
ed for rebating, but promised to do
better, which promise was satisfactory
to the attorney general. Other trusts,
probably not of the benevolent variety,
were fined for rebating and had to
settle in the courts.
"The suppressed papers show also
that George w. Perkins was referred
to as the representative of the far
reaching Morgan interests, and that
Mr. Perkins said to Commissioner
Smith that If the Harvester trust was
to be attacked then the Morgan in
terests were going to fight where
upon Mr.. Smith wrote to President
Roosevelt that it is very prac-
teal question whether il is well
to throw away now the great influence
of the so-called Morgan interests
president Roosevelt had sent the
report to the attorney general with
these instructions: Please do not file
the suit until | hear from you
Colonel Roosevelt met the damag-
ing disclosure by saying that Mr..
IdIt, as IL fntlilbtl VI MS NAbi"'t' -
advised the action that substantially
was taken.
THE records of the war department
were then introduced by President Tar
to show that in the fall of 1907. lur-
ing the full period of the correspon-
dence, he was absent from the coun-
try, Colonel Roosevelt then shifted his
ground and said that President T1tt
the suppression of the. suit
after his return in January, 1908.
This last charge is disproved 10y
the record which shows that on No
vember Z, 1907 (Mr. Taft was out OF
the country from early in September
until late in December. 1900. Mr.. |
Herbert Knox Smith, the commission
er of the bureau of corporations. tele-
phoned Mr.. Perkins at the presidents
order that the president took the i
view that the bureaus investigation
should come before the suit. Why'
then, would the matter be brought
before the cabinet for serious discus
sion in January. 1905?
"If 1t was brought before the cabi-
net i'm January. then Mr.. Perkins had
a scoop of sixty days on the presi-
dents confidential advisers. II Is
significant, too. that the order direct
ed Commissioner smith to commune
cate with MIR. Perkins. of J. +. Nor
ron & Co, and not with the president
or attorney of the Harvester trust