The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-10-25
BULL MOOSE MAKE
CHARGES ON DEAD
ISSUES IN JERSEY
ROOSEVELT AND BEvER.DGE
SAY STANDARD OIL is NEW
JERSEY TRUST.
WILSON Fight IN LEGISLATURE
Republicans Placed New Jersey Law
on the Statute Books and Roose-
welt Never Attacked Them When
President Of the United States.
Special to The Herald.

/ Special to The Herald.
1 TRENTON, N. j., Oct 23.-Mr.
Roosevelt, Senator Beverage and
other progressive leaders have just
i discovered a campaign argument
| against Woodrow Wilson which was
raised and killed six months ago.
They make the charge that great
trusts like the Standard Oil and the
tobacco trust are New Jersey corpor-
atoms and that although certain of
these trusts have been convicted of a
violation of the federal statutes,
Woodrow Wilson during his two years
in office as governor of New Jersey
has taken no step and made no rec
ommendation to prosecute or dissolve
these corporations under the New
Jersey statutes.
The answer Is simple. The cor
poration laws of the state of New
Jersey give no power to any New Jer-
sey official to prosecute or propose
dissolution for breach of the federal
statutes. 1t is not true that Gov Will
son has taken no steps and made no
recommendation that the corporation
laws Of New Jersey be amended to
remedy these defects. In his inaugu-
raj address he calls specific attention
to the corporation laws of New Jer-
sey which have brought discred!t up
on the state. Again In October, 1911,
he himself drew the plank of the
democratic platform pledging the
democratic party to an amendment of
these laws and only three weeks ago
the democratic convention at his in
stance, again pledged the democrat
ic party to an amendment Of these
laws.
Mr.. Roosevelt and his friends seem
to have forgotten that the New Jer-
sey legislature in 1911 had a repub- |
lican senate and it was only by the
hardest kind Of fighting backed by
solid public opinion Of the state that
Woodrow Wilson was able to COM
pei this republican senate to put
through his great progressive pro-
gram. They have also forgotten that
both branches of the New Jersey leg
islature of 1912, due to the sinister
activities of ex-senator "Jim" Smith, !
were republican. In this session the
progressive republicans who are now
supporting Mr.. Roosevelt in New Jer-
sey joined with the reactionary ele
nnnt of t1ei' party and spent as
much time trying to destroy the ef-
feet of Governor Wilson's previous |
progressive legislation by amend
ments that he had to return forty |
bills with his veto in single day. |
Engaged in this noble and absorbing |
occupation these republican progress
sives who are now supporting the
third term program had no time to
heed the repeated demands Of Gov.
Wilson that the trust laws of New
Jersey be amended in order to he ef-
fectual.
Mr.. Roosevelt and his friends are
right in saying that the New Jersey |
laws should have been amended, but |
the blame rests with the progressives
and reactionary elements of the re-
publican party in New Jersey which |
control the legislature. It could |
scarcely be expected that the repub-
lican party which had placed on the
statute books Of New Jersey the laws
which made possible the creation of
these mammoth trusts would heed
the demands. Of progressive demo-
cratic governor that he and the ofic-
ials OF the state be given power to-
prosecute and dissolve these same /
trusts. 1t is regretable that the pro-
gressive leaders did not know all the
facts Of this case for little knowl-
edge Is always dangerous thing.