Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-04-26

Washington, April 20.-Wildly vi.
Imperative statements" sent out from
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" a voice, that deliberate plan
of Misrepresentation and falsehood
has been formulated in the vain hope
OF somehow checking the Roosevelt
groundsweli.
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 Lcrimer's
man, Mckinley, acting as the head OF
the Taft forces, and by Penrose, Cal
finger, 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 monopolists that all
other special privilege beneficiaries
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 message to
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 to
oppose any interference with the set
Element of the case. Following this,
with the consent and approval OF Taft,
the attorney general, possessing under
the law the sole right to appeal to the
Supreme court from the decree which
he and Taft had agreed to, refused to
make such an appeal and, under in
structions from Taft, cut the public
off from the privilege OF having the
farcical enforcement OF the law, which
he, Taft, had urged in behalf OF the to-
bacco trust, reviewed by the Supreme
court.
1t needs nothing more than this to
convince any sane man that Taft him
self, controlling the activities OF the
attorney general, has been more useful
to special privilege, and to the tobac-
co trust and the Standard Oil monopo-
ly particularly. than all other forces
that have worked against the public.
In view Of these circumstances. an
attack upon Theodore Roosevelt,
planned by men whose service to spe-
cial privilege is revealed in every &C
ton. becomes, more than a deliberate
policy Of falsehood.
From the Taft managers such a pol
icy might be expected. From Taft
himself such policy demonstrates a
lack of regard for the place he holds
and the duty he owes the American
people as whole SO startling as to be
absolutely deplorable. The futility OF
it all will increase its offensiveness to
the public.