The Washington times., 1912-09-08
THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES.

NioHCl NooSeVelI, III his speech 10 the montana
Progressive State convention on Saturday, pointed
parallel between the Taft and the Wilson platforms,
that cannot be too often emphasized too strongly
dwelt upon. With reference to the proposals of the
two old parties for dealing with the problem of in
dustrial trusts and combinations, he shows that
neither Of the old parties has offered anything new
both proposing to continue the method that has
been notorious failure, that has made the Sherman
law a mockery Of the peoples interest, and real
protection to the great combinations In the face of
the fact that that law has been made benefit to the
Standard Oil and Tobacco combinations through the
method adopted in their dissolution; in the face of
the immense increase in their power of domination
over their respective industries; Notwithstanding the
huge increase in the value of their securities, fol-
lowing and resulting from their dissolution neither
OF the old parties has anything to offer except pro-
gram that would be certain to confer like mmunties
and benefits more combinations Of the same char
acter.
This Colonel Roosevelt makes clear in his Mon
tana address. mr. Wilson's proposal he says, lis
to continue in exactly the that the Taft
Administration is now continuing, for the differences
between the Republican and Democratic platforms
this matter are merely differences of sound and
fury and not of sense. Mr.. Wilson'S proposal is to
regulate competition by 'dissoving trusts in the way
the Standard Oil and the Tobacco trusts were dis
solved You know the prayer in Wall Street now is
Give another dissolution. Wall Street likes tg
have its property dissolved in that way"
1t would be useless to deny that Colonel RooSe-
welt has fairly stated the facts. The only contrbu
ton Of light and reason, of constructive ideas and
workable program, that has been made to this SUBJ
ject in the present campaign, is tnat from the Pro-
gressve party. Suppose the country gives oppor,
tunity to either of the old parties to go ahead with
the policy that has been worked out in the oil and
tobacco cases: what will result? Plainly, we will
see in the next few years. long list of trusts dis
solved under DEGREES similar to those that writ
ten in those two cases. Those DEGREES constitute in
effect mandate of the highest authority to 60 ahead
making competition impossibe to drive independents
out of the field by the same old methods that have
become we'll known, and to enjoy the assurance tha
in doing they are protected by the law Of the lane
and the DEGREES Of the courts.
That sort of thing is not what the country wants
Take either horn of this dilemma, and it is abou
equally bad. Dissolution" that really dissolved
that meant real destruction, would be ruinous to the
business of the country; dissolution that left the
trusts with all the power, profits and mmuntes tina
were conferred on them by the two famous decree:
that have been referred to, would mean continuance
of the worst evils Of trust control One or the othe
Of these sets of evils must result if either Taft o.
Wilson is elected. 1t is case of choosing between
parties that not essentially different on the big
gest immediate economic question of the time
The alternative is the Progressive proposal. Mr.
Roosevelt summarized that in this same Montana
address What want" he said, 'is to see an inter
state industrial commission which shall handle th
Standard Oil, settle Tobacco and every big trus
through administrative action just as the Interstate
Commerce Commission handles the railroads, an
with power extended beyond that of the Interstate
Commerce Commission"
There is the difference Roosevelt offers some
thing whose practicabty and efficacy have been at
tested by the success Of the Interstate Commission il
handling the railroads. That method has served bot
the public and the railroads we'll both investors an
patrons. 1t has improved business morality checke
graft and corruption, largely taken the railroads ou
of politics.
Wilson and Taft propose to continue a metho
that has made conditions in the industrial worl
worse instead Of better. Is it difficult to conclud
which way intelligent public sentiment will turn
REFLECTS WELL.
do suppose that giddy girl ever spends any