Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-10
CALLS ON ROOSEVELT
TO DEFINE POSITION
Mr.. Gardner's Query During
Discussion of the Steel
Trust.

Three hours Of debate on the steel trust
question occupied the time Of the House
last night until IL o'clock, the principal
feature being Representative Gardeners
reply to Representative Stanley. chair
man Of the steel committee. Mr.. Gardner,
the ranking minority member of the
steel committee, defended his recent re-
port in his speech. and claimed that all
the democratic legislation planned so far
would do nothing toward settling the
economic problems presented to society at
large by the growth of large industrial
monopolies. Mr.. Gardner claimed mat
Theodore Roosevelt's attitude toward the
trusts is a beclouded one. Under the
colonels confession of faith" said MI
Gardner. he is opposed to the dissolution
OF trusts, but the progressive party plat
form could be Interpreted IT. favor OF
dissolution Of trusts or in favor Of recog-
nition
ITO settle the question" said Mr.. Gard
ner Il ask, Col. Roosevelt the following
plain question: The international Har-
veSter Company has such predomlnance
in its particular industry as to be lndls
tinguishable from a monopoly. DO You
recommend its dissolution or do you rec
ommend its recognition
Time to Define Position.
eff we wish to dissolve the trusts the
time has come to say So" said Mr.. Gard
ner. If we wish to recognize the trusts
the time has come to be definite about IL.
Don misunderstood me as adversely
criticising the bills presented by the
democratic majority of the committee
In my opinion, substantially all the prac-
tees at which those bills are aimed are
e.: I. sol Qnf
II every one of the majority's bills were
to be enacted into law we should be no
nearer the settlement of the trust qLes-
ton.
The majority bills do not spell disso-
lution,' he continued 1.-The stock mar
ket tells us so plainly enough. If we
really wish to break up the trusts all We
have to do is to forbid the concentration
of more than given amount OF capital
under a single management, and then
instruct Our courts to dissolve existing
trusts into corporations within the pre-
Scribed size. That will break up the
trusts fast enough. but it Will not pre-
vent the surviving subdivisions from ar
irving at price understanding in very
short time"
Mr. Gardner declared he did not believe
in dissolution as a remedy. He said COM
binations of capital had their place in the
economic scheme of things. but they
should be made to behave.
What we need said Mr.. Gardner
with emphasis, lis good drastic recogni-
ton of large industrial units. We have
fooled too long with general dissolution"
Competitive System Discussed.
A return to the competitive system, Mr..
Gardner insisted, would not mean lower
prices. He pointed to the falling off in
prices on the products of the United
States Steel Corporation in the decade in
which the prices of other materials and
commodities scared
AS a solution of the problem, Mr. Gard
ner advocated the compulsory licensing
of all corporations whose assets exceed
$5O.OOO,OOO. forcing them at the same time
to recapitalize at the exact amount Of
their actual holdings. He would create
the interstate commission of industry
clothed with powers to enforce the cor
poration laws and. if found necessary to
gain complete control of the situation.
with power to fix prices of commodities.
1t may be that civilization is in a
state of evolution" he said, during
which sociaEsm's creed must have a trial.
1t may be that government control will
ultimately lead into collective ownership
and out of it again. The science of
statesmanship requires us to solve the
pressing problems, not to stand dunn
founded and inactive because in no d.
rect1on is the future clear"