The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-10-05

regret that he is unable to make the
/ appointment to see you al the presen
time.
In your letter to Mr.. Roosevelt yor
said that he wishes to destroy the
Standard Oil Company" and then yos
add that he must remember that il
/ has become such national and in
/ ternational factor and performs sc
many important functions that il
must be replaced before it is actually
destroyed, either by public ownership
or something else, and that the same
is true of other large combinations
such as the steel trust, etc. This
is something which Mr. Roosevelt I'M
derstands very well, and | am sure
| if you would only read what he has
written as to his plans for the con-
structive control of the trusts, you
would be- thoroughly in accord with
his views. In his speech at the Chi
cage convention of the National Pro-
gressive party he said that the ten
dency Of those now in control of the
Republican party is to give special
privileges to big business and to cor
rect the evils Of such a course, when
they become crying, by sporadic law
suits under the antitrust law. He
added that the tendency Of the Dem
ocrats, judged by their record in con-
gress and by the Democratic plat
form, is to abolish business OF any
size or efficiency On the ground that
all bigness is badness, and littleness
or weakness a sign of virtue. Then
in one sentence he states his posi-
ton: stWhat is needed is action di-
reetly the reverse of what these con
fusedly Indicate, z and he adds that
there should be applied to all indus
trial concerns engaged in interstate
commerce, In which there is either
monopoly or control of the market,
the principles already adopted in reg
ulating transportation concerns en-
gagged in such commerce. Mr. Roose
welt is Of the opinion that the anti
trust law should be kept on the sta
tute book to be invoked against every
big concern tending to monopoly, or
guilty of anti-social practices, while
at the same time a national indus
trial commission should be created
which would have complete power to
regulate and control all the great
industrial concerns engaged in inter
state business. GU will thus see that
Mr.. RooseYelt's position is not one Of
destruction, not one to destroy the
Standard Oil Company and other
trusts, but to control them.
That is very good suggestion
which you make regarding making q
few brief and decisive speeches and
speaking them into a monograph.
This matter has already had very
careful consideration, although | be-
lieve the decision up to the present
has been adverse.
Again, as to what you say regard
ing the Pacific coast requiring def
mite declarations, and not evasive
statements. As a matter of fact,
Mr., Roosevelt is the only candidate
who has made such definite declara-
lions and has not eyaded the issue.
lie was the first Of the candidates to
speak out in favor of free tolls for
coastWise traffic through the Pana
ma canal; he was the first candidate
to suggest a national scheme for the
canallzation of the Mississippi, the
Panama canal to be the central link !
IN the development of a system of
natural arteries on this continent.
The Progressive party adopted these |
ideas and made a specific demand |
that the canal shall be SO operated |
as to break the transportation mon
opoly now held and misused by the
nscontinental railroads by main-l
Cn1 =.
that ships directly or Indirectly own
ed or controlled by American railroad
corporations shall not be permitted
to use the canal, and that American
siilps engaged in coastWise trade
shall pay no tolls
AS regards Alaska, he also put for
ward scheme for using the maehin-
cry and the men which will shortly bel
available from Panama for the com
stfuctIon OF a railroad in Alaska, and
the Progressive party platform del
lnands that extortion or monopoly
shall pc prevented by the prompt ae-
QUESTION, construction or improve
tnent by the government of such rail
roads, harbor and other facilities for
as the welfare of thei
people may demand
could go on and tell you dozens
u specific and definite deelarations,i
aone OF them evasive, and all OF
hem very ontspoken, but | would
,,2fher$ have you read the platform
or yourself. Having read the COM
1iete platform, then you may judge
or yourself of the actions of the
men who put through that platform
~ their deeds in office in whatever
offices they have held, as to whether
hey would keep those promises. Mr..
roosevelt regards his platform as
;o1traet with the people, and be
lopes the people will enter into that
contract with him next November, and
hen he viii do his utmost to fulfill
very promise made in the platform.
Faithfully yours,
FRANK HARPER, Secretary.
Il. B. Jayne, Esq.
Charles e Ghambliss, the govern
aent rice expert, believes the in
reduction of the right type of for