The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-11-02
The Colonel Replies to the
Governors Recent Speech.
ASSaiIS the Trust Record of the
Democrat Candidate.
HE REPEATS The QUESTION
Hurled at the New Jersey Ex-
ecutive by Senator BeVeridge.
SAYS He Has Not Lifted a Fin
ger Against Monopoly.

Oyster Bay, Nov. 2.-Theodore
Roosevelt issued a statement To-Day
devoted largely to answering Governor
Wilson's remarks on the trust ques-
ton in his speech last THURSDAY night
at Madison Square Garden.
I'm view of Mr.. Wilson's insistence
upon the importance of the trust PROB
lem," says Colonel Roosevelt, de-
sire to call attention to Mr.. wilson
record on the trust question as gov
ernor of New Jersey and to his pre-
vious attitude
Colonel Roosevelt quotes from Mr..
Wilson's speeches when running IoF
governor and later. I'm his nrst mes
sage to the legislature January H.
1911" the statement continues, GOV
ernor Wilson renewed with emphasis
his promises to deal with the New Jer-
sey trusts. He described them as nav
ing Slipped out of control OF the very
law that gave them leave TO De- anu
can make and unmake them at pleas
ure' and declared: We nave now set
ourselves to control them soberIy put
effectively and to bring them WlthlH
the regulation of the law There Is
great obligation, as well as a great oP-
Dortunity and imperative obngalon
from which we cannot esct e II we
would. No man who wishes to ENJOY
the public confidence dares hold back
and if he is wise he will not resort 10
subterfuge.'
States has soIemnly declared that the
Standard Oil and Tobacco trusts nave
been guilty of fraudulent ana unlaW-
full conduct which the New jersey
statute declares to be a mlsderne4nIoI'
saws Colonel Roosevelt. MT. wilson
now saws that he wishes to proceed
against the directors and managers OF
these trusts individually. For twenty
two months he has had, as governor
of New Jersey, ample opportunity 1or
sn0@R h
has never lifted his finger TO take H.
Never Lifted a Finger.
ssNFr Wilson had declined to give the
LEGISLATURE a lead in this matter and
when these members of the legislature
gave him a lead he still declined to lift
a finger in their aid. And naturally IN
view of this attitude of passive opposi-
lion on his part the legislature failed
to act. Through Senator Beveridge,
asked Mr.. Wilson certain questions as
follows:
81. Is it not fact that the laws of
the state under which a corporation Is
organized prescribe it's power"
90 Are not all the powers of Stan
dard Oil and similar monopoly confer
red by the laws of New Jersey?'
.s'3 Could not those powers have
been curtailed by amendments to the
New Jersey laws?'
a.. Why has not Mr.. Wilson, as
such amendments?'
I'm response to these questions, Mr..
Wilson telegraphed to one of his 'p-
porters as flows:
% I authorize you to say that the Re-
publican majority in the legislature
made revision of the corporation laws
and no New Jersey official
could prosecute or propose a dissolution
for breach of federal statutes
'HThis is no answer at all. Mr.. Wilson
himself stated that the legislature did
with surprising ease what he asked, and
that Republican and Democrat mem
bers actually introduced bills such as
were demanded by Mr.. '/ilson's explicit
promises.
How Legislature Stood.
"The New Jersey legislature Of 1911
stood: House ~ Democrats and Is
Republicans; senate II Republicans anu
10 Democrats. There was thus only
one Republican majority against him
in the senate and one Republican sem
ator, Mr.. Colgate, actually introduced
an antitrust bill.
I'm the entire legislature there was
no opponent of trust legislation who
possessed one one-thousandth part
of the influence while I was president
that was exercised by Senator Aldrich
and Speaker Cannon in the house But
I never made any excuses and by a
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