Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-10-11
cfNPiIGN FUNDS
LOW lIICEERSRAM
MUST Be DROPPED
Presidents Only Progressive, Hat
ed by Trusts, Slated for
Removal Soon.
BULL NOcsEns ARE B2AZEN
Backed BY Harvester Combine.
Powerful Political Machine,
Spend Money Lav.shly.
Ey Austin Cunningham.

~ tUSttn Ninnin.k ANN.
| WASHINGTON, ID. c., Oct IL
There escaped from sources said tc be
| friendly to the Taft administration
the other day bit of peculiar rumor
| to the effect that Attorney General
| George Woodward Wickersham will
NOT be in the Taft cabinet, come next
fourth of March. 1t was a circum-
locutory statement. OF course-most
assuledly.-it was expected MIR. Taft
VIII be reelected, but-well, Mr.
Wickersham probably would find it
more renumerative from financial
standpoint TO engage in the private
practice of law. 1t was even said in
this piece of executive department
gossip that the attorney general felt
| that Mr.. Taft would be reelected. The
lnsiStent suggestion was that no
matter who is the next president of the
United States the portfolio of attorney
General, which is worth the sacrifice
Of having to receive only $12. 800 a year
10 almost any lawyer because of the
reputation to be made land the big
clients to be found hanging on the
bushes everywhere after retirement,
would not be filled by this same Mr..
Wickersham.
The important predicate is that it is
pretty well established that admins
tration friends inspired the story: that
persons who might profit by the re-
election of the present president were
DESTROYS that the report Of Wicker
sham's retirement be published. why
should it be announced so early?" is
a question that is being asked.
A little analyzing and specializing
discloses this state of affairs: Substan-
tial contributions to the Taft campaign
fund have been few and far between.
The Republicans have grown &C.
customed to spending barrels of money
in their national campaigns. The
beneficiaries of high protective tariff,
allowed Hereunder to form greedy
and grasping monopolies, heretofore
have freely shared the expense of per-
petuating Republican nomination
Attorney General Wickersham has en-
barrassed a number of these benefi-
ciaries-the larger ones-by bringing
antitrust proceedings against them.
He may not have disconnected them
greatly, for trust magnates have grown
to like and 10 sing parody on Ger
tain well known hymn, which, as
changed, starts off something on this
order:
''Halleiuiah, tum-te-tum-tum,
Halleluiah, amen;
Halleluiah, 'tum-te-tum-tum,
Dissolve us again"
1t may be sacreligious, but they are
singing it.
The dissOlutiOns, or rather the
orders to dissolve, particularly in the
case of the Standard Oil company
witness the testimony of Richard c.
Veit, secretary Of the Standard Oil
company of New York. in the New
York hearing this week, wherein he
testified that the independent sub
salaries" throughout the country are
working in harmony-have made
groups of small trusts. working hand
in hand. But Mr.. Wickersham has
succeeded, nevertheless, in conveying
TO monopolistic business the thought
that he is downright sore" at them.
and they don't like him for that
reason, perhaps. He has slapped 1t
on the wrist and frowned at it. The
frown did NOT indicate a friendly
feeling on the part of Mr.. Wickersham.
With the prospect Of Wickersham
continuing as attorney general. should
Mr.. Taft be reelected, the trusts,
knowing the disposition of Wicker
sham to frown. have not been as gen.
erous as the stand-pat administration
might be pleased for them to be in the
matter of campaign contributions.
why pay to keep in power an admin.
stration with a frOwning Attorney
General" they very naturally ask
themselves.
And now. all things considered, is 1t
not significant that the impression Is
being allowed to circulate that Mr..
Wickersham will not be in the next
cabinet? There are a half-dozen mil
lion Democrats who have thought for
some time that Mr.. Wickersham would
not be in the next cabinet. but from
the administration-inspired report
mentioned, it seems the very estimable
gentlemen has a "cinch" on retirement.
with the arrival Of the quadrennial In
auguration date.
Ridden of his trust prosecutor, 1t
will be hard indeed to find anything
progressive or aggressive about Mr..
Taft's administration. But then, the
b-uiting about of this farewell-tO-
Wickersham report may have stimu-
lating effect-a pocket-lOOsening effect
ON prominent contributors. And 1t
is said there is great need OF fat con-
tributiOns as fuel for the stand-pat Re-
publican steam roller. what with Per
kins, Mccormick, Munsey and others
supplying the motive power for the
Bull Moose moving machine.
Democrats and Old Line Republi-
cans around Washington are aware
that the Bull Moose party is fortified
with probably the most powerful pol
itical machine in the United States,
the Harvester Trust, commercial or
ganization which has made politics
part of its business for years. Through
its many agencies this mighty indus
trial concern disseminates it's political
views everywhere, and takes toll every
where, the while it sells its agrlcul-
tural implements cheaper in Europe,
after paying the oceanic freight rates,
than in the United States. 1t is realized
that the Bull Moose organization Is
combination of combines, and that no
stone will be left unturned in hunting
campaign funds and votes.
The New York headquarters is work
ing systematically and thoroughly.
Appeals are being sent brazenly to the
heads of great favor-seeking corpora
tions, as well as to the workingmen.
They are canning" Roosevelt speeches
that is, putting them on phonograph
records-to send them throughout the
Iond Ineynensiye Rull Moose but