The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1912-10-24
ROOSEVELT 4 PATRIOTIC AND
EaR-SIGHTED STATESMAN.

farmer in the eastern part Of the
State. in which he said:
81 am receiving this year the
hest price for my tobacco that
have in ten years. | feel that
the prosecution of the tobacco
trust by the Republican nation
al administration has been large
ly, If not entirely, responsible
for this. Why does not The
Caucasian publish these facts
and continuously impress the
same upon the attention OF the
people of this State"
The above is a very pertinent ana
natural inquiry. We are frank to
confess that we have been consider
ing this very matter for several
weeks, but as yet we have not writ
ten an article on the subject because
we realize that thousands OF our
readers entertain the view expressed
above, while we knew that such a
view is largely, If not entirely, erron-
eous.
The Caucasian has never tried to
take short cuts or to use any tempo
rary apparent advantage for pol1t1-
cal purposes. We have always strived
to get at the bottom facts and to give
our readers the whole truth. The
facts underlying the question raised
by our correspondent are rather COM
plicated and long. But since the
question has been squarely raised,
we will give now, briefly, the facts
as we see them and believe them to
be true, and will follow the same up
in each issue of the paper.
Since receiving the above letter
there has been given out by the At
torney- General of the United States
a letter which he has received from
the head of the independent oil pro.
ducers of the United States which
throws much light upon the inquiry
as to the tobacco situation.
1t will be remembered that wher
Colonel Roosevelt was President o.
the United States, he had a suit in
stituted under the antitrust Law
against the Northern Securities Rail
road Merger Company. He prosecut
ed that suit to a successful conclu
sion and had the big railroad mer
ger combine dissolved. The paper
had much to say about the great sue
cess of the administration in dissolv
ing this great railroad trust pool an,
the beneficial results that would &C
crue to the public in the great North
west. 1t will be remembered, how
ever, that Colonel Roosevelt neve
claimed any special credit for him
self or his administration for the in
stitution of this suit or for it's az
parent successful conclusion. Colone
Roosevelt knew as well as, if not BET
ter than, anybody else that the resul
of the suit, though successful on tn
part of the Government, would nc
enure to any particular advantage t
the public.
1t will be remembered that Colont
Roosevelt at once appealed to Coz
gress to enact additional legislatio
to strengthen the antitrust law s
that when the Government brougt
suit and won that the results woul
be really substantial instead of al
Parently so. It will also be remen
bered that Congress failed to respon
to the appeal of President Rooseve
to pass such legislation. Wherein
on, the President proceeded to il
stitute similar suits against the Stal
dard Oil Trust, the American Toba
tons who were clearly violating IL
spirit and letter of the Sherman a.
THRUST law
These suits were instituted In 100
but were not brought to a conclusie
until after Roosevelt had gone O.
of Office and Taft had become Pres
dent. The results of these suits we
the same as in the great Northel
Securities Railroad Merger Cor
pany's case, which were apparent
successful for the Government, b
were in fact of no special advanta
to the public.
While the great combinations we
dissolved and forced to do busine