Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-10-09
II DON'T KNOW"

contributed Dy corporations. lie
didn't know that Henry G. Prick, of
the Steel interests, and Geo. j. Gould,
| as Mr.. Sheldon testified, had given
each $780, 900 to his campaign fund.
He didn't know that Archbold of the
Standard Oil, had contributed $780,
900. But he knew enough to know it
would stand him well in hand to
brand Judge Parker a liar" when
Judge Parker charged the very things
which are nov proved on the witness
stand. He knew enough to do that
He knew enough to defraud the
people in their confidence in him.
He knew how to assassinate a repu-
tation. He knew how to apply the
short and ugly word.
There were other things he knew
He knew enough to create the Bureau
of Corporations, at the head of which
was George B. Cortelyou, secretary of
Commerce and Labor. This bureau
was charged with the duty of making
"diligent investigation" into the bust
ness of all industrial corporations en-
gagged in interstate commerce. The
bureau had the right to go into the
books of the corporations, to pry into
their affairs and uncover their secret
methods of doing business. Mr..
Roosevelt's attorney general could
make the finding of this bureau basis
for an action under the Sherman anti
trust law against corporations violat-
ing that law. Mr.. Roosevelt him
self could direct criminal prosecution
of 'malefactors of great wealth"
This was common knowledge. Every
corporation knew it. Every rich
malefactor' knew it.
Suppose you were an officer or di-
rector of a corporation engaged in in
terstate commerce business and you
were uncertain as to just what the
Sherman law forbade and what it
permitted. You would naturally be
fearful of a civil action against your
corporation for the expense in de-
Tending the action it would entail,
and terribly fearful of criminal &C
ton, very naturally. And il one of
Mr. Roosevelt's repreS entatives called
on you for a contribution to his cam
paign fund you would make a con-
tribution very likely, as sort Of
premium on insurance against the
legal actions of which you stood in
fear All this you would do, very
likely. Thus is explained why 73 l-2
per cent OF Mr.. Roosevelt's campaign
fund was contributed by the corpor-
ations.
What sort of government is this?
What is il but government by black
mail? 1t was unnecessary for MIR.
Roosevelt's representatives to give
any assurance, to make request
clothed as a threat. The Bureau of
Corporations, the attorney generals
Office, and the presidential Office were
threat enough.
This is what comes from govern
ment by bureaus, of bureaucratic
government-us of the bureau as a
club to the profit of the head of the
government. Murphy, boss of Tam
many, is not sc coarse in his work as
to say to contracting firm or a
franchise seeker that unless it con-
tributes TO Tammany it will not get
contracts or franchises. but the con-
tractors and the franchise-seekersI
very we'll know that if they should
not contribute there would be no
chance for them getting what they
wanted. There is no ethical differ
ence between the way boss raises
money and the way Roosevelt raised
money for his campaign-both use
precisely the same method.
Well, what about Roosevelt after
election? Did he prosecute the cor
porations? First thing off the reel he
denied that Il would do any good toI
~ Infa ofn m iotI l.
ishment by Imprisonment was not the
way to cure the trust evil, he said.
So he sent no rich malefactors" toI
jail Archbold and Hartman got this
much back from their contributions
they were not arraigned at the
bar as criminals. If they got nothing
else they were we'll repaid. AS toI
Frick and Morgan, it is another story
Mr.. Morgan's son-in-law was made
Assistant Secretary Of the Navy. The
treasury surplus was poured into the
Morgan banks. The Steel Trust was
absolyed from prosecution or action
looking toward its dissolution. The
tariff was untouched. The suit
against the Harvester Trust was dis
missed after an unthinking subordin-
ate had instituted it. The law was
suspended long enough to permit the
Steel Corporation TO take over the
Tennessee Coal and Iron Company.
One of Mr.. Morgans partners be-
came Secretary of State in the Roose-
welt cabinet The Morgan interests,
which have been so friendly to us,
Mr.. Roosevelt wrote to his attorney
general. Finally j. Pierpont Nor
gan got certificate of character from
Theodore Roosevelt as patriot
for stopping the parni," and this
with $20,000,000 of government
money that the Treasury turned over
10 Morgan without interest.
What a record of corruption is
this What reproach it gives to this
freebooter running now for the
Presidency as candidate or the
Steel Trust and the Harvester Trust
of the friendly Morgan interests.
He didn't know" He knew how
TO regulate everybody else's business;
knew how TO run the army and
operate the navy; knew how to solve
the problems of irrigation, Irrigation