The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-05-05
TRUST BUSTING
TALK BY TAFT
Tells How Colonel Roosevelt Old
Nothing in the Harvester Case
When Perkins
Pleaded.
SQUARE DEAL is BENT
Prosecutions by Present Administra-
tions Are Aimed at All vioIat-
ors Of the Sherman
Law.

UNITED Press Leased Wire Service. ]
BALTIMORE. Md, May 4.-Before
an audience which packed the huge
Lyric theatre tonight and made an
overflow meeting necessary, President
Taft attacked his former friend Roose-
welt on his trust prosecution record,
thrusting at him with more sarcasm
and vigor of utterance than he had
previously shown. His hearers were
enthusiastic and at some of Taft's
keenest epigrams cheered and cheer
| ed again
Mr. Roosevelt's chief theme is to
attempt to stir up class feeling and
hatred, and to array those who have
not much against those who have
more,o said the president. with his
little regard for constitutional restric-
ton, his little regard to the due pro-
i cess of law, cannot but think that
there is a great crisis in the country's
history involved in the question wheth-
er now for third term he shall be
the nominee of the republican party
and be elected to the presidency"
Commenting upon Roosevelt's
changing heart toward third term,
Taft said:
"He is now content to take another
Gun of coffee and become candidate
! He is now hunting the nomination
i with all the avidity of one who has
!. never been, a candidate before"
Once. replying to Roosevelt's charge
. that bosses are supporting Taft, the
' president said: I'D like to know
/. how many bodies of dead bosses were
a strewn along the path of Theodore
Roosevelt in the seven years when he
}. was PRESIDENT"
i The crowd rose to its feet to ap-
# plaud this thrust
r Before big audience to-
!" night President Taft charged
Il i that Attorney General Bona
c parte was eager to prosecute the Har-
IL vester trust, but that George w, Per-
a. kins went to Washington and plead
a. ed with Herbert Knox Smith, chief
st of the bureau Of corporations not to
bring suit :"
a "The result was" Taft continued,
r. that Mr.. Smith made report on
n. September q to Mr.. Roosevelt, In
which he recommended that no suit
be brought until he had made full
investigation of the Harvester trust.
g Before this report was made by the
assistant attorney of North Dakota
err and by the district attorney of Min
nesota that there was ground fol
prosecuting the Harvester trust; tha'
this trust had violated the anti-trus
i law. On November I, the presiden
an directed Mr.. Smith to notify Mr.
50 Perkins that no prosecution would b.
to begun until after the investigation
air That settled the matter, because tina
no is what Mr.. Perkins asked for
or ''Mr. Roosevelt says that | was a
le- the cabinet meeting in which it wa
decided not to prosecute the trus
re- until after the investigation AS
ed matter of fact. was not in the cour
eh try between August and December.
ms had been in the Philippines and wa
ed. On my way around the world. MI
an Bonaparte says that the cabinet NEE
EN- ing took place in January. This is a
hit together mistake, as it Is show
ed by Mr.. Smiths diary that the matte
sti- was decided In November
These are the circumstances ten