The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-08-15
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
(By Clyde H. Tavenner, specia
Washington Correspondent of The

(By Clyde H. Tavenner, special
Washington Correspondent of The
Reporter.)
Washington, Aug. 10-"George w.
Perkins in the chair" This question
does not refer to Mr.. Perkins pres
ence in the chair at the Chicago
| Moosefelt convention. On the con-
| trary, it is taken from the minutes
| of meeting of the finance commit
tee of the steel trust, held April 5,
| 1904, at which it was decided that
subsidiary companies of the steel
trust manufacturing half finished
articles should not sell same to COM
petitors of the trust. (See page 108
Stanley Steel report.)
This is only one of the revela lions
contained in the report of the STAN
ley Steel trust investigation COM
mittee, one Of the most able and re-
markable documents of the decade.
The Stanley report, in addition to
indicting former President Roosevelt
for permitting the steel trust to OBJ
tain absolute domination of the steel
industry, reveals beyond successful
contradiction how George w. Per-
kins came into possession of the
colossal fortune that he is now
spending to finance the Roosevelt
third term movement.
Source of Perkins Millions.
Here is the story of the Perkins
wealth: To start with, Mr.. Perkins
made some of his millions by capital
| iZing thin blue air into millions of
dollars of real money.
He made more millions by getting
monopoly on wire nail manufac-
turing plants and forcing the Ameri-
can farmer to pay $3.50 per key for
nails for which they formerly had
paid from $1.25 to $3.50 per key.
(See page s Stanley report.)
Then he made more by forcing the
thousands of workers in the blast
furnaces of his steel mills to work
II hours day, seven days a week,
and 365 days year.
AS a postscript to the above in
formation, the following history of
Mr.. Perkins may be of interest to.
many at this time: Mr.. Perkins
was the chief aid and co-schemer of
j. Pierpont Morgan while the latter
was in the years between 1900 and
1911 throttling business in every
direction. 1t was Perkins who as
Morgan's business partner showed
Morgan how to dominate the boards
OF directors of all the great railroads,
banks and trust companies, express,
telephone and telegraph companies,
steamboat lines, insurance compan-
les, and all the great industrial trusts
to the end that Morgan now has a
strangle hold on corporate wealth
of over 5,0O0,0O0,OOO, an amount
equal to one-third of the wealth of
the nation.
Campaign Books Out Soon.
The Democratic National Cam
paign Book for 1912 will be ready
for distribution about August 20.
Advance proofs already out show it
to be probably the best publication
of it's kind ever issued. 1t will be
complete handbook on the tariff and
every issue that will figure promi-
nently in the approaching campaign.
Every democrat worker in the United
States ought to have this book. The
price is to remain at rs cents, the
amount asked for the campaign
books of previous years. Orders
should be sent to Hon. James T.
Lloyd, chairman of the National
Democratic Congressional Committee,
Washington, D. c. This being a /
campaign year, it is an
there will be an unusually
heavy demand for the books, and it
will therefore be we'll for those de-
string copies to write Mr.. Lloyd i'm
ia
today, that prominent democrats
will get together in the towns and
cities and club their orders, so that |
we may ship as many as possible to
one address, and thus conduct the
department at the least pos
sible expense
AS Mr.. Lloyd's committee is en-
deavoring to make it's campaign |
wholly on funds subscribed by the
people, every endeavor is being |
made to keep down expenses. The |
Committee is short of |
funds, and contributors, however
small will be useful. Checks should |
be sent to Chairman Lloyd.
Stanley Deserves Credit.
Congressman A. o. Stanley, of |
~ANA eUNAyS SAc%AA uou " CA0
tee of the House of Representatives,
which investigated the Steel trust,
deserves great credit for the system I
attic and highly capable manner in
which he conducted the inquiry.
The cost of the entire investiga-
ton was but $4,000. This amount
Is in striking contrast to the cost of
some of the investigations under the
republicans, notably that of the i'm
migration question at an expense to
the people of more than 100000.
Mr.. Stanley saw to it there were
no personal excursions or junkets
with the money appropriated for the
probe OF the steel coporation.. He
was willing to spend money for all
necessary expenses, but was careful
hat not dollar was squandered.
1t will be recalled that the investi-
gators of the immigration question
spent their appropriations like
water, touring Europe in the most
luxurious style, even journeying to
the pyramids in Egypt.
Mr.. Stanley's name will go down
n history along with the mastorfn1 |