Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-10-10
UNC0NvINlED STILL
journal Unable to Believe Certain
Claims of BARNES and Penp'ose as
to Mr.. Taft and Prosperity.

A Hamlin raader sends by mail
Clippings which are doubtless, in
tended to set the Journal right as
to thIs Taft administration. One is
from a paid advertisement by the
Republican National Committee and
another from one of the most
bitterly partisan of the Taft organs;
wiz, The Baltimore Sun, which. in
dulges in uncharitable personalities
regarding Mr.. Roosevelt.
The sender is a supporter of Mr..
Taft, and doubtless as honest in
his convictions as is thls jour mad
His principal reason for his posi-
tion seems to be- that times, are
prosperous and our Industries are
running to their full capacity. And
it is a condition he thinks which
shpuld not be jnterfered with by a
change in the government at Wash
ington.
1t is true of course that the
United States has gone Through a
great many panics in the past; and
the allotted time is here when pros
perity should return. No president,
who has ever sat in the White
House, has been able to prevent
its returning, though it has come
under some of the others more quic
NndEr some of the others more
quickly than under MIR. Taft. All
This is of course mere matter of
history, which anyone can confirm
by investigation. History is re-
peating itself, and the Taft admins
tration seems in this advertisement
to be claiming the credit for some
khing that it could be hardly have y
thing that it could hardly have pre-
vented if it had tried. Cam anyone
name. a panic incur HISTORY that hsl
not been followed by return of
prospe ity? The Journal does not
believe that our next president, mo
matter which one may win, can
drive away prosperity if he tries;
and 1t does not believe that any
of its readers cam think So. If
there is any dangsr, it lies i'm demo-
cratic success, which might result
i'm a disastrous tariff nevision, ac-
corddng to the platform of that pair
ty.
But this is not the point at issue.
Our future prosperity depends very
largely upon the re-adjustment Of
the business and industrial affairs
of our nation. ALL three of the
PARTIES are pledged to it. The re-
publican and democratic parties
promise revision of the Sherman
antitrust law, which lis our great
national farce, in the hope that, at
ter twenty years OF tailure, some-
dining may yet be accomplished
thru it or by it.
The platform of the progressive
party is different. 1t demands that
corporations doing am interstate, bur
E1nesst be brot under fedora, con-
troll just as our national banks and
Du- railroads are already under ted
Hral control: and that strong fedr
eral commission be established, sim
alar to the Interstate Commerce
Commission (Which has proved thor.
pughly good) for this purpose.
1t demands that this commission
teneorce complete publicity Of those
corporation transactions WHICH are
of public interest, attack unfgHr
competition, false capitalization
and special privilege, and by contin-
nous trained watchfulness. guard
and kesp open equally to all the
highways of American commerce. i"
AS held by the Saturday Evening
Post. this is the only sensible thing
ON the trust question to be found
IN any of the political platforms
tjhds year. 1t means the end, OF
truttlsss and semseless litigation
a5nch a hasss has characterized doart
sdlch as has characterized our past.
And it means further that American
business will be freed from confu-
sicn regarding the law, that the
capital of investors will be made Sc
cure. that dividends will be zen
deEed more certain, and the savings
of the people will be drawn natur-
Ally tand safely into the, channels nf
trade"
This plank in the progressive par
ty's covenant with the people"
constitutes the ONLY rational solu-
tion Of the TRUST question offered
by any party his year, The jour
nal challenges any person or am.
organ cf whatsoever political faith
to SHOW wherein it lis umsoumd. And