New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-11

Roosevelt at Oyster Bay, and the Har-
vester Trust was not prosecuted. IL 10
a matter Of record that Commissioner
Smith stated that you told him that II the
Harvester Trust was attacked interests
represented by you were going 10 fight.
Thereupon Commissioner Smith wrote TO
President Roosevelt that II Is a very
practical question whether IL Is we'll TO
throw away now the great influence Of
the so-called Morgan interests" During
the remaining eighteen months OF the
Roosevelt administration the Harvester
Trust WAS not prosecuted.
When you formed the Harvester Trust
you created monopoly controlling from
IS 10 ~ per cent OF the business I'm har-
vesting implements. which constitute by
Tar the most important class of agricult-
ural implements. The leading articles are
binders, mowers, rakes, reapers, Irvine,
grsin-blnderS tedders hay rakes. sweep
rakes. hay stackers, hay leaders, corn
shredders and hushers. During the ten
years the trust has been In business IL
has expanded into nearly every line OF
agricultural implements, so that to-day
It makes everything that the farmer uses
except ploughs.
In harvesting implements, Il has been abls
TO exteud and 10 build factories TO manu-
facture It's new lines. Its chief new lines
OF manufactures are farm wagons. ma
nure spreaders. cream separators. gaso-
iene engines. cultivators, harrows and
other implements In ten years the prop
critics OF the company have increased In
value from r2o0o.0oo to t22o,ooo.0oo; In the
same period there have been paid to the
stockholders by way OF cash and stock
dividends Including present surplus) a
further sum OF ss40oo,ooo II we estimate
per cent per annlm as reasontsoie re.
investors would have received In ten
years 10000. II therefore appears that
the stockholders have prohted. In addi-
ton TO liberal return upon the original
III. hA ~ N an n
crease in the valuation Of the properties
Your denial Of my statement cannot be
understood as Implying that you have had
any moral objection to causing political
Contributions to be made by corporations
controlled by you, for there is at least
one episode In your career which indi-
Gates the contrary There Is still fresh In
made in behalf Of the New York Life In
,urance Company. TO Mr.. Roosevelts
campaign in isoLmade with your knowF
edge and while you were an executive
n is perfectly plain that enormous sums
Of money were expended nds to procure me the
been loudly proclaimed that he had been
forced 10 nun only because OF the spon-
taneous uprising OF the people. and that
YOU were one Of his principal financial
hackers.
Looking for the Motive.
Senator Dixon testified that when they
became desperately hard up they always
went back to Perkins. You do not open
your books TO show how much you have
Contributed or where you got IT, Reason
ahls people will seek some motive for the
enormous depletfons OF a mans private
fortune for political purposes.
THE explanation that is made in your
behalf is that you have entered t upon M me
Roosevelt is the only man who can save
the country and make II AZ place for
you 10 rear your children in. But at the
same time you have been In effective con-
sroi ~ one OF the most oppressive trusts
| this country has ever known, and you still
Cling 10 YOUR connection with this monop-
DIV Men may well doubt. therefore:
whether the sole motive FOR your p 9nti,Gal
mankind from social Injustice,
There Is a fact full OF significance.
namely. that the Harvester trust itself
ia silent as to whether II has contributed
ANYTHING II permits nosss y0S activities and 10
! bring IN. AFFAIRS conspicuously Into pup
| i,n notice. why does II do this unless II
ia itself Interested in your endeavors!
uh,actine II TO the suspicion that II is
irving TO elect Mr.. Roosevelt In order that
n can get rid OF governmental prosecu-
tion. Is II strange that the man In the
street concludes that the FAILURE 10 IN.
sist upon your retirement from the trust
indicates that some motive must be lurk-
Ing in the background which is very pow
erfuI. and will he not conclude that you
and YOUR Interests have been to the
candidacy Of Mr.. Roosevelt as rivers OF
water in dry place and the shadow OF
a great rock in weary land?
Mr.. Hilles gave the committee no new
information regarding contributions to the
TAFT preconvention fund, except list OF
the contributors to the fund raised In
chicago, the total OF which Representa-
tive Mckinley had included In his state
TT NJ Rilsby. 81. 900: George NJ Reynolds.
sno: Julius Rosenwald. 5000; Max Pam.
ssS sdo. ]. A. Patten, S.oo0: ]. G. 6hedd.
Eco: Henry siegel. 500; J. Z. Otis. 500;
Max Hart. $40; A. @. Becker, $50. and
Fred s. James. 400