The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-08
harvester TRUST
NOW UNDER FIRE
President Taft Is Fighting
Man and Ready to Crack
a Few Heads
ACTS WHEN PERKINS
SHOWS IN THE GAME
Attorney-General Has Been
Ready to Act for Some
Time and Was Only
Waiting Orders
By JAMES J. MONTAGUE.

WAS HINGTON, March Acting
on a peremptory order from the Pres
ident, Attorney General Wickersham
today began active preparations for a
prosecution, under the Sherman law.
of the harvester trust. which Mr..
Tafts managers accuse of financing
the candidacy Of Theodore Roosevelt.
This announcement. which follow
ed within twenty-four hours of the
administration first official knowl-
edge that George w. Perkins, OF the
harvester trust, was actively coop
Grating with Roosevelt, indicates
plainly the Presidents determination
to fight. and the kind of a fight he
intends to make.
Although Mr.. Wickersham. as long
as last September. notified Mr.. TAFT
OF his readiness to move against the
harvester trust the President did not
appear willing that he should do so
on the evidence then in hand. In
stead OF ordering Wickersham to pro-
coed. Mr.. Taft sent for Herbert Knox
Smith Commissioner Of Corporations.
and instructed him to prepare spe-
ciai report on the trust.
Prosecution languishes.
Before Mr.. Smith got this work
fairly under way he was taken away
the steel trust. Meanwhile the prose-
cution languished for want Of an or
der from Mr.. Taft to wake il To life.
In MIR. Wickersham's desk was. the
reports of Special Assistant Attorney
General Townsend. who had gone
deeply into the history of the big
farming machinery corporation, also
the carefully tabuiated results OF an
investigation made BY the Attorney
General himself.
Yet, notwithstanding the fact that
the President knew OF these reports,
and the fact that they formed what
MIR. Wickersham considered the basis
of a prosecution. Mr.. Taft let week
follow week, and month follow month.
without asking for action. and untii
It became certain that MIR. Perkins
and other members OF the trust were
engaged in promoting the candidacy
of Theodore Roosevelt. the papers in
the case were permitted to gather
cohwebs, with never g. word from
the President that would send them
into q United States court
At the Department OF Justice II is
believed that Perkins stands for more
than the harvester trust. and that MS
connection with the Roosevelt move
ment contains the grayest possible
idsnt to succeed himself in Office. 1t
Is asserted that Perkins, despite his
declaration of retirement. Is stil
hand-in-glove with the Morgan inter
ests. and that his holdings in many
great industrial and financial corpora
tons give him vast authority and IN
fiuence and consequent power.
May Ges Perkins .on Stand.
The Department of Justice. how
ever IL not concerned with Perkins
personally, but officially. In his capac-
ity as director of the Harvester trust.
II suit can be instituted speedily
1t will be possible to call Perkins to
the stand and to question him as to
whether he Is a director Of the Har-
vester corporation has contributed
anything to the Roosevelt fund. II
the case can not be brought to rrlai
before June. 1t Is. believed that the
effect OF the prosecution will be none
the less disastrous to tn trust. TO
Perkins through the trus. and to
Roosevelt, through Perkins.
There will be no politics directly
concerned In the prosecution. and no
charge is made that the attorney gen
eral Is playing politics in bringing -:
inasmuch. AZ he was ready to do II
Tong before Roosevelt was y candidate
or Perkins his political ally. But by
all politicians who are familiar with
the facts the sudden determination
OF the president to bring the sui, as
soon az he discovered the intimate as
ISOLATION OF Perkins and the colonel.
lis looked upon as significant In the
highest degree.
Taft Ready to Crack Heaos.
Senator Dixon said this afternoon
that in few days he would answer
fully the charge that Roosevelt Is re-
ceiving money from tho Harvester
Trust. Senator Dixon has already
charged that the Harvester Trust sup
piled to the Taft headquarters in
Chicago the rooms they occupied IN
CONTINUED on Third page.)