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

limited 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" said the president. with his
little regard for constitutional restric-
ton, his little regard to the due pro-
cess OF law, cannot but think that
! there Is a great crisis in the country's
history involved in the question wheth-
i err now for third term he shall be
u the nominee of the republican party
and be elected to the presidency"
4 Commenting upon Roosevelt's
changing heart toward third term,
Taft said:
HE is now content to take another
cup of coffee and become a candidate
: He is now hunting the nomination
), with all the avidity of one who has
.lnaver been. 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
J. was PRESIDENT"
I The crowd rose to its feet to APP
r plaud this thrust
r Before big audience to-
>, night President Taft charged
Il that Attorney General Bona
c parte was eager to prosecute the Har-
IL vester trust. but that George w. Per-
!. kins went to Washington and plead
l. ed with Herbert Knox Smith, chief
It of the bureau Of corporations not to
bring suit"
a "The result was" Taft continued,
r "that Mr.. Smith made a report on
a. September 81 to Mr.. Roosevelt, In
which he recommended that no suit
be brought until he had made a full
investigation of the Harvester trust.
q Before this report was made by the
assistant attorney Of North Dakota
or and by the district attorney of Min
nesota that there was ground fol
prosecuting the Harvester trust; tina
this trust had violated the anti-trus
/ law. On November Z, the presiden
an directed Mr.. Smith to notify Mr.
IS Perkins that no prosecution would b'
t. begun until after the investigation
.ir That settled the matter, because tina
no is what Mr. Perkins asked for
or "Mr. Roosevelt says that | was a
lie. the cabinet meeting in which 1t wa
decided not to prosecute the trus
re- until after the investigation. AS
ed matter of fact. was not in the conr
gh try between August and December.
ms had been in the Philippines and wa
cd. on my way around the world. MI
an Bonaparte says that the cabinet NEE
en- ing took place in January. This is a
lit together mistake, as 1t is show
ed by Mr. Smiths diary that the matte
;ti- was decided in November.
These are the circumstances ten