Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1912-06-06

would not have signed II IL 1t had been
presented to him under the conditions
that I had to meet? He has never
said that as far as l know, and the
New York platform Of 1910. adopted
by the convention Of which he was a
part. indorsed the Payne bill aud ap-
proved its passage"
The president inquired II this was n
square deal. He then reviewed some
Of the progressive achievements OF his
administration and went ove the
amendments to the interstate com
merce law in detail, pointing o 10
each instance that practically every
single objection Mr.. Roosevelt now
made to that law he has himself rec
commended. including the commerce
court.
Repudiates His Own Trust Record.
Ninth.-Stating that he had taken
frequent pleasure in upholding Presi-
dent Roosevelt's prosecution of illegal
trusts. the president said: Now ! find
Mr.. Roosevelt coming the other way.
denouncing the antitrust law and de-
nouncing prosecutions under it. He
says that the decree In the Standard
Oil case Is Ineffective. that the price
Of stock has gone up and that my adj
ministration is to be condemned be-
cause the decree was confirmed by the
supreme court. The truth is that the
decree as finally entered and enforced
was drawn exactly as Mr.. Roosevelt's
attorney general In the bill. which by
direction Of Mr.. Roosevelt he filed
against the Standard Oil company. had
asked that it be drawn"
The president then declared that
both the decision against the Standard
Oil company and the tobacco trust
had been more effective than Mr..
Roosevelt would admit and that COM
petitive conditions had been restored
and better prices were now being paid
than ever before to the tobacco grow
ers and the producers of crude oil.
Concerning Mr.. Roosevelt's proposed
plan to abolish the antitrust law and
regulate the trusts, he said he had Of
fered no constructive plan whatever
except for the president to separate
the "good" from the bad" trusts, a
process which offered no stability to
business and amounted to nothing in
the end but the establishment Of a
benevolent despotism."
Who Represents the Interests In This
Contest2
TA-I IT, ,n@lu 80 Nh4 oharra that
he represents the interests In this con-
test, the president said the record Of
his administration afforded the best
answer. His long record of prosecu-
lions, without fear or favor, he said.
must show to a fair minded public
that this administration has no favor
ties among lawbreakers or those seek
ing special privileges"
A Menace to the Whole Business Com
munity.
"Eleventh.-One Of the real reasons
why Mr.. Roosevelt ought not to be Sc
lected as a candidate Of any party is
the natural distrust the whole business
community will have in respect to the
measures which Mr.. Roosevelt will pro.
pose In order to effect a revolution in
the interest Of social justice which he
advocates so strongly and defines SO
vaguely" declared the president. Stat
ing that Mr.. Roosevelt's pronounce
ment with respect to the control Of
business at first met with favor among
certain business interests. the presi-
dent said the program outlined by his
Columbus speech had so greatly alarm
ed business that it could only contem-
plate the danger to the security of all
business by his threatened undermin-
ing Of our constitutional government
and his attack upon the independence
Of the judiciary.
81 affirm that the nomination of Mr..
Roosevelt would extend through the
business community a feeling of such
distrust as to the future as to interfere
with the good times which, If business
is let alone and present conditions on
tinue, will expand into the most en-
c%ouraging prosperity. and this will
bring happiness to wage earners who
are more injuriously affected by dis
turbance Of business than any other
members Of the community"
President on Third Term.
In conclusion the president took up
the third term" issue. Quoting Mr..
R~oosevelts announcement that be
would under no circumstances be a
Candidate again, the president said:
"If he had frankly announced that he
had changed his mind no one would be
disposed to hold him to a promise Of
that sort merely because he had made
1t. The promise and his treatment Of
1t only throw al informing light on the
value that ought now to be attached
to any promise of this kind he may
make for the future. The important
fact is that his declaration was the
statement Of a principle essential to
the welfare of the republic"
The president then reviewed Mr..
Roosevelt's various claims for support
on the ground Of merit and concluded
that he had offered no substantial. con-
structivc remedy for any evil of which
he complained. "We are left to infer.