New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-26

the Senate they We're stricken OUT az , III
Instance Of the insurgents on the Kun
that they Involved too great an afnenuih 'h'
To the antitrust law. In view Oh ms SUI
mort OF these very provisions In MS ihes-
sages and elsewhere, Is 1t SQUARE o u.s. A'
him now To describe them as vicious.
Mr. Roosevelt also complains or lhe eo
adjustment OF the Commerce court as
reactionary step. II has rendered ieM "e .
! cisions which have not met tne si he
the Interstate Commerce Commssioil, ~
cause IT reversed that commission q" - ~,
and therefore the cry rs the court uius NUS. n o
recalled. The Commerce Court was ~ -,
for tho purpose OF expedition. so that wheh
a shipper secured an order aealils, a ,a q,
road company and an appear "us T,o Snns
could be promptly dlsposen ol, rasa ,Ima
merce Court has reduced tile average t.Ilo
Of the examination of orders OF tne nv" 49,
state Commerce Commission run 49,
years 10 six months. III the colili I y
Court exceeds its jurisdiction OF Eo',rt 10
wrong decision. then the SUPREME 49, ~ a
at hand to remedy IL. and that ~ "l't ~, I
Supreme Court is now dong VIII I'S ri
cisions; but If the Commerce Cout, - o,ii
iShe,l, then the shippers OF the couHts ~" ~
be RENTED again at the instance OF tne
railroads 10 sixty or seventy lnlted Slat t
courts all over the country; there WI, 81 t too
great cOntrariety of decisions anu thc w..
laws which are now reduced TO six months
will again he increased To Two year :. . L.
IL what the statistics show. Ihost air w ~
facts. and they are not the loose hi,m LIZ ond
indictment Of one who does not KNOW n', n
who depends only upon second-hano H'i''
nation FOR his statement.
Regulates His Own Trust Record.
NINTH. Then my course as to trusts
is held up to ridicule by Mr.. hooseVSN'
In many speech approved oy mr'
Roosevelt ! claimed credit TOR MS wS or
forcement Of the antitrust act. When
he was President ! went out upon tno
platform and advocated as strongly as
could tho necessity for the proseeu-
ton Of the trIsts under that act 90
did his Attorneys General. They began
the Standard Oil prosecution and tney
began the Tobacco prosecution IN mr.
RooseveIt's administration and by ny
direction. My Attorney General carried
them on. The active counse' m .ne
Standard Oil case was Mr.. Kellogg, VINO
was especially employed by Mr.. Hoose,
Welt for this purpose. and it was pressed
to a complete decree in tho Supreme
Court of tho United States. NOW ! ma
Mr.. Roosevelt coming the other way,
denouncing the antitrust law and de-
nouncirq prosecutions under It. He saws
that the decree OF tho court IN the
Standard Oil case is ineffective. that the
price Of the stock has gone up, and IN
some way or other am responsible tor
tho fact that tn. price did 90 up and
that my administration is to be con-
demned because that decree was con-
firmed in the Supreme Court. The truth
is that the decree as finally entered ana
enforced was drawn exactly as MT:
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.
disagree with Mr. Roosevelt as to the
effectiveness Of the decree. I think that IN
a reasonable time the result OF the decree
Will Sh In.
useful statute. The nominal Increase IN the
price Of the stock or the constituent coh-
paHies (for the actual sales are not many
Is due 10 the fact that the public mas been
heretofore denied a knowledge OF the real
amount Of money and capital which each or
these companies have. and now II * known.
Inquire among the Independent I'll companies
and II will be found that to-day there Is
more competitions, both In the purchase or
crude oil and the sale OF refined OIL IMAM iof
twenty years. and this even though the
price Of oil has gone up. II was true tndt
the standard Oil Company. when II suited
It's purpose. was able 10 keep down the price
OF oil and keep down the demand for CRUDE
oil Now it has lost control. ana Inc mar
ket will follow the law OF supply ana ue-
mand.
In respect to the tobacco decree which
was entered by the Circuit Court he Greer
~ the division Of the tobacco company INTO
several competing companies is already
seen one OF the charges against II was
that the Urice ~ Burlev tobacco, by reason
of the suppression or all competition III lts
purchase. had gone down. so that nobody
could raise IL with profit in Kentucky.
That gave rise To the night riders and the
furcibe suppression Of the planting OF Bur
ley tobacco. To-day. due To the presence
Of tho various companies into wlncn the
trust has been divided. each seeking sup
PLY. there Is greater competition for the
purchase Of tobacco than ever before, ana
prices bid are higher than In wears past.
The hand Of the trust Is no longer 10 he
seen in opposition to the farmers. Inc IN
dependent tobacco companies In North caro-
lima and elsewhere ar" themselves beginning
10 find that the competition is unrostrained
The decree. | do not hesitate to say Will
prove more and more beneficial as us fili
effects become developed.
Mr.. Roosevelt proposes Ia abollsh INC
antitrust law and then Ia regulate comnl-
nations and not to destroy them. Mr..
RooSey et's description OF what he - going
e. do Is description. not OF q construc-
tive plan hut of what he proposes to ac-
complish: but II all comes down To TINS
That hy some sort Of executive tribunal ne
IS going 10 decide as between different
trusts: that one H. good trust and an
oil her is q bad trust. and he IL going Ia
smash the bad trusts and he is going 10
protect the good trusts We VIII nave no
means Of determining what * a good trust
OF a bal trust with the abolition OF the anti
trust law He gives no other guide IMAM
that ri executive discretion exercised Tor
the good uf the public which really amounts
i'm th, end To nothing but IN" establishment
az a benevolent dcspotiSm.