The Washington times., 1912-09-19

nopoly will be broken, or can be bro
ken, is by the action proposed in the
not advocated any action differing in
essential points from the action taken
by the present Administration against
the Standard Oil Trust.
The only result of that action by the
present Administration against the STAN
dard Trust was to legalize the monop-
ally. The only reason could possibly
Follow from any action Of the kind.
hitherto advocated by Mr.. Wilson as
rson or ssF the nG sssl Trust trust ToPPd
be to put them Just where the Standard
OIL Trust and the Tobacco Trust have
already been put by following out the
very policy he indicates.
such being the case do not wonder
that every crooked monopoly which
wishes to be legalized confines It's op-
position to the Progressive party and
to me, and seems entirely willing to
have either Mr. Wilson or Mr.. Taft
come into power.
Commission With Power.
"If the Progressive platform is adopt
ed there will be an administrativ COM
mission with ample power to see that
the law Is carried out. The law at the
beginning will clearlx specify certain
prohibitions designed to prevent mcnop-
oily, and these prohibitions would be
enforced. not by series of long drawn
out and doubtful laws suits, but by
immediate administrative aston.
Mr.. Wilson further said that under
the Progressive platform the corpora
tions would control the market Tor la
Dor and states that the only chance
son were man with personal and
working knowledge of the conditions
and surroundings of labor, If he knew
at first hand how working meu live.
ment on his part would be wholly ex-
cusablc. But Mr.. Wilson's statement
is evidently based only on abstract
reasoning from what a certain class Of
laissez-faire political economists have
written, and It is made without even
considering the workings of the laws
now on the statute books. He says
that the legislation we propose would
put the working man in the power of
the big Industrial concerns.
Can Be Easily Tested.
There is a very simple way of test
ing the worth of this statement. Has
the Interstate Commerce law put the
working man more in the power of
the railroads? Let Mr.. Wilson answer
this question.
IF 1t has. then 1t is his business to
advocate the repeal Of the interstate
commerce law. II 1t has not--and no
man with an atom Of sense imagines
that It has-then Mr.. Wilson should in
frank and manly fashion at once admit
that he has made a rather absurd mis-
take, and that there Is not the least
little particle of ground for the fear
he expresses.
Our proposal is to handle the big
industrial concerns doing an Interstate
business along the same lines with In
terstate Commerce Commissions hand
ling of the railroads. There Hould be
yarn ~ 80
labor being improperly controlled by
capital in one case as in the other.
It is simply impossible for Mr.. Wilson
not to realize this II he will give the
subject so much as five minutes con-
sideration.
Colonel Brought Action.
Nor is this all. AS a matter Of fact.
under the actual working of the Inter-
state Commerce Commission and of the
Bureau of Labor the Government has
been able to help the employees of the
railroads in the matter Of wages and In
various other matters, and with their
brought about action of this sort my
self. In precisely the same manner the
proposed law would give the Govern
ment that power to aid labor in the big
ayowedly believer in the outworn de-
cline of the benefits Of unlimited and
reckless competition. AS a matter Of
fact, every wise leader of labor and
limited and reckless competition spells
ruin for the majority of wage workers.
That is why. In the Progressive plat
form. we advocate really the practical
measures for giving the average wage
worker living wage, and for securing
for the men and women in industry
proper conditions Of labor and life.
Mr.. Wilson has expressed a platonic
devotion to our purpose, but has also
expressly stated that he is opposed to
pose He has announced the history Of
liberty is the history of Limitation Of
governmental power. This is true only
of the past history. which deals with
was in the hands of kings and barons,
and the people had no share whatever
in the Government Now the people
have governmental power, and the only
control the great Industrial corpora
tons Mr. Wilson's statement is true
as statement of the school room in
reference to past history; 1t Is not true
as a statement affecting men and
women of the present day.
Chan. .ions Crooked Trusts.
Mr.. Wilson is championing the cause
Of the big crooked trusts when he OPP
poses the Progressive platform for test
ing the powers of the Government over
big trusts just as 1t is being extended
over railroads. We are championing
the cause of the workingman when we
scornfully rejected Mr.. Wilson's doc
trine that we ought to limit the power
of the Government instead of extending
1t in the interest Of justice and fair
dealing.
Il call your attention to the fact
ours is a constructive policy. whereas
Mr.. Wilson does not put forth a single
proposal. His policy Is not
even destructive. 1t is only one Of
make believe destructive. His policy is
merely to do nothing. Our policy Is ef-
fectively to control and regulate the big
trusts"
An Address to Indians.
In his trip through Arizona Colonel
Roosevelt addressed briefly crowds at
all the important stopping places
One incident of the trip which greatly
him was when the train stop
ped at Laguha, a settlement of the Zuni
Indians. The Indians, on foot and horse