Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-10-08
THE LAST DAYS OF
THE THIRD-TERMER.


me gusty Rough Rider is fast shrinking into
knight Of the sOrrOwful Figure and. as shrewd
sancho would remark, he is now more fit for plas-
tiers than discourses" The Third-Termer's fine pro-
LESSONS and his seamy deeds are meeting face to
face At Armageddon. as it were much to the eoun-
try's enlightenment The testimony before the Sen
ate committee which for the past week has been
investigating the sources OF national campaign funds
caps series Of discussions and incidents that reveal
Roosevelt and Rooseyetism in their true light
Mr. George r. Sheldon, who succeeded Mr. Bliss
4 treasurer OF the Republican national committee,
and who is thus familiar with the financial details
81 the Roosevelt campaign in 1904 has testified that
sevsntythree and a half per cent Of the funds used
10 elect Mr. Roosevelt contributed by the trusts
or their officials. There was a hundred thousand
dollars from the Standard OH Company, another
hundred thousand from H. c. Prick, still another
hundred thousand from George Gould, hundred
and atty thousand from the J. Pierpont Morgan
Company, and Mr. T. H Hartman, after one of those
many interesting visits to the White House. blthey
raised additional two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars for special service in New York state
ID has heretofore been Mr.. Roosevelt's practice
simply to brand as q liar any one who called atten-
ton to this record, but when he was confronted
with The pat evidence OF its truth before the Senate
COMMITTEES his only reply was that he had been
genorant or the sources OF these contributions.
MAYBE the Colonel can deceive himself into be-
lleving that versic. OF his campaign funds but he
,can scarcely deceive the public. The chairman OF
his National committee was Mr. COrteIyou. who had
been Secretary Of Commerce and Labor in his cabi-
net and Who il that capacity. had been empowered
10 make "diligent Investigation into the affairs u
al the great trusts and Industrial concerns. Natur-
ally, therefore, when 1Ir. CorteiyOu. the Presi
NAT
ters called upon : corporation for campaign sub
scription, the corporation speedily responded. In
such circumstances, it would scarcely have dared
refuse and certainly it had reason to rely upon
due return OF favors Thus 1t happened that nearly
threefourths OF the more than. two milliondOllar
fund used in Mr.. Roosevelts election from the
Special Interests,
The Roosevelt administration thoroughly bellies
the theory that he was blissully ignorant Of this
aid He not only declined to prosecute the Steel
Trust Cor clear violations OF the Sherman law. but
he even vent so far suspend that law in order
that the Steel trust might sbsorb the Tennessee
Coal and Iron Company and thus secure an absolute
monopoly Of product which the cOuntry's indus
trial life depended. He blunly put stop to pro-
seedlings that had begun against the Harvester Trust
despite overwhelming evidence that prosecution was
warranted he was cIamoring then as now. for
honest government and for industrial justice but all
the while he shielding and perpetuattng the very
evils he denounced
These facts are entirely pertinent to the present
campaign because IL is his record that Mr.. Roose
vet must be judged in his candidacy for third term
Of power When he had the authority and the op-
portunity to carry needed reforms into effect, he
produced nothing in actual results, but spent his
chance In fruitless harrangues Not during his
nearly eight years in the Presidency did he lift
finger to remedy tariff abuses to break the chok-
Ing grip OF illegal monopolies Indeed, it was dur
ing Mr Roosevelt's administration and under his
eyes that the very conditions against which the
American people have risen took their hrmest
root and came to flower.
Significantly enough, Mr.. RoOseyets financial
mainstay In his present campaign is George W. Per
klns, an ally OF the Morgan confederacy and the
organizer OF the Harvester trust that was granted
Immunity from the law His chief political adviser
Il Boss Flynn, OF Pennsylvania, OF the
riously crooked politicians the continent And
the central plank in his party's platform a
proposition to legaize the giant monopolies that
crushing the eountry's business freedom.
-Four pears more Of Roosevelt tCouId moth
iaa more nor less than four gears more Of Govern
mert patronage for Special Interests
With such a record and with such alliances, is
there any wonder that the Roosevelt movement is
creaking and sagging to its final breakdown?
The fact Is he is fast nearing point where he
cannot fool any Of the people any Of the time.
His recent trip through the South was as icy and