Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-27

interests generally, had originally fav.
ored the creation Of the bureau OF COR
porations and the policy Of the presi-
dent which that bureau represents, and
that both in their attitude toward the
bureau and in their conduct and man
agement of their various concerns, in-
Guiding the United States steel corpor-
alton, had adopted similar policy Of
frankness and publicity: that 90 far
as they were aware Of they had not
been guilty Of any violation of the.
law, certainly none involving q moral
consideration: that as he phrased IT, he
York by the Standard OH people who
were saying that he had tried to be
good and keep solid with the admins
tratton but that he was now going to
get the same dose as other people who
mad not followed such policies.
"A Moral injustice"
under the Sherman law against this
company would be moral injustice
and reversal Of the correct and adj
vanced modern policy of the president
in dealing with corporate business.
This case raises the question in.
cluded In what the president has called
good and bad trusts the question
whether combinations as such, shall So
prohibited: whether the government Il
going to try to forbid all combination.
regardless of their methods or ends. 81
whether. on the other hand, it ID EoinR
to pursue the policy. frequently stated
by the president, Of regulation and con-
troll rather than Of prohibition.
Finally this case against the COM
pany is q civil, not . criminal one,
Delay will not affect the case throurh
any statute of Limitation
Commissioners Smiths letter to Pres
ident Roosevelt was accompanied by 4
letter Of endorsement from Oscar
straus. then secretary OF commerce and
labor. 1854
Some Sensational incidents.
The sending Of the correspondence
to the senate was not without sersa-
tional incidents, Only few weeks AFRO
Attorney General Wickersham refused
to send it in respoHse TO q request by
Senator johnson Of I Alabama called
upon the attorney general for the cor
respondence, and within two hours It
vs. Senator r" Rri.tov, Il, ardent support
or Of the colonel. defended the former
president in'a spirited speech and
warmly criticised the procedure. which
he declared was presumably intended
to reflect upon man who IL q candi-
date for tho presidency against the
present occupant" He charged. in
substance, that the presentation Of the
correspondence had been pre-arranged.
Roosevelt to Make Reply.
New York, April 25.-"I haven't be.
gun to fight said Col. Roosevelt. But
when the colonel read the papers to-
day he decided to begin to fight. He
telegraphed to New York for his secre-
tary and for his records dealing with
the International Harvester Co. He
said that he would give out tonight a
statement of his position in relation
to the harvester company.
Col. Roosevelt in the meantime will
make no comment and said that he
regarded the matter as one to which
he should give his most careful atteEs
ton and that he could say nothing I'M
til he had the case thoroughly In hand.
He added that there was good deal
to be said. Il.
Perkins 10 Satisfied.
George w. Perkins issued the fol.
lowing statement today: E
ME- Perkins said that the letters Of
President Roosevelt and Commissioners
Knox Smith stated the facts 20 he
recollected them and he Is very glad
indeed that they were given out. He
expressed great regret, however, that
the present administration has not
seen At to give out also all the other
correspondence and interviews from
1904 down to date, especial whose
covering the past year, az the public
is entitled to know all the facts"
1onaparte Gives Views.
Baltimore, Md, April 26.-Respect.
ing President Roosevelt's letter to At
torney General Bonaparte directing
the latter to withhold the antitrust
suit against the International Har-
vester Co., contained in the CORES.
pondence sent to the senate yesterday
by the department of justice, Mr..
Bonaparte said the action was with
held pending the result OF an investiga-
ton Of the harvester company by the
bureau Of corporations, being made ct
the instance Of the senate.
Former Attorney General Bonaparte
said: THE letter in question was
written while was absent from Wash.
ington and while an investigation BY
the department Of justice was In pro.
gress in regard to the affairs of the
harvester trust, but before any report
had been made to the department or
any decision by 1t. :, -s
Several months later after the dc.
partment had received full report
from it's representative, a. Mr.. Town
send, announced to the president that
was ready to institute suit for the
dissolution of the harvester trust. 1t
was then ascertained that the bureau
of corporations had not yet completed
it's investigation Of the same harvester
trust (Which it was conducting by
direction of resolution Of the senate)
and the matter being submitted to the
cabinet, it was decided that the suit
should await the conclusion Of Mr..
Herbert Knox Smiths inquiry.
TT was supposed then that this
would cause but short delay. The
inquiry lasted, however, not only dur.
ing the remaining years Of Mr.. Roose-
velt's administration, but during some
three years Of Mr.: Taft's, and 30 far
as I know, it is not yet finished.
"The presidents letter Of August
107. did not In any way delay or At
feet the action Of the department OF
Justice, and when told him thought
the suit should be undertaken, which
was probably five or six months later,