Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-05-05
ington, where he will take breakfast and
luncheon before leaving for Cincinnati
for short stay.
Refers to Harvester Case.
N Ii hn caid In MORT.

In it he said in part:
The truth about the harvester trust is
that Mr.. Bonaparte thought it ought to
be prosecuted. Mr.. George w. Perkins,
who was a director in the harvester
trust then a director in the steel trust
and also member of the firm of Morgan
q Co., came over to Washington and
pleaded with Mr.. Herbert Knox Smith
of the bureau of corporations not to
bring the suit, and induced Mr.. Smith to
make report to Mr.. Roosevelt in which
he set forth the fact that the steel trust
and the harvester trust and the other
Morgan interests had attempted to carry
out Mr.. Roosevelts idea of publicity, and,
therefore, they ought not to be subjected
to prosecution under the antitrust law
even though they were technically guilty,
threatening that il they We're prosecuted
they would fight the administration,
would give them no more access to their
books and would conduct themselves In
opposition to the administration.
Ground for Prosecution.
The result was that Mr.. Smith made
report on the 2lst of September to Mr..
Roosevelt, in which he detailed this con-
versation and recommended that no suit
be brought until he had made full in
vestigatiOn of the harvester trust. Be-
fore this report was made by the as
sistant district attorney of North Dakota
and by the district attorney of Minnesota
that there was ground for prosecuting the
harvester trust: that this trust had vio-
lated the antitrust law. Between Sep
TENDER Il and the LIST of November the
matter was under consideration, and on
the 9TH of November the President direct
ed MIR. Herbert Knox Smith to notify Mr..
Perkins that no prosecution would be
begun until after the investigation. That
settled the matter because that is what
Mr.. Perkins asked tor.
Now, MIR. Roosevelt says that l was
present at the cabinet meeting in which
1t was decided not to prosecute the trust
until after the .investigation. AS q matter
OF fact, l was not in the country between
August and December.
For Benevolent Despotism.~
Il had been to the Philippines and was
on my way round the world. Mr.. Bona
parte says that the cabinet meeting took
place in January. This is altogether a
| mistake, as 1t is shown by Mr.. Smiths
diary that the matter was decided in
November. Discussions, therefore. could
| not have been had with a view to decid-
| ing anything. because the decision had
| already been made and Mr.. Perkins had
| been notified that his application had
| been granted.
| These are circumstances tending to
| show and illustrate what Mr. Roosevelt
means by good and bad trusts He means
| to introduce a benevolent despotism in
| which he means to select the trusts which
| he thinks ought to continue, and smash
| those he thinks ought not to continue:
1 and as he has said that the antitrust
| law ought to be repealed and supervisory
| laws passed he leaves no guide by which
/ to determine those trusts which are yio-
| lating the law and those which are not.
| 1t is one of those pleasant arrangements
! for q man who likes to exercise arbitrary
| lnstrumenality for the maintenance of
| power that is hardly to be excelled
His Virtue All Purifying.
| II am not attacking Mr.. Roosevelt as
| Influenced by improper motives in his at
! titude toward the trusts. l am only
| pointing out that in view Of his altitude
| toward the trusts, in view of his having
| favored trusts that he thinks are good
| trusts and ought to be encouraged, one of
| whose directors aids him in his cam
paign and contributes largely to his funds,
| he is in q very weak position to charge
| me with being under the control of the
! interests and being the candidate OF
| special privilege and being supported by
| all who are against the people.
/ Mr. Roosevelts assumption of virtue
| is SO intense that 1t is sufficient to purify
any one when he becomes q supporter Of
| Mr.. Roosevelt. even though 1t be q trust
and even though it be director OF a
/ trust contributing to his campaign
I'm other words. when the facts are
| shown with reference to his failing to