Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1912-04-25

Jaw provision for court review or
the commissions decisions The pro-
gressive tendency of the time was dis
tinctly against any court review. for
it was the courts which had emasculat-
ed the commission of It's power under
the old law The people generally
feared Il repetition of this. They want
ed to control the railroads They want
ed to obviate forever the possibility OF
a continuance OF the processes by
which such concerns us the Standard
Oil company had used the common car
riers Ia collect rebates OH their own
business and ON that Of their compeh-
tors ut the same time The reaction
aries succeeded in getting form or
court review into the law. but not as
free one as they desired.
Trust and Commerce Court.
"Now. you will remember that W.
r. Hearst during the campaign of l9OS
read from the platfor.l in different
portions of the country letters that had
been procured 10y some means from the
files OF the Standard Oil company. 1t
was charged that the letters were
stolen, but their authenticity was ac-
knowledged. They were genuine let
tiers. however procured In reading
them as they appeared in the papers
was one day not much surprised ~
learn that the idea of Il separate court
Of review for interstate commerce COM
rnicrinn In, :SinpS hnt nl from
the STANDARD Oh company They We're
the first people to invent the idea OF
commerce court. The proof of II was
found in letter written by Joseph Sib.
ley of PENNSYLVANIA. member of the
house and confessed congressional lob
byiSt for the STANDARD Oh company
He was not The onl! lobbyist employ
ed by that company we may believe.
but he was one
"ln this letter. written by Mr. Sibley.
ut Washington. Oh Feb ~. 1909. to Mr.
John ID Archbo!d of the Standard on
company and read frcn the platform
by Mr. Hearst al Me.aphiS. Tenn. ON
Sept 10. lnC3. H. found the to'lnTin:
paragraph relative to II certain 'Sena
tor B. no Is DIES, ribpd aS wholly AND
unaltrrably oplospd to President
RooSevelt's policy regarding corpora
tons:
I'm re power to fix railroad rates Mr.
Is for giving power 20 make rates but VIII
fight the idea 81 separate court
WAS SORRY NOT TO RE AilE TO
CIIAN.E HIS VIEWS ON THAT TOPIC
Lobbying In the senats.
'IItre is documentary proof that the
Standard OH company had con eivrd
the idea Of II commerce court as long
ago aS before February. l:Al,, and that
is lobbyists were engaged ut that time
In trying to gain support in the lhiIrh
States senate for the establishment OF
such II court On Oct 80. 1905. only II
week before the election that WAS to
decide the fate Of Mr. Taft. John ID
Rock, fr!ltr takes most unusual pains
to serve public notice upon all fnends
Of his Kind of business throughout the
country that Mr. Taft was the man 10
support 'or president. Now. what In.
formation did Mr. Rockefeller hive
that caused him 10 take this very uun
sual means To place his attitude on the
presidential election before the bust
ness world: What could ii have been?
| myself do not know. but ! do know
that very shortly after his election Mr.
Taft gave notice that he had the com
merce court idea in his mind; | do
know that before Mr. Taft had been
long in the White House he caused
bill to be drawn providing for such n
court and he used the power Of his
administration to enact that bill into
law. Mr.. Rockefeller evidently wanted
commerce court. Mr.. Taft FASTENED
to give him one as soon rs he was safe
ly elected. The plain Inference must
he that the sugar trust was not the
only one Of the great combinations that
found u way to get at Mr. Taft. ! can
only believe that the Standard Oil com,
pany had its friend who could slip into
Mr.. Taft's presence and get what 1t
wanted.
A "Working Arrangement"
but, more than that. the selection
of Mr.. Taft's cabinet and the general
attitude Of the Taft administration In
the tariff session and later convinced
me that the administration had some
sort of working arrangement with
Big Business ! am certain Big
Business thought II had such a reIa
tionship. The presidents complete
change Of front In regard to the tariff.
the commerce court legislation. the
speech giving clean bill of health to
Senator Aldrch. the administrations
conduct Of the Ballinger case. the WI.
mona speech extolling the Favne-Al
drich law and many other things con
WINGED me that such an understanding
existed. The country had honored
Colonel Roosevelt for the enemies he
made, yet those enemies became Mr.
Taft's most ardent supporters from the
very first. Figure it out for yourself.
Just to make 1t plain In few
words. ! may say that am Informed
that the dissolution of the Standard
OH company and It's reorganization by
the circuit court under terms to which
the administration raises no objection
h."e enriched the stockholders OF that
corporation just about $22O.O0),0On:
also that the stock holders Of the tobac-
co trust have come out Of their en-
counter with the Sherman law as ad
ministered by this administration over
$l00OOO.OO0 better of than they we're
before"
Lakewood IN NJ Progress: 1T is q