Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-15
Declares There Will Be
F. No Halt in His Anti
Trust Program.
METHODS ARE EXPOSED
White House Makes Public Pres
sure Letters Used on Con-
gress Members.

Washington, D. c., June 15.-Presi-
dent Wilson made the direct charge
today that sentiment in favor of post
ponement of the administration trust
legislation program was the result Of
a campaign by certain interests and in
timated it was the cause of psyche
logical business depression" of which
he recently spoke. Antitrust Iegisla-
ton will be pushed through the senate
at the present session of congress by
every means at the presidents COM
mand. Wilson believes that business
is as good and in some respects better
now than it was some time ago, and
that it would be worse for business
to worry several months over what
antitrust legislation is to be than to
have it passed now. Wilson said that
all senators with whom he had talked
on the subject have advised immedi
ate action. The president told callers
he did not believe congress would ad
journ before the trust bill was enacted.
Letters Given to Public.
Copies of letters and kilograms cir
culated among business men calling
for adjournment of congress without
completion of the trust bills, proving
for freight rate increases being asked
by railroads of the interstate com.
merce commission and calling for a
halt of attacks on business" were
made public at the White house. The
president made it clear to callers that
the campaign, if such it may be called
would have no effect upon him. One
Of the circular letters which
came into possession of the
White house was circulated by the
Simmons Hardware company of st.
Louis. E. G. Simmons, head of the
company, had been selected as a mem
Der Of the federal reserve board His
nomination was to have gone to the
senate today. This morning it was an
at the White house that Sim
mons had declined the place, and that
Charles A. Hamlin of Boston, assistant
secretary of the treasury, would be
nominated in his place. White house
officials emphatically denied, however,
hat the circular letter sent by the
Simmons company had anything in
with the declination of Sim
mons.
Campaign From New York.
Another circular letter made public
,urported to have been sent by the
Pictorial Review company of New
FORK. dated May 1, and enclosed a
raft of letter. (which embraces the
Jews of a majority OF the thinking
usiness people of our section of the
ountry, and which should be ad-
ressed to the president of the United
tates, congress and members of the
commerce commission" The
stter concluded: IF you prefer to
Sc copies of the enclosed letter we
ill mail you as many as you can con-
use. Itwould be more effect
re, however, If you would write them
n your own letter heads"
The letter was an appeal for post
of trust legislation and 5
er cent freight increase for rail-
Dads.
Washington is Stunned.
Not since the president made the
barge of an ''insiduous lobby in
to influence the tariff has
lere been a sensation of such sort in
hcial circles. The letter purporting
} come from the Simmons company is
ated June 8, which was after Sim
ons was offered a place on the re-
srve board This letter was not given
n publication.