The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-04-10

bringing these combinations together
twenty-five millions, and the evidence
seems to me to show that they got
about thirty-seven millions in addi-
ton to the admitted amount. Just
what portion of these sixty-two mil
lions you got | am, of course, unable
to state But from what your asso-
ciates in bushes have told me as
to your caution in watching the
division of the proceeds l have no
reason to believe that you got any
less than your proportion. Those who
do not believe the United States steel
trust has been monopoly simply
refine upon words and 90 not do so
with very much sincerity. couple
of years ago introduced In the sen :
ate a resolution asking for an inves-
tigation as to the condition of labor
in this monopoly which you had
helped to form. The result of that
investigation is matter of public
record. 1t is a report sufficiently
shocking to startle the most calous
mind. 1t discloses that they were
working their men seven days in the
week from ten to twelve hours dav
and eighteen hours on change of
shift. Considering the conditions
under which the men worked this was
nothing less than inhuman torture.
I undertake to say that combina-
tion which was not practically DOM
inant in the industry could not thus
enslave and torture men. But they
had nowhere else to go. They must
work there, as me of them told me,
under those conditions or starve. Yet
| presume you will say that this COM
bination was not a monopoly and
that you do not believe in monopolies.
Well, presume that possibly you are
speaking of your present state of
mind.
81 am told also, and if | am in
error about this, you will correct me,
that you were member fthe coteria
of men who organized and monopo-
lized the transportation of New Eng
land in the New York and New
Haven deal. | have no means of
knowing how mr@h you took out of
this. If you will inform me I will
be glad to state the figures to the
voters of the country in order that
you may have absolute Justice. But
| do know that the history of the
New York and New Haven deal, as it
is now reported ard well authenticat-
ed, was in violation of everv princi-
pie of decency or honesty and of the
laws of the cCnntrr. 1t was, Mr..
Perkins, criminal transaction, the
men who manipulated it to get the
benefit of it were just as much vio-
lators of the law as the man who
holds me up upon the street and takes
my purse. If I do you an injustice
in assuming that you had any part
in this, or that you received any ben
eft from this nefarious and Infamous
transaction, no one will act more
quickly than myself in correcting it.
Quotes His Record
Now | am not going over these
matters, Mr.. Perkins and had never
intended to refer to them in public
out of personal qualifications but be-
cause of the assertions which you
made in your letter that | had malic-
iously misrepresented you. The fact
is that l studiously refrained from
doing anything more than discussing
what | believed to be your views in
regard to those matters.
II had another matter before me
to which l could have referred and
which | now call to your attention,
which would seem to indicate your be-
lief in monopoly. / refo- to this par
ticular because you are pleased TO
call my attention to the fact that |
met as a member of national COM
imittee certain gentlemen for whom
you seem to have great disrespect.
One of them was Mr.. Guggenheim.
Were you always of that opinion?
i find as a part of the sworn state
ment which bears upon the Alaskan
situation. after the Canadian own
ers of the recognized Alaska Cen
trail had take over the property I
entered into negotiation with j. P.
Morgan and company. y | had
my negotiations directly with G. w.
Perkins. In the summer of
1909 they sent A. M. Gray. the traffic
and, tonnage expert for Morgan and
company, to make that investigation.
In July of that year Mr.. Perkins him
self went up to Alaska. l met him
by appointment at Sewar. Mr.. Per-
kins told me at Seward and later in
Seattle that later he would favor
a N a moi n o. tho rood m fha nIanc I had