Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1914-02-03

leaders have advocated from the ar,t.
1t is thought here that the Democrats
believe they can develop this Progrts-
siye plan so slowly as to take away
whatever capital the Progressives
may try to make out of the admins
tration's apparent conversion to one of
| their policies. Already the Progress
| slves OF the country are saying that
| President Wilson has begun to steal
some of their thunder.
Making the Guilt Personal.
Today the leaders in congress are
still comforting on the matter Of
strengthening antitrust legislation so
as to make ii certain that guilt can
be made personal. When Theodore
Roosevelt vas president of the United
States he was credited with saying
that dozens OF managers, superintend-
ents, head bookkeepers and other jun
Tors in big corporations could be put
into Jail for violation os the antitrust
laws, but that it would be little less
than criminal to put the little fellows
!
| cape.
! Investigations by the attorney gen
erals department in the Roosevelt
and Taft days showed that the heads
| of great corporations which were be
lieved TO be conducting business in
violation OF the law had so covered
up their personal tracks that they
could not be followed by the law and
reached by its hand. One of the worst
| features of the whole situation was
the willingness of the big nen SO to
arrange things that the responsibility
should fall on their subordinates, who
would have to go to prison II any
body went.
Now what the Democrats are trying
! to do is to make the law so strong
( that there will be a certainty when
i there are law violations that the big
! fellows can be arrested, after assui-
ance that the evidence is right to put
them behind the bars. Admittedly,
one of the hardest tasks which the
Democrats have is the framing of a
law that will produce this result. Time
and again the guilt of the big men has
| been known positively and yet it has
not been susceptible of proof
Colombian Treaty Not Liked.
/ Day by day the belief is grow
I ing stronger In Washington that
( the United States senate will refuse
TO ratify the treaty with the Co.
1 lombian government that the state
department has prepared containing
provision for the payment to the
Colombians of $25,000,000 for their
loss Of Panama and also containing a
| paragraph OF apology from this gov
eminent for having recognized the In
dependence of Panama over night"
/ IL will be remembered by most peo-
/ pie that during the Roosevelt admin
istration, when we were trying to Sc
cure right of way across the isthmus
! for the great interoceanic canal, the
/ people of the state OF Panama, which
! was part OF the country OF Colon
bia, declared their independence,
which was instantly recognized by the
United States. Some people have held
LnaJ INC T0NOiL VI the I dudIudAAduS
from Colombian rule and our instant
recognition of their status as an In
dependent government were part of A
put up job and that consequently We
owed the Colombian government not
only money, but an apology because
we made the Panamanians' indepeno-
ence certain by our act of recognition.
Hannis Taylor, who is acting az
counsel for the Colombian govern
ment, is urging that the United
States not only shall agree TO pay into
the treasury of the South American
country the sum of $25, 600, 900 for the
Panama strip, but shall further soothe
its wounded feelings by humble apo
Eogy for an act of the Roosevelt ad-
ministration. Endorsed later by the
Taft administration and which many
senators and representatives seem
fully to believe has been indorsed by
majority of red-blooded citizens OF
the United States.