Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-01
PERKINS Tells
WILSON REFORMS
ARE FLAT FAKES
Writes Open Letter to Presi-
dent, HLambasting" Him on
His Record in Office


From George w. Perkins. Bull
Nooser with Col. Roosevelt and now
hack in the Republican fold. have
come to Hawaii copies Of a letter he
wrote the president a few days ago
~lambastIng VT. Wilson unnerciful-
Nv The letter, (which has attracted
much attention on the mainland, is
as follows:
Hon. Woodrow Wilson,
president Of the United States,
Shadow Lawn. Long Branch. y. j.
Dear Sir: The morning papers
again record the pouring out at Shad-
ow Lawn Yesterday of abuse of those
of us who for several years have
been fighting for real, not make-be-
lieye progress in this country.
THE audacity of some of the state.
ments made yesterday is past belief.
Those OF us who have been fighting in
this progressive movement for several
years cannot be satisfied with beauti-
| fuIly-rounded phrases, or with the
passage of new law every Il min
utes which is so worded that II be
comes impotent H. minutes after Il IS
passea The Wilson laws, from be.
ginning TO end. are largely patterned
after your famous Seven Sisters laws
in New Jersey, which you passed nm
der the whip one day. At that time
You assured the people that those
laws we're the cure-all for the trust
problem, but yuu know, and every 9th.
er man in the country at all familiar
with the situation knows, that those
| laws have not changed the corpora
ton question one iota. Those laws
have not been worth the paper they
were written on, and the same is the
case with most of the laws with high
sounding titles passed during your
Presidential term. For instance. you
have referred often to your great ac-
complishment in passing the Clayton
bill and to the numerous benefits the
country has received therefrom; yet
Senator Reed of Missouri. one of your
staunch supporters and Democratic
member of half dozen or more Sem
atorial committees. in speaking of this
bill as il was about to be passed. said:
When the Cliyton bill was first writ
ten it was raging lion with mouth
full of teeth; 1t has degenerated into
tabby-cat, With soft gums and plain.
tive NEW. ard anaemic appearance.
It is sort IF legislative apology to
the trusts, delivered hat in hand, ac-
companied by assurances that no dis
courtesy is iItended.'
This is an absolutely accurate de-.
scription of tie Clayton bill by one of
your own associates. and can, with
equal truth, be applied to most OF
your other legislation. We Progress
ives who. ara.supporting Mr.. Hughes
are supporting him because, as gov
sermon of New York, his acts squared
with his promises and verbal state
ments, and re are opposing you be-
cause yours do not. We are not for
fine phrasesl we are for real accomp-
lishments. four motto seems to be a
problem postponed is problem solv-
ed. The result is that not since this
nation was. founded have our people
accumulated so many liabilities as
they have under your three and half
years of mismanagement You have
not settled definitely, once and for
all, a singh great question that has
presented kself In each and every
case you h3ve .diSen one step forward.
two steps backward. hesitated. and
then side4tepped. The result is a
situation q the gravest possible con-
Germ to the welfare of our country,
and we Progressives who are opposing
you are doing it with motives Of the
highest patriotism, without regard to
party Affiliations. past. present or flu.
ture. for when the good name and
welfare Of a people are at stake every
thing else must be, put aside"