Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 16, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 May 1912 — CONTROLLED BY STEEL [ARTICLE]

CONTROLLED BY STEEL

REPUBLICAN PARTY IS IN AN ANOMALOUS POSITION. When It Prosecutes the Harvester Trust, Which Is Closely Affiliated With the Giant Corporation, It in Effect Prosecutes Itself.

When a Republican administration prosecutes the Harvester trust it in effect prosecutes the Republican party., for the Harvester trust is.closely affiliated with the Steel trust and the Steel trust is the mainspring of the party. Iron and steel gained control of tire Republican party in the days of Abraham Lincoln and their grip on the organization has been growing tighter ever since. Nelson W. Aldrich once said that wool was the keystone of the tariff arch, but that is true only to the extent that -wool is supposed to keep in line for protection various agricultural states which naturally are opposed to the system. There never would have been any bribe of this kind in the case of the farmers if iron and steel had not used it to safeguard their own position.

The Steel trust Is not only the great est beneficiary of the Republican tar iff. but it is the most Impressive example of the Republican policy of pampering combinations in restraint of trade. It is a good deal more than the greatest of trusts. Its creators and owners control to a great extent the railroads and the banking Institutions of the country. The Harvester trust is one of its satellites. It was organized by George W. Perkins, late of J. P. Morgan & Co.. tVho Is still one of its directors. Up to this time it has been, like the Steel trust, one of the good trusts, because its Republicanism was never questioned. ,

We can hardly believe that this proceeding will have important results aside from the publicity that possibly may ensue. The terrorism of the Steel trust extends through every ramification of Republicanism from coast to coast. It is the Steel trust that has made Republican presidents, controlled Republican congresses, and fattened Republican corruption funds. Every loyal Republican in the Union is as reluctant to lay violent hands upon the Steel trust as he would be to commit a personal assault upon the national Reuiffilican committee.

As there would have been no prosecution of the Harvester monopoly If Messrs. Taft and Roosevelt had not quarreled, we may be sure that If the Republican party remains in power not much will be heard of the case after the differences of these two men shall have been settled in one way or another. The true way to punish the steel combination and its progeny Is to punish its political representatives, the Republican party. This can be accomplished only by a Democratic president and congress intent upon removing the extortion from our tariff laws. The most powerful of Republican presidents have not ventured to attack the Steel trust and its subsidiaries. We therefore cannot regard very seriously a movement against them by the weakest of Republican presidents.