Wilson，afterbeingelectedPresident，withinthefirstfortnightafterhehasbeeninauguratedintothathighoffice，permitshimselftobebetrayedintoapublicmisstatementofwhatIhavesaid，andwhatIstandfor，thenheforcesmetocorrecthisstatements。
Mr。WilsonopenshisarticlebysayingthattheProgressive“doctrineisthatmonopolyisinevitable，andthattheonlycourseopentothepeopleoftheUnitedStatesistosubmittoit。”Thisstatementiswithoutoneparticleoffoundationinfact。IchallengehimtopointoutasentenceintheProgressiveplatformorinanyspeechofminewhichbearshimout。Icanpointhimoutanynumberwhichflatlycontradicthim。Wehavenevermadeanysuchstatementasheallegesaboutmonopolies。Wehavesaid：“Thecorporationisanessentialpartofmodernbusiness。Theconcentrationofmodernbusiness，insomedegree，isbothinevitableandnecessaryforNationalandinternationalbusinessefficiency。”DoesMr。Wilsondenythis？Lethimansweryesorno，directly。Itiseasyforapoliticiandetectedinamisstatementtotakerefugeinevasiverhetoricalhyperbole。ButMr。
WilsonisPresidentoftheUnitedStates，andassuchheisboundtocandidutteranceoneverysubjectofpublicinterestwhichhehimselfhasbroached。Ifhedisagreeswithus，lethimbefrankandconsistent，andrecommendtoCongressthatallcorporationsbemadeillegal。Mr。Wilson’swholeattackislargelybasedonadeftbutfarfromingenuousconfoundingofwhatwehavesaidofmonopoly，whichweproposesofaraspossibletoabolish，andwhatwehavesaidofbigcorporations，whichweproposetoregulate；Mr。Wilson’sownvaguelysetforthproposalsbeingtoattemptthedestructionofbothinwaysthatwouldharmneither。Inourplatformweusetheword“monopoly“
butonce，andthenwespeakofitasanabuseofpower，couplingitwithstock-watering，unfaircompetitionandunfairprivileges。DoesMr。Wilsondenythis？Ifhedoes，thenwhereelsewillheassertthatwespeakofmonopolyashesayswedo？HecertainlyowesthepeopleoftheUnitedStatesaplainanswertothequestion。InmyspeechofacceptanceIsaid：“WefavorstrengtheningtheShermanLawbyprohibitingagreementstodivideterritoryorlimitoutput；refusingtoselltocustomerswhobuyfrombusinessrivals；tosellbelowcostincertainareaswhilemaintaininghigherpricesinotherplaces；
usingthepoweroftransportationtoaidorinjurespecialbusinessconcerns；andallotherunfairtradepractices。”Theplatformpledgesusto“guardandkeepopenequallytoall，thehighwaysofAmericancommerce。”Thisistheexactnegationofmonopoly。UnlessMr。Wilsonispreparedtoshowthecontrary，surelyheisboundinhonortoadmitfranklythathehasbeenbetrayedintoamisrepresentation，andtocorrectit。
Mr。WilsonsaysthatforsixteenyearstheNationalAdministrationhas“beenvirtuallyundertheregulationofthetrusts。”andthatthebigbusinessmen“havealreadycapturedtheGovernment。”Suchastatementasthismightperhapsbepardonedasmererhetoricinacandidateseekingoffice——althoughitisthekindofstatementthatneverunderanycircumstanceshaveIpermittedmyselftomake，whetheronthestumporoffthestump，aboutanyopponent，unlessIwaspreparedtobackitupwithexplicitfacts。ButthereisanaddedseriousnesstothechargewhenitismadedeliberatelyandincoldbloodbyamanwhoisatthetimePresident。InthisvolumeIhavesetforthmyrelationswiththetrusts。IchallengeMr。WilsontocontrovertanythingIhavesaid，ortonameanytrustsoranybigbusinessmenwhoregulated，orinanyshapeorwaycontrolled，orcaptured，theGovernmentduringmytermasPresident。Hemustfurnishspecificationsifhiswordsaretakenattheirfacevalue——andIventuretosayinadvancethattheabsurdityofsuchachargeispatenttoallmyfellow-citizens，notexceptingMr。Wilson。
Mr。Wilsonsaysthatthenewpartywasfounded“undertheleadershipofMr。Roosevelt，withtheconspicuousaid——Imentionhimwithnosatiricalintention，butmerelytosetthefactsdownaccurately——ofMr。GeorgeW。Perkins，organizeroftheSteelTrust。”WhetherMr。
Wilson’sintentionwassatiricalornotisofnoconcern；butIcallhisattentiontothefactthathehasconspicuouslyandstrikinglyfailed“tosetthefactsdownaccurately。”Mr。PerkinswasnottheorganizeroftheSteelTrust，andwhenitwasorganizedhehadnoconnectionwithitorwiththeMorganpeople。Thisiswellknown，andithasagainandagainbeentestifiedtobeforeCongressionalcommitteescontrolledbyMr。Wilson’sfriendswhowereendeavoringtofindoutsomethingagainstMr。Perkins。IfMr。Wilsondoesnotknowthatmystatementiscorrect，heoughttoknowit，andheisnottobeexcusedformakingsuchamisstatementashehasmadewhenhehasnotaparticleofevidenceinsupportofit。Mr。PerkinswasfromthebeginningintheHarvesterTrustbut，whenMr。Wilsonpointsoutthisfact，whydoeshenotaddthathewastheonlymaninthattrustwhosupportedme，andthatthePresidentofthetrustardentlysupportedMr。Wilsonhimself？Itisdisingenuoustoendeavortoconcealthesefacts，andtomisleadordinarycitizensaboutthem。UndertheadministrationsofbothMr。TaftandMr。Wilson，Mr。Perkinshasbeensingledoutforspecialattack，obviouslynotbecausehebelongedtotheHarvesterandSteelTrusts，butbecausehealoneamongtheprominentmenofthetwocorporations，fearlesslysupportedtheonlypartywhichaffordedanyrealhopeofcheckingtheevilofthetrusts。
Mr。WilsonstatesthattheProgressiveshave“aprogrammeperfectlyagreeabletomonopolies。”
Theplainandunmistakableinferencetobedrawnfromthisandothersimilarstatementsinhisarticle，andtheinferencewhichheobviouslydesiredtohavedrawn，isthatthebigcorporationsapprovedtheProgressiveplanandsupportedtheProgressivecandidate。IfPresidentWilsondoesnotknowperfectlywellthatthisisnotthecase，heistheonlyintelligentpersonintheUnitedStateswhoisthusignorant。EverybodyknowsthattheoverwhelmingmajorityoftheheadsofthebigcorporationssupportedhimorMr。Taft。Itisequallywellknownthatofthecorporationshementions，theSteelandtheHarvesterTrusts，therewasbutonemanwhotookanypartintheProgressivecampaign，andthatalmostalltheothers，somethirtyinnumber，wereagainstus，andsomeofthem，includingthePresidentoftheHarvesterTrust，openlyandenthusiasticallyforMr。Wilsonhimself。Ifhereadsthenewspapersatall，hemustknowthatpracticallyeverymanrepresentingthegreatfinancialinterestsofthecountry，andwithoutexceptioneverynewspapercontrolledbyWallStreetorStateStreet，activelysupportedeitherhimorMr。Taft，andshowedperfectwillingnesstoaccepteitherifonlytheycouldpreventtheProgressivepartyfromcomingintopowerandfromputtingitsplatformintoeffect。
Mr。Wilsonsaysofthetrustplankinthatplatformthatit“didnotanywherecondemnmonopolyexceptinwords。”Exactlyofwhatelsecouldaplatformconsist？DoesMr。Wilsonexpectustousealgebraicsigns？
ThiscriticismismuchasifhesaidtheConstitutionortheDeclarationofIndependencecontainednothingbutwords。TheProgressiveplatformdidcontainwords，andthewordswereadmirablydesignedtoexpressthoughtandmeaningandpurpose。Mr。WilsonsaysthatIlongago“classifiedtrustsforusasgoodandbad。”andsaidthatIwas“afraidonlyofthebadones。”Mr。Wilsonwoulddowelltoquoteexactlywhatmylanguagewas，andwhereitwasused，forIamatalosstoknowwhatstatementofmineitistowhichherefers。ButifhemeansthatIsaythatcorporationscandowell，andthatcorporationscanalsodoill，heisstatingmypositioncorrectly。I
holdthatacorporationdoesillifitseeksprofitinrestrictingproductionandthenbyextortinghighpricesfromthecommunitybyreasonofthescarcityoftheproduct；throughadulterating，lyinglyadvertising，orover-drivingthehelp；orreplacingmenworkerswithchildren；orbyrebates；orinanyillegalorimpropermannerdrivingcompetitorsoutofitsway；orseekingtoachievemonopolybyillegalorunethicaltreatmentofitscompetitors，orinanyshapeorwayoffendingagainstthemorallaweitherinconnectionwiththepublicorwithitsemployeesorwithitsrivals。Anycorporationwhichseeksitsprofitinsuchfashionisactingbadly。Itis，infact，aconspiracyagainstthepublicwelfarewhichtheGovernmentshoulduseallitspowerstosuppress。If，ontheotherhand，acorporationseeksprofitsolelybyincreasingitsproductsthrougheliminatingwaste，improvingitsprocesses，utilizingitsby-products，installingbettermachines，raisingwagesintheefforttosecuremoreefficienthelp，introducingtheprincipleofcooperationandmutualbenefit，dealingfairlywithlaborunions，settingitsfaceagainsttheunderpaymentofwomenandtheemploymentofchildren；inaword，treatingthepublicfairlyanditsrivalsfairly：thensuchacorporationisbehavingwell。Itisaninstrumentalityofcivilizationoperatingtopromoteabundancebycheapeningthecostoflivingsoastoimproveconditionseverywherethroughoutthewholecommunity。DoesMr。Wilsoncontroverteitherofthesestatements？Ifso，lethimanswerdirectly。Itisamatterofcapitalimportancetothecountrythathispositioninthisrespectbestateddirectly，notbyindirectsuggestion。
MuchofMr。Wilson’sarticle，althoughapparentlyaimedattheProgressiveparty，isbothsorhetoricalandsovagueastoneednoanswer。Hedoes，however，specificallyassertamongotherthingsequallywithoutwarrantinfactthattheProgressivepartysaysthatitis“futiletoundertaketopreventmonopoly。”andonlyventurestoaskthetruststobe“kind“and“pitiful“！Itisalittledifficulttoansweramisrepresentationofthefactssoradical——nottosaypreposterous——withtherespectthatonedesirestouseinspeakingofortothePresidentoftheUnitedStates。IchallengePresidentWilsontopointtoonesentenceofourplatformorofmyspeecheswhichaffordsthefaintestjustificationfortheseassertions。Havingmadethisstatementinthecourseofanunprovokedattackonme，hecannotrefusetoshowthatitistrue。IdeemitnecessarytoemphasizeherebutwithperfectrespectthatIamaskingforaplainstatementoffact，notforadisplayofrhetoric。Iaskhim，asismyrightunderthecircumstances，toquotetheexactlanguagewhichjustifieshiminattributingtheseviewstous。Ifhecannotdothis，thenafrankacknowledgmentonhispartisduetohimselfandtothepeople。I
quotefromtheProgressiveplatform：“BehindtheostensibleGovernmentsitsenthronedaninvisibleGovernment，owingnoallegianceandacknowledgingnoresponsibilitytothepeople。TodestroythisinvisibleGovernment，todissolvetheunholyalliancebetweencorruptbusinessandcorruptpolitics，isthefirsttaskofthestatesmanshipoftheday……Thiscountrybelongstothepeople。Itsresources，itsbusiness，itslaws，itsinstitutions，shouldbeutilized，maintained，oralteredinwhatevermannerwillbestpromotethegeneralinterest。”Thisassertionisexplicit。Wesaydirectlythat“thepeople“areabsolutelytocontrolinanywaytheyseefit，the“business“ofthecountry。IagainchallengeMr。Wilsontoquoteanywordsoftheplatformthatjustifythestatementshehasmadetothecontrary。Ifhecannotdoit——andofcoursehecannotdoit，andhemustknowthathecannotdoit——surelyhewillnothesitatetosaysofrankly。
Mr。WilsonmustknowthateverymonopolyintheUnitedStatesopposestheProgressiveparty。Ifhechallengesthisstatement，IchallengehiminreturnasisclearlymyrighttonamethemonopolythatdidsupporttheProgressiveparty，whetheritwastheSugarTrust，theSteelTrust，theHarvesterTrust，theStandardOilTrust，theTobaccoTrust，oranyother。EverysanemaninthecountryknowswellthatthereisnotonewordofjustificationthatcantruthfullybeadducedforMr。Wilson’sstatementthattheProgressiveprogrammewasagreeabletothemonopolies。Ourswastheonlyprogrammetowhichtheyobjected，andtheysupportedeitherMr。WilsonorMr。Taftagainstme，indifferentastowhichofthemmightbeelectedsolongasIwasdefeated。Mr。WilsonsaysthatIgotmy“ideawithregardtotheregulationofmonopolyfromthegentlemenwhoformtheUnitedStatesSteelCorporation。”DoesMr。WilsonpretendthatMr。VanHiseandMr。
CrolygottheirideasfromtheSteelCorporation？IsMr。Wilsonunawareoftheelementaryfactthatmostmoderneconomistsbelievethatunlimited，unregulatedcompetitionisthesourceofevilswhichallmennowconcedemustberemediedifthiscivilizationofoursistosurvive？IsheignorantofthefactthattheSocialistpartyhaslongbeenagainstunlimitedcompetition？ThisstatementofMr。WilsoncannotbecharacterizedproperlywithanydegreeofregardfortheofficeMr。Wilsonholds。Why，theideasthatIhavechampionedastocontrollingandregulatingbothcompetitionandcombinationintheinterestofthepeople，sothatthepeopleshallbemastersoverboth，havebeenintheairinthiscountryforaquarterofacentury。IwasmerelythefirstprominentcandidateforPresidentwhotookthemup。
Theyaretheprogressiveideas，andprogressivebusinessmenmustintheendcometothem，forIfirmlybelievethatintheendallwiseandhonestbusinessmen，bigandlittle，willsupportourprogramme。
Mr。Wilsoninopposingthemisthemereapostleofreaction。HesaysthatIgotmy“ideasfromthegentlemenwhoformtheSteelCorporation。”Ididnot。ButIwillpointouttohimsomethinginreturn。Itwashehimself，andMr。Taft，whogotthevotesandthemoneyofthesesamegentlemen，andofthoseintheHarvesterTrust。