Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1901-12-05
President Roosevclts Message

the man combined with the varied and
manifold issues OF national import
ance uppcrmost at the present time to
pique public curiosity, one uneiring index
of this expectancy being the effect which
the near publication of the utterance had
upon the markets.
| If any individual expected Theodore
! Roosevelt to utter sentiments or cmbo y
recommendation in his message that
would tend to revoutionize existing con-
ditions shake public confidence ami par
alyze business and industry. that person
Is doomed to grievous disappointment. In
dealing with the problems of iniustri Il
combinations and reciprocity, tho two
subjects concerning which a certain d.
gree of apprehension existed in ;, mo
minds, the President specifically and di-
rectly depreCates any measure If con-
gressional legislation that will tend to un-
settle business and shake public conf
dence on the contrary. his utterance on
these and other subjects and his whole
some recommendations must rye not
only to reassurc our business. comm rcill
and financial interests but also tC reiuoy,.
eny apprehensions that may have disturb
ed other nations.
The message opens in a fitting manner
with reference to the shadow of the sres l.
national calamity under which Congress
assemblies. a sincere and deserved trii-
ute is paid to the character, life and ser
vice of the lamented President McKi ley.
after which the President turns to the
spirit of lawlessness which resulted in the
assassination of his pre- dccosso" lie SHOWS
that the blow was aimed not at Pre- ide t
Mckinley alone but at every symbol Of
government. and urges the adoption e
measures of repression. He would not
have the man who advocated anarchy IL
rectly or indirectly at large any nlorc
than if preaching the murder of any par
ticular individual. He says that anar-
chists should be kept out of this couatr,
and If found here they should be promptly
doported to the country whence they AN .
and far-reaching provision should be ma g
for the punishment of those who a.ile
in our land. The President rccomc is
that the federal courts be given jur s 9
ton over any man who Kills or attempts
to kill the President or any man b. the
constitution OF by Law in line of size
cession to the Presidency; while the pun
ishment for an unsuccessful attempt
should be proportional to the enormity
of the offence against our insttutions-a
recommendation that will receive gen, raj
favor.
Turning to the subject of industrial
combinations President Roosevelt shows
that the creation of great corporate for
tunes has not been due to the tariff nor to
any other governmental action, but to
natural causes operating in the business
world in other countries as they operate
In our own. He asserts that the captains
of industry who have driven railway sys-
TENS across our continent, who have built
UP our commerce ana developed our man
ufactures. have on the whole done great
good to our people. In dealing with so
called trusts great caution should be ex-
ercised lest we ieopardize not only domes-
tic conditions but also endanger the com
mercial supremacy which we have so ur-
ed among the nations. His recommenda-
ton is that combinations be not prohib-
tied. but supervised and within certain
limits controlled, and that publicity re-
gardng the workings of the great COM
bnatons be provided for by Congr SIS. II
the government lacks the power to dc
this, then a constitutional amondml nj
should be submitted to confer tho power
The President recommends the creation
of a cabinet officer to be known as secre
tary of commerce and industries, as pro
, vldcd in bill introduced during the last
=. session of Congress. 1t should be tn,
province of that officer to deal with com
merce in its broadcast sense includ M
: among many other things whatever con
, Germs labor and all matters affecting tn
great business corporations and our mer
chant marine.
The Chinese exclusion law should be re
enacted in the estimation of the Pre- ,idon
for the purpose of protecting Anne ica
labor, and he recommends that the Law
- be strengthened whenever necessary in or
der TO make its enforcement entirely eff
fcctve
| The message says that the national gov
eminent should demand the highest quail
ty of service from its employees, and il
return it should be "a good employer |
possible legislation should be enacted /
connection with the interstate commcrc
law which will render effective the effort
of the various states to do away with tn
competition Of convict contract labor /
the open labor market.
+ In the direction OF inn iRration refor;
the President says that law Shout
be enacted to exclude from this countr
3 absolutely not only all persons who an
n anarchists but also all persons of a lo'
:. moral tendency or of unsaVory reputation
All persons should be excluded who al
below n certain standard of economic iii
:. ness to enter our industrial field as con
\, petitors with American labor and onl
$ those immigrants should be admitted wh
o have some intelligent capacity to appr'
r. ciate American Institutions and act sanel
as American citizens.
. The greatest interest will centre In h;
President Roosevelt has to say about II
> tariff and reciprocity. In brief he hol,
that nothing could be more lnwse tina
o to disturb business at this time by gel
, eral tariff change, but it Is possible
combine with our economic system a SUI
Elementary system of reciprocal benei