The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-12-18
RIGHT To insDect and examine the workings


eXiS: S:ence or privileges, should be subject
to proper governmental supervision, and
full and accurate information as to their
operations should be made public regu
larry at reasonable intervals.
The large corporations, commonly called
trusts, though organized in one State, al
ways do business in many States, often
where they are incorporated. There Is
utter lacl; of uniformity in tie State
laws about them. and as no State has any
exclusive interest in or power over the:l
acts, it has in practice proved impossible
to get adequate regulation through State
action. Therefore, in the interest o., the
whole people. the Nation should. without
interfering with the power of the States
III the matter itself, also assume power OF
| supervision and regulation over all cor
porations doing an interstate business.
The President then states that If Con
gress does not have the power to frame a
law which will enable the Federal Govern
ment to exercise the control referred TO-
then, he believes, a constitutional amend
ment should be submitted to confer the
power.
He recommends the creation Of 4 Cab.
met officer to be Known as Secretary OF
| Commerce and Industries. 1t should be
his province to deal with commerce in Its
|
other things whatever concerns labor ard
all matters affecting the great business
corporations and our merchant marine.
After rescrring u the present prrJper-: IS
condition Of the wase-worEers the Presi'
dent remarks that every effort OF legis, a
tor and administrator should. be
bent 70 secure the permanency OF this
state OF affairs, and its improvement:
orr labor should be protected so far
as it is possible from the presence in this
country OF any laborers brought over by
contract, or Ct those who, coming freely,
yet represent standard of living so de-
| D. p.essed that they can undersell our mel;
in the labor market and drag them to a
lower level. / regard it as necessary. with
this end in view, to re-enact immediately
the law excluding Chinese laborers and to
| strengthen it wherever necessary IN order
to make its enforcement entirely effective.
President Roosevelt declares that our
| present immigration laws are unsatisfac-
| tory. He believes that comprehensive
law should be enacted with the object OF
| working a threefold improvement over cur
present system. First, we should aim 70
include all persons who are known to
| be Anarchists, and also all persons. who
arc Of 4 low moral tendency; secondly, to
secure by a careful test some intelligent
capacity to appreciate American. lnstitu-
tions and to act sanely as American cltl-
zens; and thirdly, to exclude all persons
who are below certain standard OF eco.
nomic fitness to enter our industrial field
as competitors with American labor.
The President is in favor of letting the
tariff rest without revision for the pres
ent:. He says:
There is general acquies'ance in our
present tariff system as national policy.
taG Grsl 70 70 ann fhn
continuity and stability Of this economic
policy. Nothing could he more ulwise
than to disturb the business interests OF
the country by any general tariff change
at this time. Yet it is not only possible,
but eminently desirable, to combine with
the stability of our economic system a
supplementary system of reciprocal beneht
aid obligation with other nations. Such
reciprocity i an incident and result OF
the fri establishment and Dreservatio7
of our present economic policy. 1t was es.
pecialiy provided for in the present tariff
law.
Reciprocity must be treated as the hand
maiden of protection. Our first duty is to
see that the protection granted by the
tariff, in every case where it is needed Is
maintained, and that reciprocity be sought
for so far as it can safely be done without
injury to our home industries. The vel
beirg oi the wage-worE:er is prime con-
s;derat;on OF our entire policy OF economic
legislation.
a policy of reciprocity will be in connec-
ton with those OF our productions which
no longer require all of th2 support once
needed to establish them upon a sound
basis, and with those others where either
because of natural or of economic causes
we are beyond the reach Of successful COM
petition.
The -lext subject discussed is the mer-
chant marine. The President says it Is
discreditaole to Us as a 7@ilon that only a
triAing portion OF our great commerce, IS
carried on our own ships. To remedy this
merely serve to build up our shipping in.
terests, but it would also result II benefit
to all who are interested in the permanent
establishment of a wider market for
American products. and would provide an
auxiliary force for the navy. It should be
made advantageous to carry American
goods in American built ships:
At present American shipping Is Under
certain great disadvantages when put in
competition with the shipping, OF torelga
countries. Our Government should take
such action as will remedy these inecuali-
ties TIE American merchant marine
should be res"ored to the ocean.
For the first time appropriations TOR IT.
rigation and the reclamation Of Cesert
lands are suggested. Appropria tions, lin
tied to necessities, are bespollen for the I'M
provement of the rivers and harbors.
The President congratulates the countrT
on the workings of the gold standard
money system. He says it is timely and
praises the National Banking law, bat
says there is need OF better safeguards
against financial panics, and that the cur
rency should be responsive to trades de-
mands.
The collections from duties on imports
and internal taxes conti':Ic to exceed the
ordinary expenditures of the Government,
thanks mainly to the reduced army ex-
perdtures. The utmost care shoLld be
taken not to reduce the revenues so that
there will be any possibility of deficit,
brt, after providing against any such con
tingency, mems should be adopted which
will bring the revenues more nearly with
in the limit Of our actual nee1s. This sec.
ton OF the message closes with Z demand
for strict economy in expenditures.
President Roosevelt writes that eXpe-
rience has show the wisdom Of the pur-
poses OF the Interstate Commerce act, but
has also shown, possibly, that some of its
requirements arc wroi-g certainly. that the
means CeFlSeQ lot Ine eHlOlceHlelt VI its
DIVISIONS are defective. The act should
be a--:ended The railway is public GER
| want lis rates should he just to and open
to all shippers alike. The subject is one of
great Importance and calls for the earnest
| attention of the Congress. 49,
After brief reference to the splendid
work in the way of upbui.ding domestic
and foreign trade which is being carried
on by the Department of Agriculture, the
message discusses our insular possessions.
| I Hawaii our aim must be to develop
the territory on the traditional American
lines We do not wish region of large
estates titled by cheap labor; we wish a
| healthy American community of men who