Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-03
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
=. semi. and House Of Representa-

..,,. senate and House Of Representa-
I'm continue In . period Of un-
va prosperity This prosperity II
bo.usn ~ creature OF law, but undoubtedly
Dot .r under which we work have been
the,,sntaI in creating the conditions
tnsu ls -"sae Il possible. and by unwise leg
si 49,; IL would be easy enough to destroy
There will undoubtedly be periods OF
n-,sssop The wave will recede, but the
TX vill advance. This nation u seated
continent nanked by two great
s.na 1t 10 composed OF men the De-
s.sudants Of pioneers or, IN sense, plo-
80 themselves men winnowed out
re- among the nations Of the old world
no' ,ns energy, holiness and love Of adj
" s.,ra found in their own eager hearts.
.s.S nation SO placed will surely wrest
.~ecess from fortune.
~ people We have played Q large part
- world. and we are bent upon maxi
our future even larger than the past.
..e narticuIar the events OF the last four
ssars have definitely decided that for woe
Tor veal our place must be great among
gnafiOns. We may either fail greatly
uncceed greatly, but We cannot avoid
y sndeayor from which either great
I'hre or great success must come. Even
4 We would we cannot pay smaii part:
"a he that we should play large part
,,.oby and shamefuliy.
81, our people. the sons OF the men OF
civil war, the sons of the men VINO
VA iron In their blood, reJoiee IN tne
~ Issnt and face the future high OF heart
piese rs.oIute Of will Ours is not the
sau ana AZ the weakling and the coward
efseu - the gospel OF hope and OK tri-
o1t s,ant endeavor. We do not shrink
s sIa,n The struggle before us- mere arc
Fx.rt n
naly, The twentieth century-grave PROP
fss y. Road and still graver at home-but
lel1I, now that We can solve them, ana
W. them well. provided only that we
sSiss TO the solution the qualties OF neau
VA heart which were shown by the men
~ Az in the days Of Washington founded
w government and i'll the days OF LIN
'V No country has ever occupied higher
olsne OF material well being than ours AZ
s1s 10 no sudden or accidental causes put
~ Inc play OF the economic forces In this
Huntry for over a century: to our laws.
SIr sustained and continuous policies;
y. .save all to the high individual average
n our citizenship. Great fortunes have
sssn won by those who have taken the
issd in this phenomenal industrial devei-
Ssment and most OF these fortunes have
ssan won not by doing evil, but as an in
| sd,nt TO action which has benefited the
| community as a whole. Never before has
material well being been so widely dif-
T,sed among our people Great fortunes
ssye been accumulated, and yet in the
sssregate these fortunes are small In
dssd when compared to the wealth OF the
n,opls as q whole. The plain people are
better off than they have ever been pc
are practically mutual benefit Societies-
.specially helpful to men OF moderate
msans--repr esent Accommodations OF capi-
III which are among the largest In this
| a den09lta the
. nvings banks, more owners OF farms.
mora well paid wageworksrS In this coun-
. nv now than ever before ~ our history.
| OK course when the conditions have IA
ysrsd the growth of so much that was
. GOOD they have also favored eomewhat
| he growth of what was EVIL IT IS emil
nsntly necessary that we should endeayor
10 cut out this evil, but let US keep due
our gaze upon the lesser evil forget the
. greater good. The evils are real. and
some Of them are menacins, but they are
the outgrowth not of misery or decadence.
but Of prosperity of the progress of our
| gigantic Industrial Development. This in
| dustYial Development must not be checked,
but side by side with 1t should go such
progressive regulation as VIII diIninis e
We did not try to remedy the evils. but we
shall succeed only If We proceed patient.
+ IT, with practical common sense as wen
resolution s sePSaratng the Eood for rTom
while endeavoring to get rid OF the latter
In my message to the present congress
at its FIRST session l discussed at length
the question Of the regulation OF those
. W. corporations commonly doing an In
4 urstate business often with some tenden-
y to monopoly, which are popularity
known as trusts. The experience or the
past year has emphas In my opinion,
the desrability of the steps l then pro-
posed. A fundamental requisite OF social
Aciency Is high standard OF individual
Energy and excellence, but this Is In no
wise Inconsistent with power to act III
combination for aims which cannot Sc
well be achieved by the individual acting
alone. A fundamental base of civilization
Is the inviolability of property: but TINS Is
In nowise Inconsistent with the right oi
society to regulate the exercise OF the
artificial powers which II confers upon the
owners of property under the name OF cor
porats franchises in such a way as to
prevent the misuse of these powers. Cor
porations and especially combinations oil
corporations, should bs managed under
public regulation. Experience has shown
that under our system Of government tbs
necessary supervision cannot be obtained
BY state action. 1t must therefore b.
achieved by national action. our aim II
not to do away with corporations. On tht
contrary. these big aggregationS are ar
Inevitable development Of modern indus
uialisn and the effort to destroy then
would be futile unless accomplished II
ways that would work the utmost mis-
chief TO tho entire body polite We car
% nothing OF good in the way OF reguiat
ing and supervising these corporation
until we fix clearly in our minds that W.
are not attacking the corporations, bu
thdeavoring to do away with any evil II
them. We are not hostile to them. W.
are merely determined that they shall b,
30 handled as to subserve the public good
We draw the line against misconduct, no
against wealth. The capitalist who. alon'
OF In conjunction with his fellows. per
forms some great industrial feat by which
Ne wins money Is a welldoer. not a wrong
doer provided only he works in prope
and legitimate lines. We wish to favo
such man when he does well. We wisl
70 supervise and control his actions onl.
prevent him from doing i'll. Publicit.
ean DO no harm to the honest corporation
and We need not be overtender abou
sparlng the dishonest corporation.
IN curbing and regulating the combina
IONS OF capital which are or may becom
INJURIOUS to the public we must be care
III not TO stop the great enterprises whic
nave iegitimately reduced the cost OF pro
uaetion. not to abandon the place whic
vur country has won In the leadership q
we International Industrial world. not
strike down wealth with the result O
,yosins factories and mines, of turnin
me wageworker Idle In the streets an
mat he grows. 1nsistence upon the I'm
sSs,l means delay in achieving the pos
s. ois exactly as, on the other hand. TN
s.ueoorn defense alike of what II goo
Hnu what Is bad in the existing system
sae fesolute effort to sobstruct any al
hofr