The Indianapolis journal., 1902-08-25
THE PRESIDENT AND TRUSTS.

THE PRESIDENT AND TRUSTS.
President Roosevelt's treatment Of the
trust question in his speech at Providence
furnishes much food for thought for those
who wish 10 deal honestly with the ques-
tion. 1t showed that the President himself
has been doing some hard and honest
thinking on the subject. and that he finds
it beset with difficulties which are not
easily disposed of. 1t is easy enough for
demagogues and those who have no respon-
sibility OF regard for consequences to shout
down with the corporations" and smash
the trusts but when those clothed with
power and responsibility come to consider
the subject at close range they find it can
not be settled by mob law or shotgun
methods. There is reason TO believe that
people generally are considering the sub
ject with less passion and prejudice and
more reasonableness now than they did a
year two ago
The President made a few pc, Is very
clear. Among these are that in an age of
commercial activity and a period of general
prosperity the multiplication of corpora
tions and the increase of corporate wealth
is natural and unavoidable condition. and
not dangerous in itself. 1--WE may like this
or not, just please" he said, ''but it
Is fact, nevertheless, and as far as we
can see it is inevitable result of the
working of various causes" Every sensible
man knows this is true. The time will
never come in this or any other civilized
tions of capital well as Os labor, and
when some corporations as we'll as some
individuals will not enjoy a larger share
Of the general prosperity than others do
To quote the President again: Under
present-day conditions it is as necessary to
have corporations in the business world as
1t is to have organization among wage
workers" OF course it is. and it should be
admitted once for all by everybody that
corporations and combinations of capital
are a necessary feature Of modern life and
that they Will abide permanently. They
are great factor in modern civilization,
and in a large view they do a great deal
more good than harm. AS the President
said, Good. not harm, normally comes
from the piling up of wealth through busi-
ness enterprises" Yet harm may and does
come from the use of great corporate or
combined wealth for extortion or oppres-
sion, and the question is how to cut out the
harm and save the good. Let us be sure
as the President said. that we do not use
the knife with an ignorant zeal which
would make it more dangerous to the
patient than to the disease" We must not
burn whole wheatfield to get rid Of a few
Canada thistles
The President, speaking as one in author
ity whose words carry weight, does not
hesitate to say that great corporations
should be brought under degree of control
that will prevent them from plundering or
expressing the people. They should not be
destroyed but they should be regulated
controlled and restrained. He does not he
lieve this can be done effectually by state
legislation with diverse or conflicting laws
He thinks it should be done by the national
government. II believe" he saws. "that
the Nation must assume this power of con-
troll by legislation, and, if it becomes
evident that the Constitution will not per-
NIT needed legislation, then by constitu-
tional amendment" He thinks that trusts.
which are state corporations doing busi-
ness in other States than the one creating
them, should be brought under the control
OF some supreme power. Some govern
mental sovereign" he says, must be given
full power over these artificial and very,
powerful corporate beings, and in my judg-
ment this sovereign must be the national
government. This is as far as the Pres
ident could be expected to go in stating his
views TO the people. 1t indicates clearly his
purpose to recommend some stringent Iegis-
lation to Congress and, If necessary. an
amendment to the Constitution. 1t shows
that the President is determined to use all
his influence to secure legislation that will
bring trusts under national control. Mean
while, he has caused the Northern Sc
curities Company to be brought into court
and will test the validity of the Sherman
antitrust act to prevent the merging of
parallel lines of railroad to prevent compe-
tition. Briefly, the Presidents position is
one of determination to enforce the present
antitrust law and to ask for additional
legislation on the subject