Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-30
FIRST ENFORCE THE LAWS.

Honest and faithful enforcement of
the laws is the duty Of the executive
department Of the government. That
duty 1t is now performing in the pro-
ceedlngs instituted against combina-
tons. In his Charleston speech Presi-
dent Roosevelt said: above all, the
administration of the government, the
enforcement Of the laws must be fair
and honest. The laws are not to be
administered in the interest of the poor
man or the interest of the rich man.
They are simply to be administered
| Justly, in the interest of each man, be
he rich or be he poor, giving immunity
to no v~iolator, whatever form the viola
ton may assume. Such is the obligation
Of every public servant"
This is the spirit in which the adj
ministration is now acting. a Wash
lngton dispatch to the Philadelphia
North American reports the president as
saying In effect: The present laws in
tend to give the federal government GER
tain supervision over the operations of
corporations doing an interstate com
merce business. l do not assume to
know more than others who have given
much study to these laws, but l do pro
pose to find out their real merits The
government has a legal department
whose business it is to enforce these
laws. There will be no lack of energy
or intelligence on the part Of this federal
law department in trying TO apply such
laws. They were put there for "a pur-
pose and we will find out If they can
accomplish what they were intended
for. If they will, properly enforced,
prevent a great monopoly which con-
trolls foodstuffs from debating prices
and defining selling districts we want
to know that so that We can use them
for the protection of the people" This
is what the legal department of the
government, by direction of the presi-
dent, is seeking to inc out and there
| can be no doubt Of its intention to
honestly and faithfully pursue the course
1t has taken.
Every rational man understands that
4 lue uIeI bLtp DOhdIu IClltu9 lhS nhuN
ever abuses there are resulting from the
combinations is to test the applicability
Of existing laws. Only in this way can
it be determined whether these laws
are sufficient for what they were in
tended to accomplish. If it be found
! that they are not adequate, not broad
enough to reach and remedy the evils
| complained of, then it is in the power of
the people through their repre- Nentatives
to enact legislation that will meet the
demand for a correction of abuses. 1t
is not within the authority OF. the execu-
tive branch of the government to do
more than is being done for the en-
forcement of existing laws. Those who
assert otherwise appeal to popular ig-
norance of the powers and duties of the
executives The most relentless foe of
the combinations or trusts could do no
more, as president, than is being done
under the direction of Mr.. Roosevelt to
subject them to the laws.
That the administration is thoroughly
in earnest in the proceedings instituted
to test the laws applicable to combina-
tons there cannot be a reasonable doubt
and it can be confidently asserted that
the proceedings will be pushed with all
possible vigor. In the meanwhile there
is no good reason why congress may not
properly consider the question of pro-
viding for the supervision and regula-
ton of corporations engaged in inter-
state commerce.