The Red Cloud chief., 1902-12-05
Executive Begins 1t With
Prosperity as a Topic.
DEALS WITH subject OF TRUSTS
In Favor Of National Rather than
State Population Would Not
Do Away With Them, but
Would Eliminate the
Evil in Them.

In his message to Congress Presi-
dent Roosevelt has this to say
THE TEXT OF THE MESSAGE.
We still continue in IA period OF un-
bounded prosperity. This prosperity
IL not he creature OF law, but un-
doubtedly the laws under which we
work have been Instrumental in Gre
ating the conditions which made IL
possible. and by unwise legislation 1t
would be easy enough to destroy 1t.
There will undoubtedly be periods OF
depression. The wave will recede. but
the tide will advance. This nation is
seated on II continent tlanked by two
great oceans. 1t is composed OF men
the descendants OF pioneers, or, in a
sense. pioneers themselves, OF men
winnowed out from among the nations
Of the old world by the energy, bold
ness. n love of adventure found In
their own eager hearts. Such "a nation,
SO placed. will surely wrest success
from fortune.
AZ u people we have played "A large
part I'm the world, and we are bent
upon making our future even larger
Than the past. In particular. the
events of the last four years have def
nitely decided that, for woe or for
veal, our Place must be great among
the nations. We may either fail greatly
or succeed greatly; but we can not
avoid the endeavor from which either
great failure or great success must
come. Even II we would, we can not
play a small part. II we should try.
all that would follow would be that we
should play "A large part ignobly and
shamefully.
But our people. the sons Of the men
Of the Civil war. the SONS of the men
who had iron in their blood. rejoice in
the present and face the future high
OF heart and resolute Of will. Ours
Is not the creed of the weakling and
the coward: ours is the gospel of hope
and of triumphant endeavor. We do
not shrink from the struggle before AZ.
There are many problems for us to
face at the outset of the twentieth
century-grave problems abroad II
still graver at home; bat we know that
we can solve them n solve them
well, provided only that we bring to
the solution the qualities of head and
heart which We're shown by the men
who. in the days OF Washington,
founded this government. and, in the
days OF Lincoln, preserved It,
THE EVIDENCES OF WEALTH.
No country has ever occupied a
higher plane OF material we'll being
than ours at the present moment. This
~well-being is due to no sudden or ac-
cidental causes, but to the play Of
the economic forces I'm this country
for over a century: to our laws, u
sustained and continuous policies;
above all. to the high individual aver
age OF our citizenship. Great fortunes
have been won by those who have
taken the lead In this phenomenal In
dustrial development. and most of these
fortunes have been won not by doing
evil, but M an incident to action which
has benefited the community as n
whole Npvar before haa ppafertnl wall
being been so widely diffused among
our people. Great fortunes have been
accumulated. and yet in the ag-
gregate these fortunes are small in
: deed when compared to the wealth Of
the people as II whole. The plain peo-
pie are better Oft than they have ever
been before. The insurance compan-
les. which are practically mutual
benefit societies-especially helpful to
men Of moderate means-represent ac-
foundations OF capital which are
among the largest in this country.
There are more deposits in the "A V
ings banks, more owners OF farms.
more wcll-paid wage-workers in this
country now thai ever before i'm our
history. or course, when the condi-
lions have favored the growth OF 20
much that was good. they have also
favored somewhat the growth of what
was evil. II is eminently necessary
that we should endeavor to cut out this
evil. but let US keep a due sense of
proportions: let us not In fixing our
gaze upon the lesser evil forget the
greater good. The evils are real and
some of them are menacing. but they
are the outgrowth, not OF misery or
decadence, but OF prosperity-of the
progress Of our gigantic industrial de-
velOpment. This Industrial develop
nent must not be checked, but side by
sid with II should 60 such progressive
regulation as Will diminish the evils
We should fail in our duty II we did
not try to remedy the evils, but We
shall succeed only II We proceed pa
tiently with practical common sense
No well as resolution, separating the
good from the bad and holding on t.
! the former while endcavorinR to get
rid Of the latter.
THE REGULATION OF TRUSTS.
In my message TO the present Con
gross at It's first session I discussed nj
length the question of the regulation
OF those big corporations commonly
doing an interstate business. often
with some tendency to monopoly
which are popularity known az trusts
Tho experience of the past year has
emphasized I'm my opinion the desira
tility OF the steps l then proposed. A
fundamental requisite OF social effi
cheney is II high standard of individual
energy and excellence; but this Is IN
no wise inconsistent with power e
GtCI IN tOn1DlnutiOii LOT tlIllS WHICH car
not so well be achieved by the indi-
vidual acting lone. A fundamenta
base of civilization liz the inviolability
OF property; but this IL i'm no wise In
consistent with the right Of society tC
regulate the exercise of the artificial
powers which It confers upon the own
ers OF property, under the name Of cor
porate franchises, In such a way ne
to prevent the misuse of these powers
Corporations, and especially comb.
nations Of corporations, should be man
aeed under public regulation. Expe.
rfonce has shown that under our sys-
tem Of government tho necessary SUI
pervision cannot be obtained by, state
u ACTION. II must therefore be achieved
AYh national action. Our aim 10 not &c
90 away with corporations; IN tho con.
trery, these big a%gsresations are an in
exitable development Of modern indus.
y4rialism, and the effort to destroy
them would be futile unless accom-.
Wished in ways that would work the
Utrost mischief to the entire body
HHncIitic.