Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-09-17
TRUSTS LIKE A RIVER
PRESIDENT SAYS THERE is NO
WAY TO STOP THEM.
In His Address at Wheeling, W. Va,
Executive Declares Wise Action by
the Nation Can Control Combines and
Keep Them Within Bounds.


ity. but the government can. by levees
and other works. control and regulate
the stream. keep it within bounds, and
make il do its work for the good Of the
majority OF the people.
The simple comparison was the fca-
ture of the President first extended adj
dress in his Southern trip. Mr.. Roosc-
welt explained i'll extent his ideas on the
solution Of the trust problems and in
sisted that he would make no promises
he did not intend to keep. Again he de-
clared publicity Of corporation affairs the
first step in correcting the evils Of the
trust system, but he warned his hearers
that it would take time, wise and care
fui work. good laws honestly enforced
and cool judgment to cure wrongs in
way that would injure no one.
Tie President addressed an enormous
crowd He sad in part:
Every period has its own trouble and off
fCulties A period of adversely OF course
troubles us ALL but there are troubles IN con
nection with the period OF prosperity aiso
When all things flourish Il means that there
f. a good chance for things that we ITO not
like to have flourish Just exactly as there is
for things that we do like To- nave nourlsh,
and a period OF great national material wen
being Is unavoidably one IN which human
minds are turned to the way In which those
Interested in the management OF the gigan-
tie cnpitalistic corporations, whose growth
has been SO noted feature Of the last mar
century. flourish. We have grown 10 speak
Of certain corporations rather loosely as
trusts" using the word IN It's usual anu
common significance Of Il big corporation,
usually doing business In several states nj
least. besides the State In which II is ineor-
porated.
81 tf,a would
more correct to call Ii a group ~ prnbiemsl
we have to class all Of our FELLOW citlzens.
One class is composed Of those men VINO
refuse to admit that there is any action
necessary at all The other Is composed or
those men who advocate some uoncdective
action. or. II effective. world be ehecilYe
only by destroying everything good ana PAD
connected with our industrial development
One Point to BE Rene mbered.
In every governmental process, the aim
that a people capable Of self government
should steadfastly keep in mind is to proceed
by evolution rather than by revolution.
On the other hand, every PEG ~ thnt
has self government must beware OF inIs
fossilzation of mind which refuses to allow
Of any change as conditions change Now.
in dealing with the problem OF change IN
our great Industrial civilization. in dealing
with the tendency which has been accentu-
ated to an extraordinary degree by steam
and electricity and by the tremendous up
building of Industrial enterprises -deannS
with these problems think we mn. [ set be
fore ourselves n desire not 10 hN" PIT less
than the possible, and nj the same time not
TO bring ourselves to complete standstil
by demanding the impossible.
1t is a good deal like taking care by the
engineers, of the lower Mississippi river.
80 one can dam the Mississippi. If the ma
ton started to dam 1t, Its time would De
wasted 1t would not hurt the Mississippi,
1t would only damage the population along
the banks You cannot dam the current;
you can build leyees and Keep the current
within hounds and shape Its direction. Now,
/ think that Is exactly what we can do with
these great corporations known as trusts.
We cannot dam them we cannot reverse the
Industrial tendencies of the age II you
succeeded in doing 1t. thea the cities like
Wheeling VIII have TO 60 out Of business.
Remember that You cannot put a stop or
reverse the industrial tendencies OF the age.
You can control and regulate them so that
they Will do no harm.
flood comes down the Mississippi river.
You cannot stop It, You can guide between
levees. so as TO prevent Its doing injury, 50
as TO insure its doing good, Another thing,
you do not build levees In day, or
month.
The man who tells you that he had a
patent device by which, IN sixty days. ne
would solve the whole question Of floods
along the great rivers would net only be
wise man but he would be a perfect miracle
of wisdom compared to the man who tells
you that by another patent remedy he can
bring the millennium in our Industrial and
social affairs.
We can do something, l believe We can
do good DEAL hut our accomplishing what
/ expect to see accomplished IS conditioned
upon our setting TO work In spirit as Tar
removed as possible from hysteria. spirit
OF sober steadfast. kindly Il want 50 EN-
phasize the word kindly determination not
to submit to wrong ourselves and not to
wrong others. Not TO interfere with the
great business development Of the country,
but at the sane time So shape our legisla-
tion and administration as to regulate, If we
rfgf..r~ 4fRHus
nected with that industrial Development
Promises Must BE Kept.
In the long run it is more comfortable
to make promises that can be kept. insteac
of making promises which are sure OF All
immense reception when made. but which
entail intolerablc humiliation when 1t Is at
tempted to carry them out
| am sufficient fortunate to be defend
Ing now, az President, precisely the rene
dies that | advocated two years ago. | no
advocating them not in any partisan spirit,
because, gentlemen. this pr0beE is a prof.
lem which affects the life Of THE nation az
n whole. | am advocating them simply az
an American citizen, VINO for The time lie
ing stands as the Chief Executive and tbs
special representative Of his fellow Ameii
can citizens Of all parties.
\ quarter Of q century ago there had beep
no development Of industries such as -
make II a matter Of the lesst Importance
whether tie nation or the Stgte took charAs
Of the great corporations and supervised the
great business and industrial organizations,
\ century and quarter ago, here at Wheel
iug commerce WAS carried on by paCE
trains 10y wagon trains. and by boats. There
had then been no radical Change In any cs
sen 81 features Ia the ways Of commerce
from the days when the Phoenician galigyst
piled the waters of the Mediterranean.
For 1000 or j.Nu years, perhaps long,
the great civilized nations. dating back int
the immemoria past when Babylon and
Niucveh stood In Mesjopotamia. when The
hes and Memphis were mighty In the valley
Of the Nile-frum that time on through the
supremacy Of Greece and If Rome. through
the upbuiding Of the great trading cities
Ike Venice and Genoa IN Italy. like the
cities of the Rhine and the NetheFia Bds IA
northern Europe through the period OF
the great expansion Of European civilization
which followed the voyages 0f Columbus and
Nagco da Cana. right on down to the time
when this country became naton-the
means Of commercial intercourse remained
substantially unchanged
suddenly, during our own lifetime az a
nation-a lifetime tribal in duration com
pared to the period Of recorded history
there came a revolution IN the means OF In
tercourse which made a change In com
merce and in all that springs from com
IN, zoe in industrial Development greater
than all the changes 81 The preceding thou5
ands o. eafs.
4 greater change has taken place since
| Wheeling was founded greater change
in the intercourse Of mankind has fakru
place, than In ali the previous periods dur
! Ing which man bad lived
You have right In this Hel2hborhood q
much burger population than any similar
region In all the Ialted states when tn"
Continental Congress first set. The change
In Industrial conditions has been itrraif
iIurneastlrnblr. Those changed conditions
make necessary governmental changes
through regulation and sgperyislop. Sur4
| changes were not provided for and could