Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-12-10
The Presidents Message.

gress yesterday, ls decided I'M
Provement on his first address to
that body, in the respect that it is
ten columns shorter than his opening
message, and does not contain as
many words, we should think, by
about twenty thousand.
| The main feature of the message
is it's discussion of the trust question,
and upon this point the Presidents
conclusions are as impotent and un-
satisfying as were his declarations
upon the same subject during bis
spell-binding tour through the New
England States.
The message is the work of an
essayist, not the conception of a
great political leader. The Presi-
dent knows his grammar and is mas
ter of the art of using language to
conceal thought. If he would only
hunt the trusts as he has been accus-
toned to bunting mountain lions,
there would be more chance of his
accomplishing the regulation Of these
great combinations of capital which
he claims to be necessary to the pub
lie welfare. Of course we all rejoice
in the material prosperity of the
country, and take patriotic pride
In the conquest of the industrial and
commercial world which we have
achieved, although we do not con.
cede the blatant claim that the bless
ings. which we enjoy have been the
result of the evils from which we
have suffered. Such prosperity as
the plain people enjoy is independent
of the policy which has built up in
this country immense fortunes for a
handful of men. The wealth of the
people as whole has not been en-
hanced by the policy which has
secured in measure the phenomenal
industrial de, elopment of this coun-
try. Deduct the fortunes of the
multi-millionaires, and the deposits
in the savings banks, and the i'm
mense reserves of the insurance COM
panies, which are held not by the
plain people, but by persons in afflu-
ent. or well-to-do condition, and it
will be found that the plain people
of the country have not made any
such vast accumulation of riches as
the uninformed would infer from the
Presidents optimistic expressions
upon the subject. The Gould and
Astor and Vanderbilt and Carnegie
fortunes are never divided among
the plain people of the respective
wards in which these very rich folk
live, except when an economic theory
is to be demonstrated.
.4Of course there will be general
agreement with the President that
the evils of the trusts should be re-
moved without injury to the good,
and no right-minded person is hos
tile to the big aggregations of capi-
tai, which are, as the President says,
can inevitable development of mod
ern industrialism," but it is as Ger.
tain as the sun shines in Arizona that
the over-tenderness which the Presi-
dent displays in his treatment of
these combinations of capital, will
never reform the evils of which he
makes very indefinite suggestion.
1t is true, as he says, that ga fun
damental base of civilization is the
inviolability of property" but it is
further true that the property which
has been acquired through govern
mental favoritism, and by crushing
out the life of competition, is moth
ing better than stolen goods, and
that the only adequate reform which
could be wrought would be repara-
tion. 1t has been only little while
since the President made the i'm
preston on the public mind that in
his opinion the amendment of the
Constitution would be required be.
fore the evils which he would now
"cut outa could be reached. He be-
lieves now, however, that "monopo.
lies, unjust determinations which
prevent or cripple competition,
fraudulent over capitalization, and
trust organizations and practices,
which injuriously affect inter-S State
trade, can be prevented under the
power of the Congress to regulate
commerce with foreign nations, and
among the several States,' through
regulations and requirements ope-
rating directly upon such commerce,
the instrumentalities thereof and
those engaged therein"
But Congress must be very care
full to pass law "reasonable in it's
provisions and effective in it's opera
tion." No law will be "reasonable"
in the Presidents opinion, however,
which would affect the prosperity of
the trusts, which have been built up
under the fostering care of laws
enacted in their interest. The COM
binations must be regulated, but we
must be very careful how we regu-
late them. Capital must come under
the control of reasonable legislation,
but we must be very particular not
to do anything which will cripple
capital. Over capitalization is a
great evil, but we must exercise
special caution lest, in drawing off
the water in which the rich combina-
tions float, they touch bottom and
bring much distress upon the "dear
people," of course. The trusts have
been mainly promoted by the tariff,
but we must not meddle with the
tariff, lest we fail to accomplish the