The Canton times., 1902-12-05
5 MESSAGE.
cecond Annual Communication
to Congress.
! VIEWS ON The TRUSTS AND TARIFF
uorinc of Import Duties Would Not
Romedy Evils OF Monopoly--Labor
r,ions and the Corporations
MANY recommendations.


!. the Senate and House of Representa-
no 'h1W We still continue in period of
ress,.rSeS prosperity. This prosperity is
The creature of law, but undoupteGly
,aWs under which we work have been
strumertal in creating the condlt1ols
Sich mace 1t possible, and by " unwise tray rev
tinn If would be easy enough TO Gestroy
nh There will undoubtedly be PERIODS OF
.assior The wave will recede; but the
y viii advance. This nation is seated on
eortiuent nanked by two great oceans:
IS composed of men the desce.oali,s n ~ M uL
Oreers or in a sense, pioneers tmein,
ives nf men winnowed out from among
y nations of the OLD world by the energy,
cIaress, and love Of adventure 1ouno 1ou ~
helr own eager hearts. Such "a t.1 ~
ored will surely wrest success from for-
uEe.
Concerning the Trusts.
!. NV message to the present congress
~ H. Ai ifirst session I discussed at length
10 question of the regulation OF those
" Corporations commonly doing an IN
ssstate g business, often with some ten
ls.S't snsv to monopoly, which are popularity
enoS aaSn as trusts. The experience of the
aet ,V"- wear has emphasized, in my opin-
o. the desirability of the steps I then
rOposed. fundamental 1iah reauisire sndare OF of
Si1idral energy and excellence: but
bis is in no wise inconsistent with pow
IN act in combination for aims Wh1cn
annot so well be achieved BY the ne, indio ha u
% %civzation is the inviolability of prop
~. hut this is in no wise inconsistent
In fhe right of society to regulate the
xercise of the artificial powers which 1t
~ the name of corporate franchises. in
rrh way as to prevent the misuse
these powers. Corporations, and espe-
Eally combinations OF corporations,
Kan Experience has shown that under our
.Wstem OF government the necessary
,neryiston cannot be obtained by state
&ctlon 1t must therefore be achieved by
Rational action, Our aim is not TO 90
BWay with corporations; on the contrary,
Ehese big aggragations are an inevitable
kevelopment of modern industrialism, and
fha effort to destroy them would be futile
{,nIess accomplished in ways that would
Work the utmost mischief to. the entire
kody uolitic. We can do nothing of good
ID the way of regulating and supervising
{hpse corporations until we fix clearly in
bur minds that we are not attacking the
corporations, but endeavoring 70 do away
"a them; we are merely determined that
thev shall be so handled as to subserve
fhe public good. We draw the line
bgainst misconduct, not against wealth
fhe cantalist who, alone or in conjunc-
lion with his fellows, performs some
kreat industrial feat by which he wins
money is a welldoer, not wrongdoer;
provided only he works in proper and
4 man when he does well. We wish to
kuneryise and control his actions only to
hreyent him from doing. i'll. Publicity
fap do no harm to the honest corpora
sbout sparing the dishonest corporation.
Must Exercise Care.
Il In curbing and regulating the combina-
Int Il va rlp T11Q
Eniurious to the public we must be careful
h0t to stop the great enterprises Whlch
have legitimately reduced the cost OF pro-
kuction, not to abandon the, place Whlcn
bur country has won in the leaGershlp OF
|he International Industrial world, not to
etrike down wealth with the result of clos
ng factories and mines, OF turning tne
wage-worker idle In the streets and feaV-
ing the farmer without market Tor Wnat
Die grows. Insistenee upon, the Impossible
means delay In achieving the possiple; eA-
actly as on the other hand, the stubborn
6eferse alike of what Is good and what IS
bad in the existing syste m, the resolute et-
fort to obstruct any attempt at betterment,
betrays blindness to the historic truth mat
wise evolution is the sure safeguard against
revolution.
No more important subject can come Pc
fore the congress than this Of the reguIa-
ton of interstate business. This country
cannot afford to sit supine on the plea that
under our peculiar system OF government
we are helpless. in the presence OF the new
and unable to grapple with them
or to cut OUT whatever of evil has arisen IN
with them. The power OF the
congress to regulate interstate commerce
Is an absolute and unqualified grant, ana
without limitations other than those pre-
scrlheG by the constitution. The congress;
has constitutional authority to make all
laws necessary and proper for executing
this power, and | am. satisfied that TINS
power has not been exhausted by. any leg
lsiation now on the statute books. 1t Is
evident. therefore, that evils restrictive OF
commercial freedom entailing restraint
upon national commerce fall within the
reguative power of the congress, anG that
wise and reasonable law would be neces-
sary ard proper exercise of congressional
authority to the end that such evils should
De eTadicated.
| believe thar monopolies. unjust dis
ordinations, which prevent or cripple
competition, fraudulent vercapitalization,
and other evils in trust organizatlons ana
practices which injuriously anect inter-
state trade can be prevented under the pow
er OF the congress to regulate commerce
With foreign nations and among the sew
eral states" through regulations and re-
qulrements operating directly. upon such
commerce, the instrumentalities thereo1,
and those engaged therein.
earnestly recommend this subject to the
,on slderation of the congress with a view
% % me passage of a law reasonable IN lts
provisions and effective in its operations,
upon which the questions can be finally
aGJudicated that now raise doubts as to
u ne necessity Of constitutional amendment.
Il II II prove impossible to. accomplish the
purposes above set forth by such law,
then, assuredly, we should not shrink from
tmencing the constitution so as to secure
'eyond Tt peraeventure the power sought.
Ihe congress has not heretofore made
lny appropriation for the better enforce
unent OF the antitrust law as 1t now stands.
very much has been done by the depart
ment Of justice in securing the enlorce-
l1nent OF this law, but much more could be
lone If congress would make special ap-
for this purpose. to be expended
era1
The Tariff Question.
One proposition advocated has been the
Ieduetion Of the tariff as means Of reach
ng the evils Of the trusts which fall with
y the category / have described. Not
his. hnsreiy would this be wholly ineffective,
~ ~ the diversion of our efforts. in such
y, erection would mean the abandonment Of
~ 81 intelligent attempt TO. do away with
,tnse .tnese evils. Many of the. largest corpora
s,9;ns, many Of those which should Ger.
..slnly be included in any proper scheme OF
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