The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1902-12-04
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE.
To the Senate and House of Representa-


bounded prosperity. This prosperity is
not the creature of law, but undoubtedly
the laws under which we work have been
instrumental In creating the conditions
which made 1t possible. and by unwise leg
isiation II would be easy enough to destroy
T. There will undoubtedly be periods Of
Oppression. The wave will recede, but the
tide will advance. This nation is seated
- continent hanked by two great
oceans. 1t Is composed of men the de-
scendants of pioneers or, In a sense, pio-
neers themselves-of men winnowed out
nom among the nations OF the old world
by the energy, boldness and love of ad-
venture found in their own eager hearts.
Such a nation so placed will surely wrest
success from fortune.
As people we have played large part
- the world, and we are bent upon maxi
inR our future even larger than the past.
In particular the events Of the last four
years have definitely 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 cannot avoid
the endeavor from which either great
failure or great success must come. Even
II we would we cannot play a small part.
IL we should try, all that would follow
would be that we should play 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 hlgh OF heart
creed of the weakling and the coward;
ours is the gospel of hope and OF tri-
umphant endeaysr we 90 n1t snrlnk II IN
from the struggle before us. There are
many problems for us to face at the out
set Of the twentieth century-grave prob
iems abroad and still graver at home-but
we know that we can solve them, and
solve them we'll, provided only that we
bring to the solution the qualities of head
and heart which were shown by the men
who in the days of Washington FOUNDED
this government and in the days of Lin
coin preserved 1t.
No country has ever occupied a higher
plane of material well being than ours at
The present moment. This well being is
due to no sudden or accidental causes. but
to the play of the economic forces in this
country for over a century; to our laws,
our sustained and continuous policies;
above all. to the high individual average
of our citizenship. Great fortunes have
been won by those who have taken the
lead in this phenomenal industrial devel-
opment and most of these fortunes have
been won not by doing evil. but as an in
dent to action hda hGh has Nsve benefited ths
material well being been so widely diff
fused among our people. Great fortunes
nave been accumulated and yet in the
aggregate these fortunes are small in
deed when compared to the wealth of the
people as a whole. The plain people are
better off than they have ever been be-
fore. The insurance companies, which
are practically mutual benefit societies
especially helpful to men of moderate
means-represent accumulations of capi-
tai which are among the largest in this
country. There are more deposits in the
savings banks, more owners of farms,
more well paid wageworkers In this. coun-
try now than ever before in our history.
OF course when the conditions have ia
vored the growth of so much that was
the growth of what was evil. 1t is emf
nently necessary that we should endeavor
to cut out this evil, but let us keep due
sense of proportion; let US not in fixing
1ur gaze upon the lesser evil forget the
greater good The evils are real and
some of them are menacing, but they are
he outgrowth not of misery or decadence.
lut of prosperity, of the progress of our
Gigantic industrial development. This in
iustrial development must not be checked,
progressive regulation as will diminish
he evils. We should fail in our duty If
ye did not try to remedy the evils, but we
" with practical common sense as well
IS resolution, separating the good from
While endeavoring to get rid of the latter.
In my message to the present congress
1t its first session l discussed at length
he question of the regulation of those
zig corporations commonly doing an in
.erstate business often with some tenden-
" to monopoly, which are popularity
,nown as trusts. The experience of the
)ast year has emphasized, in my opinion,
ne deSlraDlllty OF the steps L tnen
posed. A fundamental requisite of social
filciency is a high standard of individual
.nergy and excellence, but this is in no
wise inconsistent with power to act in
combination for aims which cannot SO
veil be achieved by the individual acting
llone. A fundamental base Of civilization
the inviolabilty of property; but this is
nowise inconsistent with the right of
iociety to regulate the exercise of the
Irtifcial powers which 1t confers upon the
Iwners of property under the name of cor
)orate franchises in such a way as to
lrevent the misuse of these powers. Cor
lorations, and especially combinations of
orporatons should be managed under
iublic regulation. Experience has shown
hat under our system of government the
Necessary supervision cannot be obtained
~ state action. 1t must therefore be
achieved by national action. Our aim is
rot to do away with corporations. On the
ontrary, these big aggregations are an
Inevitable development of modern indus
rialism, and the effort to destroy them
would be futile unless accomplished in
ways that would work the utmost mis-
hief TO the entire body polite. We can
10 nothing of good in the way of regulat-
ng and supervising these corporations
.ntil we fix clearly In our minds that we
re not attacking the corporations but
ndeavorng to do away with any evil in
hem. We are not hostile to them. We
re merely determined that they shall be
handled as to subserve the public good.
We uTaW the line against MISCONDUCT, not
gainst wealth. The capitalist who, alone
# in conjunction with his fellows, per-
orms some great industrial feat by which
re wins money Is a welldoer, not wrong
ioer, provided only he works in proper
md legitimate lines. We wish to favor
nch man when he does well. We wish
supervise and control his actions only
0 prevent him from doing i'll. Publicity
an do no harm to the honest corporation,
md we need not be overtender about
pairing the dishonest corporation.
In curbiHg and regulating the combina-
Ions of capital which are or may become
ljurious to the public we must be care
ul not to shop the great enterprises which
ave legitimately reduced the cost of pro-
luction not to abandon the place which
ur country mas won In the leadership of
he international industrial world, not to
trike down wealth with the result of
losing factories and mines of turning
he wageworker idle in the streets and
7aving the farmer without Il market for
That he grows Insistence upon the i'm
'ossible means delay in achieving the pos
ible exactly as, on the other hand the
tubborn defense alike OF what is good
nd what is bad In the existing system
he resolute effort to obstruct any at
cmpt at betterment betrays blindness to
ne historic truth that wise evolution is
he sure safeguard against revolution.
No more important subject can come