Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-26
RGES THAT CONGRESS REGULATE THEM
Proposes that 1t Be Given the Power
and Responsibility.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH WILL DO ITS PART
Suits Undertaken by Knox Are Not for
Mere Effect.
PRESENT SYSTEM, HOWEVER, INADEQUATE
First Change Desired IL Provision for
Compelling "A Greater Publicity
of Affairs of Merging
Corporations.

Corporations.
BOSTON, Aug. 25.-President Roosevelt's
train left Lynn at 4:40 and reached Boston
at o'clock, on schedule time. Under
escort of cavalry he proceeded to Sym
phony hall, where he delivered the follow
ing address:
Governor Crane, Mayor Collins, Men and
Women of Boston: l am glad to have the
chance of saying a few words to you this
evening There are several matters that
should like to discuss, and can say, IN
all sincerity, that when i come here TO New
England, when l come to Boston. like
to go over as many subjects as possible, so
that can get light on them have great
faith in your judgment.
1 want to take up this evening the gem
eral question of our economic and social
problem with which, think, our people
problem Of our complex social condition as
corporations which we rather loosely desig-
nate as trusts. But 1 wish to say one or
two things as preliminary. In the first
place, have not come here to say that /
have discovered patent cureall for the
trusts.
Promises and Their Keeping.
When peoples minds are greatly agitated
on any subject, and especially when they
feel deeply. but rather vaguely, that con-
in addressing them to be Indifferent as to
what you promise, but II Is much less ple as
ant afterward: OF course the worth St It "a a
promise consists purely in the way IN which
the performance squares with IT. Ihat mas
two sides to It. In the first place. II man
is honest he will try just as hard to keep
a promise made on the stump as one made
off the stump In the second place, II the
people keen their heads they won't wish
promises 10 be made which are impVssiOie
"Eow you see that one side of that ques-
tion is my duty and the other Is yours :;
goes ahead mostly through each or us
trying to do, or at least through each OF
the majority of us trying to do, the best
that is in him and doing 1t in the most In
telligent and sanest way.
Common Citizens Responsibility.
We founded our republic on the theory
that the average man as rule VIII 90
the right thing, that in the long run the
majority are Eoing TO 9eo,ae fafheys Gf nST Were
mistaken An that theory, II ever the mass
of the people do. what Is unwholesome.
what is wrong, then the republic cannot
Now, when we come to the question Of
good citizenship. the frst requisite Is that
the man shall do the homely. everyday
hum-drum duties well. He has got to be
a good bread winner, he has got to take
care Of his wife and children, he has got
TO be a neighbor whom his neighbors can
trust, he has got to act squarely in his
business relations. In fact, he has got to
do all those everyday, ordinary things or
he is not a good citizen. II there Is any
one quality which is not admirable. whether
in a nation or in an individual, 1t Is
Now, Il is Of no possible use to decline
20 go through all the ordinary duties OF
then suddenly get up and feel angry about
something or somebody not clearly defined
in ones mind and demand reform as II 1t
were a concrete substance ana could Dc
handed out forthwith.
Problems of Progress.
Now, this is a preliminary to what l
want TO say to you about this whole ques-
tion OF corporations as affecting the public.
There are very many and very dltncult
OF the results OF the forces which, taken all
together, we speak OF as progress IL Is
at or regret the great growth in Industrial
Capitalization OF the last half-century. The
practical thing to do is to face the cone,-
tlons as they are and see II we cannot get
the best there Is in them out of them. We
are not going to get any complete or per-
feet soSo9 for an Of the YsT evils - which Ss
by. any single actien on our part , =. -
even %srsJ partially si re %remeded. We have got to,
nrst Of all, think clearly-we have got 10,
ts deat 80 set Clearly
US all of the evils, but l think that those
gentlemen and especially those gentlemen
OF large means who deny that the evils
exist, are acting with great folly. am
far from being against property when ask
up am acting, IN the most conservative
sense, In property's interest; When a great
corporation is sued for violating the anti
trust law II is. not a move against prop
erty, II is a move In favor OF property. be-
cause when zen y0S can mske aSs Il syeens to 6bsH 5hs
the law, you are putting the safeguard OF
law around all men.
system May He at Fault.
When you make 1t evident that no man
Sn e sn t1r Sa yeSRs eyerR ma2 5ne ST W
protected from violation OF the law. l am
Inclined to think that much the greatest
question of the trust comes from our sys-
tenn of government
Gentlemen, II what we read in the papers
Is true they are speaking of q number of
international trusts. IL would be very
difheult for any SET Of laws. on our part, 10
comes International In It's bearing. but a
st SeS Rrsst esn dss s IS ee II dd9s aS5
great deal more can be done II We can
see that the power Is put somewhere TO do
ment has worked marvelously well-the
system OF dividing the functions OF gov-
which Maine Louisiana. Oregon. Idaho,
New York and South Carolina can ell
ti' Vet each he allowed TO work % Its its % salvation %
as II desires, along certain lines. But while
do not believe that that policy should be
fOssilized and II IL Is to be changed we
must change our governmental method to
meet Il.
i believe with all my heart I'm the New
England town meeting, but you cannot
work the New England town meeting in
Boston. You have got to try something
else. Now when this government was
founded there were no great Individual or
corporate fortunes and commerce and in
dustry were being carried on very much
rs they had been from the days when
Nineveh and Babylon stood in the Meso-
potamian valley The wagon and the pack
train and the sailing craft-those We're
the methods OF commerce. Everything has
been revolutonized In the business world
since, and the progress OF civilization from
being a trickle has become a torrent
There was no particular thing at that time
20 bother as TO whether the nation or
state had control OF tho corporations.
They were easy 10 control. Now, however
the exact reverse Is the case and remem-
Der j say corporations" / do not say
merely trusts, merely combinations OF cor
poratlons OF corporations under certain pc
culiar conditions. For instance, some time
ago the attorney general took action
against a certain trust There has been
considerable discussion as 10 whether the
trust aimed at would not seek 20 get out
lcontinued on Second Page.)