The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-03


Commerce Wanted-Cuban Reciproc
ity Treaty sOon-Neeis Of Arm,
and Nayy-lmpOrtsnce OF Isthnliar
Canal. Pacific Gable and NatiOnall,
Aided Irrigation lrsed-ReciprOcIt.
Treaties Favored Country Prosperous
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2-Thc annual mes.
sage of the President was sent To Congress
to-day and was read IN the senate ana Ia
the House. 1t follows.
TO the Sendt, ana House Oi Representanrcs.
We stun continue ia "A period of unDounded
prosperity lAIs prosperity Ii lot the Great
IRE oil law, but uuuDuDjcuy the laws uiuel
which We wOrA nave been instrumental.
ia creating the conditions which made IL
posslUle, and by unwl-e legislation II would
DE easy cLOugn To destroy II. There VIII
Undoubtedly TIE IeIious oil uepfesslun.
The wave " III TeCedr. tut the tlur VIII al
vance lhls nation Ii seated on a con
tnent hankcd 10y TWO grtat oceans. IL T.
composed of men the uestonualits OF pho
netrs OF, III IA sense, luntcTs lheiseiNes
OF men WIinoweu out from among the liza
tons Of the Olu Word Uy the energy, bod
ness ana love oi adventure found III then
own eager hearte. such "a nation, 20 paced.
will surely wrest Success from fortune
As people We have played d large part Ia
the world. and We are bent upon making
our future even larger than the past III
particular, the events Of the last four year.
have definitely decided that, Tor Woe or toi
veal. our pace must be great among the
nations. We may either fan greatly OF
succeed greatly; but Ne can not AVOID the
endeavor from which either great failure OF
great success must come. Even II we
would We can not play small part. II
IL. "a tnIl "A
be that We should play large part ignobiy
ana shamefuIy
But our people, the SONS OF the men of the
Civil War, the sons of the men who had
iron in their blood, reloic. III the present and
face the future high of heart and resolute
of will Ours In hot the creed of the weak.
ling and the coward, ours Is the gospel oi
hope and of triumphant endeavor. We
,O not shrink from the struggle before Us
There are many problems for us TO face al
the outset of the twentieth century-grave
problems abroad and still graver ut home
nut We hnow that We can solve them and
solve them well, provided only that We
bring TO the solution the qualities OF head
and heart which were shown Uy the men
who, In the days OF Washington, founded
this Government and. in the days Of Lin.
coin, preserved II.
THE COUNTRYs PROSPERITY.
No country has ever occupied "a higher
plane Of material weu-being than ours at
the present moment. This wel-beinR is
due to no sudden accidental causes. uut TO
the play Of the economic forces in this
country for over 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 AZ an Incl
h lasl-
munity as whole. Never before has
material well-being been so widely off
fused among our people. Great fortunes
have been accumulated. and yet in the az
gregate these fortunes are small indeed
when compared to the wealth Of the people
As a whole. The plain people are better OF
than they have ever been before. The in
surance companies, which are practically
mutual benefit enthusiastically helpful
to men of moderate means-represent ac-
Cumulations of capital which are among
the largest In this country.
There are more deposits in the savings
hanks. more owners Of farms, more well-paid
wageworkers in this country now than ever
before in our history or course, when
the conditions have favored the growth
Of 80 much that was good, they have also
favored someW hat the growth of what
was evil IL is eminently necessary that we
should endeavor TO cut out this evil. but let
Us keep a due sense Of proportion. let us not
in fixing our gaze upon the lesser evil forget
the greater good
The evils are real and some Of them
are menacing, but they are the out
growth, not OF misery or deoadenoe
but Of prosperity-of the progress Of oui
gigantic Industrial development This in.
dustrial development must not DO checked
hut side by side with it should go such
progressive regulation as will diminish the
evils. We should fail in our duty If we did
not try 70 remedy the evils, but We shall
succeed only II we proceed patiently, with
practical common sense as well as resolu
ton separating the good from the bad and
holding on to the former while endca voring
10 get rid of the latter
The TRUST QUESTION
In my message to the present Congress-
at its first session | discussed at lengt h
the question Of the regulation Of those big
corporations commonly doing an interstate
business, often with some tendency to mo-
nopoly, which are popularity known As
trusts. The experience OF the past year
has emphasized. in my opinion, the desira-
bility OF the steps then proposed fun
damental requisite of social efficiency In a
high standard of individual energy and
excellence but this is in no wise incon-
sistent with power to act in combination
for aims which cannot SO well be achieved
by the individual acting alone.
A fundamental base of civilization is the
inviolability of property; but this is in no.
wise INCONSISTENT Win the flptlI o' society 10
regulate the eXei else OF the artificial powers
which IL Confers upon the owneI = OF p operty
under the name of corporate franchises,
Ia such a way a. TO prevent the n'suse OF
these powers Corporations. and espe-
cially combinations Of corporations, should
be manage undo. public regulation
Experience has shown that under our sys-
tenn OF government the necessary supervis-
ion can not he obtained by State action II
must therefore be achieved by national
action. our aim is not to do away with
corporations; on the contrary, these big
ageregatious are an inevitable devclon-
ment of modern industrmlism and the
effort to destroy them would BE- futile unless
acc mpli,hed IN ways that would work the
utmost mischief TO the entire body polite
We can do nothing OF good In the way OF
regulating and supervising these corpora
tons until we fix clearly in our minds that
We are not attacking the corporations
but endeavoring TO do away with any evil
in them We are not hostile to them; We
are merely determined that they shall be
SO handled as To- subserve the public good
We draw the line against misconduct, not
against wealth The capitalist who, alone
0. IN conjunction with his fellows. per
forms some great industrial feat by which
he win. money is a welldOer, not a wrong
door. rrovlued only he works in propef
and legitimate lines We wish 10 ravo.
slch 4 NAN when he docs well We wish
TO supervise and control his actions only 10
prevent him from doing i'll Publicity can
do no harm 10 the honest corporation; and
We need not be ovsrtender about sparing
~ dishonest corporation
In curling and regulating IN. "ombl-
nations of CAPITAL which are or NAV become