The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-09-26
pREsIDENr,s coon ApyrcEs

Revision of the tariff schedules as
a cure for the trust evil is not advo-
Gated by President Roosevelt, who de-
livered an address before an audience
in Cincinnati Saturday night
President Roosevelt argues that the
, Encouragement of any particular
schedule in order to reach any particu-
lar trust would work to the disadvan-
tage of smaller manufacturers and to
American workmen. He urged the
adoption of constitutional amend
ment placing the suspension of trusts
in the hands of the government This
is in line with the presidents speeches
delivered during his election.
Like others who have given the
matter consideration the president
recognizes that the very big corpora
tions are an outgrowth of the times
and he declared that the whole subject is
of vital concern because it presents
one, and perhaps the most conspicu-
GUS of the many problems forced upon
the attention of the American people
by the tremendous Industrial develop
ment which has taken place during
the last half century in all civilized
countries. The new conditions are
here and the president rightly advises
that it is the duty of the people to &C.
commodate our social, economic and
legislative life to them, and 10 frame
a system of law and conduct under
which we shall get out of them the
utmost possible benefit and the least
amount Of harm.
Again the president shows his good
judgment when he reiterates that in
dealing with big corporations it
should not be done by revolution, but
by evolution. Here is striking SEN
tence:
We wish to face the facts, declining
to have our vision blinded either by
the folly of those who say there are
no evils, or by the more dangerous
folly of those who either see, or make
believe they see, nothing but evil in
all the existing system, and who, if
given their way, would destroy the evil
by the simple process of bringing ruin
and disaster to the entire country.
By approaching the subject in a
spirit of rancor and ignorance will not
bring about cure. 1t is not the wish
to DESTROY corporations we wish to
make them subserve the public good.
President Roosevelt does not mince
words. but declared most emphatically
that all individuals, rich or poor,
private or corporate, must be subject
to the law of the land, and the gov
eminent will hold them to very
rigid obedience thereto. The biggest
corporation, like the humblest private
citizen, must be held to strict compli-
ance with the will of the people as ex-
pressed in the fundamental law"
And he adds that the rich man who
does not see that this is in his interest |
is indeed short-sighted. When we
make him obey the law we insure for
him the absolute protection of the
law. In other words the president
means if the rich are not compelled to
obey the law how can that class ex-
pect others to obey it. A simple pro-
position.
President Roosevelt does not be-
lieve in the demagogic denunciatin of
wealth, saying that it ia not wbosle-
some and generally dangerous, and not
a few of the proposed methods of curb
ing the trusts are dangerous chiefly
because all insincere advocacy of the
is dangerous ,
Discussing the nronosition that tba :