The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1902-08-30
TALKS ABOUTTRUSTS
Notable Address by the President at
Providence, R. I.
ne Declares That Combines Must he
Closely Supervised by the Cow
eminent, and Favors strong
Legislation.

Providence, II. l., aug. So.-Not
since the visit here of President
Hayes is years ago has chief ex-
ecutive been accorded 30 brilliant
and thoroughly general reception
as that rendered Saturday to Presi-
dent Roosevelt on the occasion OF his
tour through this state. People
came from every part of the state
and gathered $4,000 strong about the
platform at the city hall, from which
the president delivered an address.
An ovation which lasted five min
utes was the presidents greeting
when he rose to speak.
1--WE are passing through period Of
great material prosperity. and such pc
riod as is as sure as adversely itself TO
bring mutterings Of discomfort. Al
time when most men prosper somewhat II
always happens that Few men prosper
greatly, and II IL as true now as II was
when the Tower OF Sloan fell upon al
who were under II. that good fortune does
not come only to the just. nor bad fortune
only to the unjust. When the weather Is
good for crops II Is also good Tor weeds
Moreover, not only do the wicked flourish
when the times are such that most men
flourish. but what IL worse. the spirit OF
in the breasts of those who. though they
may be doing fairly well themselves, yet
see others. who are no more deserving
doing far better.
Presence Of Great Evils.
-"There are real and great evils In our
social and economic life, and these evils
stand out with ugly badness during good
times, for the wicked who prosper are
never a pleasant sight. There is every need
OF striving in all possible ways. individ-
ually and collectively. by combinations
among ourselves In private life and through
the recognized organs Of government, Tor
the cutting out of these evils. Only let US
be sure that We do not use the knife with
an ignorant zeal, which would make II
more dangerous to the patient than to the
disease.
Remedies for Existing Evils.
"For some Of the evils which have at
tended upon the good of the changed con-
ditions we can at present see no complete
remedy. For others the remedy must come
by the action Of men themselves In their
private capacity, whether merely as In
-dividuals or by combination one with an
other. For yet others some other remedy
can be found In legislative and executive
action national, state or municipal Much
OF the complaint against combinations Is
entirely unwarranted. Under present day
conditions II Is as necessary to have cor
have organization among wage workers.
But we have right 10 ask In each case
that they shall do good, and not harm
Exactly as labor organizations. when man
aged intelligently and In a spirit OF justice
and fair play, are of very great service
not only to the wage workers, but to the
whole community, as the history OF many
labor organizations has conclusively
shown, so wealth, not merely individual,
but corporate, when used Alright Is not
merely a benefit to the community as
whole, but indispensable to the upbuild-
ing of the country, under the conditions
which at present the country has grown not
only to accept, but to demand as normal.
This Is so obvious that II seems trite even to
state II, and yet II We are to Judge from
some OF the arguments advanced against.
and attacks made upon. wealth as such,
1t Is fact worth keeping in mind.
Duty Towards Trusts.
~stin there is other harm Of a more evil
dent kind, and such harm 1t Is our clear
duty to try to eradicate II possible and In
any event to minimize. The corporations
and therefore those great corporations con-
tanning some tendency to monopoly which
we have grown to speak of rather loosely
as trusts, are the creatures OF the state,
and the state not only has the right to
control them, but Is in duty bound to con-
troll them wherever the need for such con-
=
supervision-need to exercise the power of
regulation on the part of the representa-
tives of the public, wherever, as In our
.own country at the present time. business
corporations become SO very strong both
for benefcent work and for work that Is
not always beneficent. 1t Is idle to say that
there Is no need for such supervision. A
sufficient warrant for 1t is to be found
over and over again In any of the various
evils resulting from the present system, or
rather lack Of system.
National Government Must Control.
In my judgment this sovereign must be
the national government. When II has
been given full power. then this full power
can be used to control any evil influence,
exactly as the government is now using
the power conferred upon II under the
Sherman antitrust law. Even when the
full power has been conferred II would be
highly undesirable to attempt too much,
or to begin by stringent legislation. The
mechanism Of modern business Is as dell
cate and complicated as 1t Is vast, and moth
ing would be more productive of evil to
all Of us. and especially to those least well
on in this worlds goods, that Ignorant
meddiing with this mechanism and above
all, II the meddling was done In a spirit
of class or sectional rancor 1t Is desirable
that this power should be possessed by the
nation, but It Is quite as desirable that
alton and self-restraint. The first exercise
of that power should be the securing OF
publicity among all great corporations do
Ing an interstate business. The publicity.
though non-inquistorial, should be real and
thorough as to all important facts with
which the public has concern"
I'm conclusion let me add one word.
While We are not to be excused II We fail
to do whatever Is possible through the
agency OF government, we must ever keeI
IN mind that no action by the government
no action by any combination among our
selves. can take the place Of the individual
qualities to which in the long run each mar
must owe his success. There never hai
been devised. and there never will be de-
vised, any law which will enable man Il
succeed save by the exercise Of those quail
ties which have always been the prerequi
sites of success-the qualities Of hard work
of keen intelligence, Of unfinching will
No action by the state In any form car
do more than supplement the initiative o.
the individual, and ordinarily the actor
of the state can do no more than secure I,
each individual the chance to show. undei
as favorable conditions as possible, thu
stun Of which he Is made"
Driven from Their Homes.
Emporia. Kan, Aug. 25.-Hundred
of farmers are fleeing from the wa
fers of the Cottonwood river. leav