The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-08-26

.H. MEANS WEO DENY THAT THE
UNUs ENIsr ARE ACTING WITH
GREAT FOLLY. l am far from being
against property when ! ask that the ques.
ton OF trusts bc taken up | AN acting
In the most conservative sense in propcrty's
Interest. WHEN a great corporation is
sued for violating the anti trust law it
is not move against property II Is a
move In favor Of property, because when
you can make II evident that oil men.
big and small alike have to obey the
law. you are putting the safeguard Of law
around all men. WHEN you make 1t evi-
dent that no man shall be excused FOR VIC.
latng the law, you make II evident that
every man will he protected from violation
Of law. ! am Inclined to think that much
Of the greatest trouble in any immedl ate
handling Of the question Of trusts comes
from our system OF government Let me
90 back one moment. want to guard
what l am saying. l want you TO Under
stand that my words are being taken at
their exact face value. Remember I am
not saying that even le we had all the
power we could completely solve the trust
question, Gentlemen. II what we rend in
the newspapers is true, they are speaking
Of number II International trusts now.
A DIFFICULT PROBLEM.
1T would be very difficult for any set Of
laws. on our part, 60 deal completely with
a problem which becomes international in
Its bearings. BUT a GREAT DEAL CAN
BE DONE IN VARIOUS WAYS NOW. A
great deal Is being done and great deal
more can be done II we can sec that the
power Is put somewhere to do H.
On the whole our system OF government
has worked maryelously well, the systems
| Of dividing the functions Of government.
of arranging scheme under which Maine.
Louisiana. Oregon, Idaho New York and
South Carolina can all come In together
for certain purposes and yet each be allow
Ell to work rs salvation as Il hesIres. along
certain lines But, while | most firmly bo-
l'cve in dxlty OF policy, I do not believe
that the policy should he fossllzed md
! n 1t Is to be changed. We must change
our governmental method to meet t.
II believe with all my heart in the New
England town meeting but you can not
work the New England town meeting in
Roston. 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
MS they had been FROM the days when
Nineveh and Babylon stood In the Mcsopo.
| tamian valley. The wagon train ana tho
pack train ana the sailing craft-thosc
were the methods Of commerce Everything
has been reyolutonlzcd in the business
world suoe and the progress Of civilization
frotn being trcl;e has become torrent.
There was DO particular thing at that time
to bother MS to whether the nation or the
| state had control Of the corporation. They
we're easy to control Now, however. the
exact reverse is the case aud remember !
1 say corporations. do not say merely
trusts merely combinations Of corporations
or corporations under certain peculiar eoi-
dltons. For instance. some time ago the
attorney general took action against Ger,
| tnin trust. There has been considerable
discussion as 70 whether the trust AIMED
NJ would not seek to ger ont from under
the law by becoming a single corporation
BROADER LAWS NEEDED.
~ want laws to enable us TO deal with
IT NO matter what share Il takes
wapt 10 SEQ tho government able to ger
Mt II definitely so that the action OF the
government can not he cynded by any turn
Ing within or without Federal or state
statutes. At present we have really no er-
foctiye control over a big corporation
,ybIch docs business IN more thnn oao
state. Frequently the corporation mas
rotb,pg whatever 70 do with the state n
which IT Is Incorporated except 20 ger M
corporated and IT'S actions may be taken
.fsf trHtft a F.