BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-16
sAf1 JUAN, SEPTEMBER 10
The Presidents Sincerity.

Does anybody in full possession OF a
normal amount of intelligence really
believe that the people of the U. S.
can be tricked into misunderstanding
of Theodore Roosevelt? If he does he
is a very poor observer of current
opinion. He is also very poor student
Of Theodore Roosevelt. 1t is extre-
mel7 difficult to misrepresent man
who insists at all times in revealing
himself fully to the public eye. An H.
lustration in this direction was given
two week ago by the President in his
speech at Fitchburg. when he took i'm
m ediate notice of the few and vicious
attempts that have been made to dis
tort his recent utterances about trusts.
He did not wait to ask himself whether
these were worth noticing or not, but
went directly to the people with them
and had plain talk on the subject.
1t was talk SO plain, so manly and
50 sincere in every word that future
misrepresentation on this point is
likely to be even more. rare than it has
been in the past. He did not retract,
or modify, or change in the slightest
degree what he had said before; naither
did he make it more clear, for it was
so clear in the first place that no man
could misunderstood it, or pretend to
do so, save for malicious purposes; he
simply restated it with such additional
emphasis as would impress it more iu-
dsllbly upon the popular mind, He
sad in MS first message to congress ::
"The mechanism of modern bushes is
so delicate that extreme care must be
taken not to interfere with it in spirit
of r; shness or ignorance. Many OF those
who have made it their vocation to de
nounce the great industrial combina-
tions which are popularly, although
with technical inaccuracy, known as
trusts, appeal especially TO hatred and
fear. 1900. In flcing new indus.
trial conditions, the whole History of
the world shows that legislation will
generally be both unwise and ineffec-
tive unless undertaken after calm in
quiry and ith sober selt-restraint. +"
He said in his speech at Providence:
The mechanism Of modern business
is as delicate and complicated as it is
vast, and nothing would be more pro-
ductive of evil to all of us, and especial
ly to those least well off in tais worlds
goods, than igeoFant needing with
this mechanism, and above all, if the
NEEDING VAS done in pirit OF class or
sectional rancor >.
Going from Providence to Boston, he
said III his speech at tn, latter place,
in comp,e.e harmony with his previous
utteranceS:
II an far from being against pro. .3er-
ty when ask that the questioa OF
truss BE- taken up. l am &c ifg in the
most Conservative s.nse In pro 5oertys in
terests. Wnen a great corporation is
sued ior violating the antitrust law il is
not move against property it is a
move IN favor of proparly, because
when you can make it evident that all
men, Big and snlall alike, have to obey
the law you are putting the safeg lard
OF law around all men.
When you maks it evident ihat no
man shall be excused for violating the
law you make it evident that every man
will be protested from violation Of the
law"
So you can see, gentlemen / am
not advocating anything very revolutions
ary / am advocating acsion 10 pre-.
vent anything revolutionary.
All these deliverances were in per-
feet accord Nov let us look for a mo-
ment at the so-called revolutionary "
mention of a possible constitutional
amendment. Did that first see the light
in the Presidents Province speecb2 Not /
by any means. Ia closing that part Of
his first message which related to the
question of trusts he said, after recon-
mending publicity and adequate federal
regulation by legislation
!" i, however, the Judgment Of cor.
gress is that it lacks the constitutional !
power to pass such an at, then a con
stitulJnaI amendment should be sub-
mitted to confer the power
What could be more asaous than Ia
try TO misrepresent Kan who IS 50
consistent, so conservative, So open aRdl
frank as the President has baen on +
this question The only effect is to-
enable him 10 make himself stronger
with the people by stating his case it'll
additional force. as he did sseIday, in
such passages as the followiifs
If BY trust we mean merely a big
then ask you TO ponder
IN the utter folly of the man who either
IA a spirit Of raaeol or in a spirit of i
FOLLY says Destroy the trusts withoatl
giving yoa an idea Of what he mems
really 70 do
will 20 with bin If b sa S tles-
roy the evil IA tie tilis i lad y VII
ny to find cut that evil. I viii seek to
apply remedies winch have already F
outlined IN other szeecIes. But If bis