The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-25
Who Has Idly Suggested That the
Power J. Iackingc

The speech of President ROOSEVELT at
the Union League Club's banquet in
Philadelphia on Saturday night WAS
doubtless as we'll considered and as care
fully conncd as the Importance of the
occasion demanded. 1t would bc insult
ing TO the President to suppose for an
instant that he went To Philadelphia un-
prepared and talked there at random or
insincerely.
And yet in that speech Mr. ROOSEVELT
said:
II Is Idle 10 tell 'hc people that We have not the
power to Sov such problem rs that Of cSerclS-
Ing adequate supervision over the great Industrial
combinations Of to day. We have the power and
VIC shalt md out the way"
Now, who has been So idle and Him
formed as to suggest To the minds of the
people that the Government has not al
ready the power to log-latc for the ex-
ercise of adequate Federal supervision
over the great industrial combinations
of to-day?
In the first annual message If Presi-
dent ROOSEVELT he said to Congress:
H. noNtN'f, INC JluSN!'il OF 'oAgI'NS J. mat
1t lacks the Constitutional power to pass such an
act. then a Constitutional amendment should be
submitted 10 c2lttr the p,rsr."
In the first of his recent series of trust
repression speeches, delivered at Provi-
dence on August %, the President said:
Some gnvcmmental sovereign must be given
fun power over these ARTIFICIAL and very powerful
must be the national Government. when has
been 0irc1 fW pou,'. this run power be used to
control any evil Influence. exactly rs the Govern
ment i now using the power conferred upon IT
under the sherman Anti trust law"
Following up this idea at Boston two
days later. Mr. ROOSEVELT said:
" / think VIC have got 10 make up our minds to
the fact that II It proves cvdcn, that We cannot
under the Constitution A. II Is give the natIoaal
Administration Sufficient power In dealing with
these great corporations then no matter what
our reverence Tor the past; duty to the present
and the future viii force vs. 10 that soris poper
Is conferred upon the national Government and
rac1 that porer hes bccp cyr cr-ed then It will res,
with the national Government to exercise H. At
present we are going to do the best We can with
si-awlcsS bricks bur remainder they are bound 10 BE-
s',dnrss"
Not to multiply similar extracts from
the recent speeches Of the President on
the need of further power if what he calls
the trust problem is to be solved. when
he reached Wheeling West Virginia, on
September t. he had convinced himself
so thoroughly of this lack and need that
he said
But gentlemen. nrul> believe that in the end
porcr must b. g'r-n. pro5ab'g through u C9naGu
r)7fi amendment Ia the national Government TO
exercise in mi super, I,on and regulation OF these
great cntcrpriScs"
And at Cincinnati on September 20:
nm w,ii aware mat she process, OF Consttu-
tnual amendment is necessarily slow one, and
one into which our people al reluctant to cutter
save for tive hest OF reasons, Iu an confident mat
IN this msiapc- N, reasons ..is'."
And vet. on November -, Mr.. RoosE-
WELT scouts and sCornS the idea that the
Federal Government does not possess
the power to solv" the problem, and de-
clares that II il, idle Ia tell he People so.
We have the power, he says at Phila-
dclph,a. and We shall find the way"
Has there been confusion in the Presi-
dent = mind; Is confusion there now?