The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-09-10
EIll DEFIES THEM.
Roosevelt Throws Down the Gaunt.
let tc the Trusts,

-
let tc the Trusts,
AND TgIY #AK2 WAR On TaGI
The President Pledges Himself tc
E'igh: wicked Combinations,
hss the Good VIII be Eos
! tered.
President Roosevelt. at Dalton,
Mass. Tuesday took notice OF his re-
turn visit to Massachusetts by deliver
ing at i'ituiburg another speech ol
the trust question in order that he
might fully answer his critics and to
more clearly define his attitude on
that subject. lie also launched into
q defense nt the army in the Philip
pines dnrins his speech at Spring
tialA. The Impression had gone forth
that any vaiv he might express ro-
garting the acquisition OF territory by
! the United States would be sure TO be
c:ll!y received, but the deDonstra-
liens Of approval which greeted his
utt.ranceS dispeiiea this idea.
in lis address the president devoted
himself almost exclusively 20 the
trusts. in answer 70 lis criticism. He
sail IN part.
If some OF those who have seen
cause for wonder in what I have said
this fall on the subject VI the great
corporations, which are popularly,
although with technical inaccuracy,
known as trusts, would take the
trouble to read my message when |
vas governor, what I said on the
stump two years ago, and what | put
into nv first message to congress, l
think they would have been less as
| tCniShed.
No HYPOCRISY.
y said nothing on the stump that
cid not think l could make good,
ami | shall not hesitate now to take
the position which l then advocated.
I an. even more anxious that you who
hasr what l say should think Of it
than you should applaud it. l am
nuC going to try to define with
technical accuracy what ought to be
meant when we speak of a trust. But
if by trust we mean merely big cor
poratinn. then ask you to ponder the
utter folly of the man who either In a
spirit u rancor or in a spirit OF FOLLY
says. Destroy the trusts without
giving you an idea OF what he means
really IT, DO. l will so with him If he
SAYS destroy the evil in the trusts,
gladly. (Applause.) will try to find
out that evil.
PUTS THEM ON NOTICE.
II willseek to apply remedies, which
I have already outlined in other
speeches. But if his policy from
whatever motiye-whether hatred,
fear, panic or just sheer ignorance-is
to DESTROY the trusts in g way that
will destroy all our prosperity, no.
Those men who advocate wild anC
foolish remedies which would be worse
than the diseases, are doing all IN
their power to perpetuate the evils
against which they nominally war,
because if we are brought face to face
with the naked issue Of either keeping
or totally destroying prosperity IN
which the majority share, but in
which some share Improperly, why as
sensible men We must decide that it is
a great deal better that some people
should prosper too much than that
no one should prosper enough. So that
the men who advocates destroying
the trusts by measures which would
paralyze the industries of the country,
is at best quack and at worst an
enemy to the republic"
PROPER GROWTH.
Now it does not do anybody any
good and it will do most OF US great
deal of harm to take steps which will
check any proper growth in a corpora
ton. We wish not to penalize but to
reward great captain of industry or
the men banded together in corpora
tion who have the business fore
thought and energy necessary to
build up great industrial enterprise.
Keep that in mind.
"a big corporation may be doing
excellent work for the whole country
and you want, above all things, when
striving to get plan which will pre-
vent wrong doing by corporation
which desires to do wrong, not, at the
same time, to have a scheme which
will interfere with corporation do
ing we'll II that corporation IS standing
itself squarely and honestly.
Now, what I am saying ought to
be treated as simple, elementary
truths. The only reason it is necessary
to say them at all is that apparently
some people forget them.
Il believe something can be done by
national legislation. When I state
that. ask you to note my words. l
say believe. 1t is not in my power to
say know. When l talk to you OF
my own executive duties l can tell
YOU definitely what will and what will
not be done. When I speak Of the
actions Of any one else, can only say
that believe something more can be
done By national legislation. l believe
it will be done. l think we can get
laws which will measurably increase
the power OF the federal government
over corporations; but, gentlemen, |
believe firmly that in the end there
will have to be an amendment to the
constitution Of the nation confe1rlng
additional power upon the 1cderal
government to deal with corporations.
To yet that will be matter OF dill
Guilty and a matter OF time.