The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-08-26

at dinner.
Tomorrow morning bright and early the
presidential party will start for Maine.
In his speech here tonight the President
said:
Considers Subject of Trusts.
Governor Crane Mayor Collins. Men and Women
Of Boston: am glad to have the chance Of say
ing few words TO you this evening There are
several matters that should like To discuss and
can say in all sincerity that when / come here 70
New England when come to Boston. l like
TO go over as many subjects as possible. so
that l can get light them. 1 have great
faith in your judgment
want to take up this evening the general
questions Of our economic and social relations.
with specific reference TO that problem with
which l think people greatly concerning
themselves-the problem Of our complex social
condition intensified by the existence OF the
corporations which rather loosely designate
trusts.
But I wish to say one or two things as pre-
liminary.
In the first place. l have not come here TO say
that have discovered a patent cure-al for the
trusts
When peoples minds greatly agitated on
any subject and especially when they feel deeply
but rather vaguely that conditions are not right
it is far pleasanter in addressing them to be
Indifferent as to what you promise. but 1t Is
much less pleasant afterwards
OF course. the worth Of a promise consists
purely in the way in which the performance
squares with it. That has got two sides to it.
In the firSt place, II man Is honest he VIII Try
just as hard to keep promise made on the
stump as one made OF the stump N the second
place, if the people keep their heads they
won't wish promises to be made which are i'm
possible OF performance.
Duty for President and People.
Now you see that one side of that question
is my duty and the other side IS yours. Mankind
goes ahead but slowly. and il goes ahead mostly
through each Of trying to do at least
through each of the majority of US trying to do.
fba hpSf hat ie in i'm and IN he rnTS
intelligent and sanest way.
We founded our Republic on the theory that
the average man will a rule Go the right
thing; that in the long the majority are
going to decide for what IS sane and wholesome.
II our fathers were mistaken in that theory.
IL ever the mass of the people do what is un-
Wholesome. what is wrong. then the Republic
cannot stand care not how good its laws;
1 not in what marvellous mechanism its
Constitution may be embodied.
Back of the law. back OF the administration,
back OF our system of government lies the av-
erage manhood OF people In the long
We are going to up or go down, according
as the average standard Of our citizenship does
Goes not wax in growth and grace.
Now when to the question Of good
citizenship. the first request Is that the man
shall do the homely. everyday humdrum duties
we'll. man is not good citizen. 1 do not
care how lofty his thoughts are about citizen
ship In the abstract II in the concrete his ac-
tions do not bear them out. and 1t does not
make much difference how high his aspirations
Tor MANKIND at large are, II ne OCeS not Nt-
have well in his own family those aspirations
are not going to bear very visible fruit
He has got to be bread-winner; he has
got to take care Of his wife and children: he has
got to be a neighbor whom his neghbors can
trust: he has got to act squarely in his business
relations. In fact. he has got to do all those
everyday, ordinary things or he Is not good
citizen.
To Devote Time to Public Matters.
But he must do more than that In this coun-
try Of pr1re tha devote
a good deal of thought and time to the affairs OF
the state as whole or those affairs are going
TO 60 backward. That time must be devoted
steadily and intelligently- II there is any one
quality which is not admirable. whether in
nation or in an individual. it is hysteria. The
man or woman who makes up for ten days IN
difference to duty by eleven days morbid re-
pentance about that Indifference is OF very scant
in the world.
to decline to go through all the ordinary duties
OF citizenship for long space Of time and
then suddenly get up and feel angry about
something somebody clearly defined in
ones mind and demand reform as If 1t were a
concrete substance and could be handed out forth
with.
Now this is preliminary to what l want to
say to you about this whole question OF corpora
tions affecting the public. There very
many and very difncuIt problems with which
We are faced as one OF the results OF the forces
which, taken all together. speak Of prog
Useless to Rail at Development.
1t is worse than useless for any of us to rail
at or regret the great growth In industrial c.yi-
lization OF the last haI century. SpeaHing aca-
demically we can. according to our several tenn
peraments. regard that the old fights have van
ished or not. as we choose. Boston and the
thriving cities OF Massachusetts have been built
a result OF ;hose forces.
There is but ..-sle use in regretting that things
have not shaped themselves differently. The prac-
tical thing to do is to face tU= :Unditicns as
they and see If We cannot get the best there
is in them out Of them.
We not going 10 get any complete per-
feet solution for ali OF the evils which come to
minds when think of the trusts by any
single action on oaf part good many differ
ent ways will required before We get many
OF those evils partly remedied.
We have got 10. first Of ali. think clearly-we
have got to, probably, experiment somewhat We
must, above all, show by our actions that our
interest is permanent and not spasmodic, and we
have got to see that all the steps are taken to-
ward the solution. Every one who thinks knows
that the only way in which any problem of great
Importance ever successfully solved was by
consistent and persistent effort toward given
end-enorJ that did not end with any one election
or with any year but was continued steadily
temperately and resolutely.
Trust Evils Are Actual Conditions.
1t is little difficult to set clearly before
all Of the evils. but think that those gentlemen
and especially those gentlemen OF large means
who deny that the evils exist are acting with
great folly
1 am far from being against property when 1
ask that the question OF trusts be taken up. 1
am acting IL the most conservative sense in prop
erty's interests
When a great corporation is sued for violating
the antitrust law it is not move against prop
erty. 1t Is q move IN favor OF property, be-
cause when you make ii evident that all
men, big and small alike. have to obey the law.
you putting the safeguard Of law around all
men. When you make 1t evident that man
shall be excused for violating the law you make
it evident that every man will be protected from
violation OF the law.
I am inclined to think that much the greatest
trouble in any immediate handling OF the ques-
tion OF the trust from our system Of gov
ernment. Let me go back moment I want
to guard what 1 saying. 1 want you to
understand that my words are being taken at
their exact face value Remember, am not
saying that II had all the power
could completely solve the trust question
Gentlemen. 4 what read in the papers is
true they are speaking Of q number Of inter
national trusts now
International Problems Arise.
It would be very difficult for any set Of laws,
on our part to deal completely with a problem
which becomes international in its bearing but
great deal be done in various ways
a great deal is being done and great 6eal
more can be done Il see that the power
is put somewhere to do it
On the whole, our system OF government has
worked aaryelousix well-the system aS divte-