The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-26
A LINE ON TRUSTS.
The President Speaks in Boston at
Some Length on the Control
Of the Octopus.
The National Government Must Be
Given More Power by Adequate
Legislation.

Boston, Aug. e6.--In his speech in SYM
phony hall last night the president said:
l want to take up this evening the general
question OF our economic and social relations,
with specific reference that that problem with
which l think our people are greatly concerning
themselves-the problem of our complex social
condition intensified by the existence OF
the great corporatio which rather loosely
designate as trusts. But l wish to say one
% or two thing things as preliminary In 1,,a the fir, first
discovered patent cure-all for the trusts
Mankind goes ahead but slowly, and 1t goes
ahead mostly through each of us trying to DO.
or, at least, through each of the majority or us
trying to do the best that Is in him, and doing
1t In the most intelligent and sanest way. We
founded our republic on the theory that the
average man will. rule, do the right thing;
that In the long run the majority are going
to decide for what is sane and wholesome
If our fathers were mistaken in that theory
If the mass of the people do what is un-
wholesome, what is wrong, then the republic
cannot stand. If there is any one quality
which is not admirable, whether in nation or
In an individual, it is Mysteries. The man or
woman who makes up for ten days lndiffer-
ence to duty by an eleven-day morbid repent
about that Indifference is of very scant use
in the world.
There very many and very difficult prob
lens with which we are faced as one of the
results of the forces which. taken all together,
speak Of progress. 1t is worse than use
less for any of us to rail Mt or regret the great
growth in industrial civilization Of the last half
century. Boston and the thriving cities of Mas
sachusetts have been built up as a result or
those forces: There is but little use IN regret
ting that things have not shaped themselves
differently. The practical thing to do Is to face
the conditions they and see If we can
not get the best there Is In them out OF them
We not going to get any complete or per-
feet solution for all Of the evils which come to
minds when we think Of the trusts by any
single action on our part a good many actions
In n good many different ways Will be required
before get many of those evils.
1t is a little difficult to set clearly before us
all of the evils, but l think that those gentle
of large means. who deny that the evils
exist. acting with great folly. l am far
from being against property when ask that
the question OF trusts be taken up. am acting
in the most conservative sense In property
interest. When great corporation Is sued for
violating the antitrust law, 1t Is not move
against property; it Is move In favor of prop
erty because, when you can make 1t evident
that ell men, big and small alike, have to obey
the law. you are putting the safeguard of law
around all men. Remember. I am not saying
that If had all the power we could
completely solve the trust question. Gentle
men, If what we read In the papers is true
they speaking of number Of interna ttonal
trusts
1t would be very difficult for any set of laws
part. to deal completely with a problem
which becomes international in Its bearings, but
great deal be done. and great deal
more can be done if we can see that the power
Is put somewhere to do 1t.
Now, when this government founded,
there great individual corporate for
tunes, and commerce and industry were being
days when Ninevah and Babylon stood In, the
Mesopotamian valley. The wagon there and
the pack train and the sailing craft-those were
the me ethods Of commerce. Everything has been
revolutionized In the business world since the
progress of civilization from being trickle has
become torrent. There was no particular
thing at that time to bother to whether the
nation or the state had control of the corpora
tions They were easy to control. Now, how
ber. I say Corporations do not say merely
trusts; merely combinations of corporations or
corporations under certain peculiar conditions.
For instance. some time ago the attorney gem
eral took action against certain trust. There
hhs been considerable discussion to whether
lie trust aimed at would not seek to get out
from under the law by becoming single cor
poration.
I want laws to enable US to deal with it, no
matter what shape it takes. At present we
have really no efficient control over big cor
poration which does business in more than one
state. Frequently the corporation has nothing
whatever to do with the state in which it is
Incorporated except to get incorporated, and Its
actions may be taken In entirely different COM
munlties-communties which may object very
much to the methods of incorpora tion in the
state named. I do not think you get ac-
tion by any state action by all the states, that
will give us satisfactory control of the trusts
or big corporations and the result is at present
that we have great, powerful, artificial crea-
tion, which has no creator to which it is respon-
sibe.
OF course 1t is mere truism that the corpora
tlon Is the creature of the state; that the state
Is sovereign. Now, l want to make real and
some
ereign to which the corporation shall be really
and not nominally responsible.
At present If we pass laws nobody tell
whether they will amount to anything. Now,
that has two bad effects. In the first place the
corporation becomes indifferent to the law ma X
Ing body, and in the next place, gentlemen, the
law making body gets into that most pernictous
custom OF passing law, not with reference to
what will be done under it, but with reference
to Its effects on tho opinion of the voters
That is bad thing. What 1 hope to see is
power given to the national legislature which
shall make the control real. 1t would be e1
celent thing If could have all the states act
on somewhat similar lines, that it would
be unnecessary for the national government to
act, but all of you know perfectly well the state:
will not act on somewhat similar lines.
Nothing has been done in the drec tion of In
telligent dealing by the states a collective
body with these great corporations Here In
Massachusetts, you huve what regard the
whole excellent corporation laws. I think that
most of our diffculties-here, again, remember
I am not promising the millennium; it is not ir
my power to promise it-would be in fair way
Of solution If had the power to put on the
national statute books and did put on them laws
for the nation like those you have here the
subject of corporations in Massachusetts
So you see gentlemen, I am not advocating
anything very revolutionary. I am advoca tine
action to prevent anything revolutionary. Now
If we can get adequate control by the nation o
these corpora tions, then we can pass Legislation
which will give us the power Of regulation ant
supervision over them If the nation had that
power, mind you, I should advocate strenu
ously as I knew how that power should be ex
ercised with extreme caution and seltrestrant
No good will from plunging in without
having looked carefully ahead
The first thing want Is publicity and
do not publicity q favor by some cor
porations I mean it right from all corpo
ratons affected by the law. I want publ1cit,
as to the essential facts in which the public has
an interest I want the knowledge given t.
the accredited representatives Of the people o.
facts on which those representatives can, If the.
see fit, base their actions later. The publicity
itself would cure many evils Some of these
things have said be done now.
I believe that additional legislation can b
had l think we have got to make up our minds
to the fact that no matter what our reverence
to the past may be, our duty to the present ant
to the future will force to see that NOR,
power is conferred upon the national administra
tion. When the power has been conferred it viii
rest with the national government to exercise
1t. At present are going to do the bes
with strawless bricks, but remembe
they bound to be strawless.
After those laws have been enacted, afte
they had been enforced, 1t will remain true
here In this century as it has been true fl
every century throughout history, that the fun
damental factor in each mans success In 1if
must be that mans own character; the total sun
of the qualities of truthfulness, earnestness, en-
ergy, thrift and business ability his part
The state cannot carry any one.
Dr. Dick says, Red Raven Splits TO
splitting headache.
1Re>.