The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-26
WHIPS THE DEVIL
AROUND THE STUMP
! Want Laws that Will Control
the Trusts.
THIS CANNOT BE DONE
A Little May be Accomplished by
Nation and State.
AND NOW BE SURE THAT IT is A LITTLE
RooseyeIt's Boston Speech Seems Chiefly Re-
markabIe for Hedging. u am Not Ad-
vccating Anything Very Revolution
ary," He Saws.
ary," He Says.
(By the Associated Press.)

(By the Associated Press)
Boston. Mass, Aug. 25.-The weeks
work for President Roosevelt in his trip
through New England began in earnest
this afternoon when he departed from
the summer home of the junior Senator
of Massachusetts,, Hon. Henry Cabot
Lodge, at Nahant, and, amid the en-
thusiasm of the greatest number of peo-
pie he has faced since the Pittsburg visit
on July 4th, rode into Lynn under
cavalry escart and spoke from a plat
form at city hall. Then he was taken to
Boston by special train and on arrival
went to Symphony Hall, there addressing
a great gathering of Boston business
men. His speech here was devoted al
most entirely to consideration Of the
trust question. He said:
1T is worse than useless for any of US
to rail at or regret the great growth in
Industrial civilization of the last half
century. The most practical thing to do
is to face the conditions as they are
and see if we cannot get the best there
is in them out of them. We are not
going to get any complete or perfect
solution for all of the evils which come
to our minds when we think of the trusts
by any single action on our part. A good
many actions in a good many different
ways will be required before we get many
of those evils even partially remedied
We have got to, first of ALL think clearly
we have got to, probably, experiment
somewhat. We must, above all, show by
out actions that our interest is perma-
nent and not spasmodic and we have got
to see that all the steps are taken to-
ward to the solution. Everyone who
thinks knows that the only way in which
any problem of great Importance was ever
successfully solved was by consistent and
persistent effort toward a given end, ef-
fort that did not erd with any one cleo
tion or with apy one year, but was con-
tinued steadily, temporarily and reso-
luteIy.
1T is little difficult to set clearly
before us all of the evils, but I 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 / ask that the question
of trusts be taken Up. l am acting in the
most conservative sense in property's
interest. When a great corporation is
sued for violating the antitrust law, it
is not a move against property; it is a
move in favor of property, because when
you can make it evident that all men,
big and small alike, have to obey the
law, you are putting the safeguard OF
law around all men. When you make it
evident that no man shall be excused
for violating the law you make it evident
that every man will he protected from
violation of the law. l am inclined to
think that much the greatest trouble in
any immediate handling of the question
of trust comes from our system of gov
ernment. Let me go back one moment.
want to guard what 1 am saying. 1
yant you to understand that my words
are being taken at their exact face value
remember | am not saying that even if
we had all the power we could COM
pletely solve the trust question. Gentle
men If what we read in the papers is
true they are speaking of a member of
international trusts now
1T would be very difficult for any set
of laws, on our part, to deal completely
with a problem which it becomes inter
national in its bearings, but great deal
can be done in various ways now.
great deal is being done anw a great
deal more can be done if we can see that
the power is put somewhere to do it, On
the whole our system of government has
worked marvellously we'll, the system of
dividing the functions of government. of
arranging a scheme under which Maine.
Louisiana, Oregon, Idaho, New York and
South Carolina can all come in together
for certain purposes, and yet each be
allowed TO work its salvation as it de-
sres, along certain lines. But while
most believe in ixity of policy, do not
believe that that policy should be fos-
silized, and if it is to be changed we
must change our governmental method
to meet it.
Il believe with all my heart in the New
England town meeting, but you cannot
work the New England town meeting in
Boston. You have got to try something
else. Now, when this government was
founded, there were no great individual
or corporate fortunes. There was no
particular thing at that time TO bother
as to whether the nation or the State
had control of the corporations. They were
easy TO control. Now, however, the exact
reverse is the case, and remember l say
corporations do not say merely trusts,
merely combinations of corporations or
corporations under certain peculiar con-
dltlons. For instance, some time ago the