The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-08-26
ROOSEVELT SPEAKS
ON TRUST Problem
Continued from First Page)

Incorporated. and its actions may be TAX
en- in entirely different communities
communities which may object very
much to the methods of Incorporation
of the State named. I do not think you
can get action by any State or action
by all the States that will give us sat
isfactorv control OF the trusts or big
CORPORATIONS and the result is at present
that we have a great powerful. artificial
creation, which has no creator to which
it is responsible.
THE STATE SOVEREIGN
"Of course it is a mere trulsm that the
corporation is the creature of the State:
that the State is sovereign. Now L want
70 make a real and not nominal sover-
eign; to have some one sovereign 10
which the corporation shall be really
and not nominally responsible what !
hope to see is power given to the nation
al legislature which shall make the CON
troll real 1t would be an excellent thing
If we could have all the States act on
somewhat similar lines. so that it would
he unnecessary for the national govern
mert to act, but all Of you known per-
fectly we'll that the States will not act
on somewhat similar lines.
"Nothine has been done in the direc-
t;on of intelligent dealing by the states
as a. collective body with these great
cornorations. Here in Massachusetts you
have what I regard as excellent corpol<.
ton laws thing that most or our oiiiicuA-
.;a,b.ra again remember l am not
promising the millenium-it Is not IN his
nowe1- to promise it-would be IN TAX
way OF solution if we had the pow,
70 mt on the national statute DOCKS anu
did nut on lnem laws for the nation
much like those you have here on Tue
subject of corporations In Massach"r
sets.
NOT REVOLUTIONARY.
so you can see, gentlemen l ail nol
advocating anything very re'olu'i u''. .
r am advocating action to prevent any
thing REVOLUTIONARY Now il we can get
adequate control by the nation of these
COMBINATIONS, then we can pass leslsia-
rion which will give us the power OF
regulation and supervision over tnem.
If the nation had that power, mind you,
should advocate as strenuously as
knew how that that power snoulo De es
ercised with extreme caution ana seh
restraint. No good Will conie iioii'
,Iuneine In without having looked care
fully ahead.
1.-The first thing we want is puolicity.
md do not mean publicity as favor
bv some corporations: | mean 1t as
right from all corporations affected by
law. I want publicity as to the essen
tial facts in which the public has an
interest I want knowledge given to the
accredited representatives of the people
of facts on which those Representatives
can, if they see fit, base their actions
ater. The publicity itself would cure
many evils. Some of these things I have
said can be done now. a good deal is
being done now
LAWS WILL BE ENFORCED.
AS far as the antitrust laws go they
will be enforced. No suit will be under
taken for the sake of seeming to under
take it. Every suit that is undertaken
will be begun because the great lawyer
and upright man whom we are 50 for
tunate as to have as Acknowledgement,
Mr. Knox believes that there is vol
lation OF the law. which we can get at.
and when the suit is undertaken it won't
be compromised excepting on the basis
that the Government wins.
sThen believe. I am not going to say
+ am sure. but believe 1t is possible to
frame national legislation which shall
give us more power than we have now.
at any rate over corporations doing an
interstate business. I cannot guarantee
that because in the past it. has more than
once happened that we have got laws
on the statute books which those who
made them intended to mean one thing.
and when they came up for decision it
was found that the intention had not
heen successfully put into effect. But
believe that additional legislation can be
had I 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 and to the future
will force us to see that more power Is
conferred upon the national administra-
ton
The President and those with him then
1Af+ the hall while the organ played The
Star Snangled Bannr."
Although rain was falling large crowds
chee-ed the President on the way to the
Hotel Touraine- where he spends the
night.
At the hotel the President was the
guest OF Cover Crane at dinner.