The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-09-23


Day" at the Cincinnati fall festival
broke all records of attendance at the
annual carnivals.
President Roosevelt was the attrac-
tion well as the guest of honor, and
he served his hosts with untiring will
ingness, continuously from 10 a. m.,
until 10 p. M, without consulting his
own convenience or comfort.
Among his indulgences of the day
was an hour or more in the afternoon
spent in sightseeing at the fall festival.
After this experience he was escorted
into the auditorium of the music hall,
and delivered an address TO an i'm
| mense audience, with more than 1000
| business men and manufacturers seat
| ed on the stage with him. The presi-
dents address was largely of local ap-
plication. He was interrupted by en-
thusiastic demonstrations when he re-
| ferred to the late President Mckinney.
The crowd in the buildings and
grounds of the festival tonight were
| like those of the afternoon. The presi-
| dent was greeted with loud cheering
as his carriage approached tie en-
| trance, and when he was escorted into
| the AUDITORIUM, the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
continued for some time. After bei1
| welcomed officially by Mayor julius
| Fleishmann and introduced he was
| greeted with such demonstration that
| the bands broke in to secura order
! After thanking Mayor Fleishmann and
| the officers of the festival for their
| courtesies and the audience for its
hearty greeting, the president espec-
| tally requested attention, as he pro-
| posed, as the chief executive of ali the
| people, without regard to party, TO
| make an argument on a serious ques-
| ton. Silence then prevailed until the
| first mention of the trusts, When the
| applause broke out and continued at
| frequent intervals. The president said
! in part:
In dealing with the big corporations
| we intend to proceed not by revolution.
| We wish to face the facts, declining to
have our vision blinded, either by the
folly of those who say there are no
! evils, or by the more dangerous folly Of
| those who either see or make believe
| that they see nothing but evil in all the
e-isting system and who, if given their
way, would destroy the evil by the sim
pie process of bringing ruin and disas-
ter to the entire country. Wherever
| substantial monopoly can be shown to
exist, we should certainly try our ut
most to devise an expedient by which 1t
can be controlled. Doubtless some OF
great corporations, cannot be cured by
any legislation which has yet been
proposed and doubtless others which
have really ben incident to the sudden
development in the wormation Of cor
porations of all kinds. will in the end
cure themselves, but others will remain
| that can be cured if we only set about
curing them with sanity.
Corporations that are handled hon
| estly and fairly, so far from being an
| evil, are a natural business evolution
and make for the general prosperity of
our land. We do not wish to destroy
| corporations. We wish to make them
subserve the public good.
The savings banks show what can be
! done in the way of genuinely beneh-
cent work by large corporations when
intelligently administered and super
| vised.
Now, of course, savings banks are
not highly specialized as a class of cor
porations as railroads, and we cannot
force too far the analogy with the
other corporations but there are certain
conditions, which I think we can lay
down as indispensable to the proper
treatment of all corporations, which
from their size, have become important
factors in the social development Of the
| community.
The trusts can be damaged by de-
, priving them of the benefits Of a pro.
, tective tariff. only on condition Of dam.
aging all their smaller competitors and
al the wage workers employed in the
industry. This point is very important
; and it is desirable to avoid any, save
, wilful misunderstanding. am not now
, considering whether or not on grounds
totally unconnected with the trusts, il
, | would be we'll to lower the duties or
various schedules, either by direct leg
islation or treaties designed to secure as
an effect reciprocal relations from the
, nations with which we trade
Ny point is that changes in the tariff
; would have little appreciable effect or
the trusts. save as they shared in the
general harm or good proceeded fro--
some changes. No tariff change would
help one OF our smaller corporations, OF
one Of our private individuals in bust
. ness, still less one OF our wage work
men. as against large corporation In
the same business; on the contrary, il
it bore heavily on the large corpora
tions, it would inevitably be felt still
. more by weaker rivals while any inju-
rious result would of necessity be