The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-07
NOTABLE SPEECH ON TRUSTS.
The President Again Makes Clear His
Attitude Towards Corporations.

Attituue IOWarus Corporations.
WHEELING, w. Va. Sept. 6.-President
Roosevelt and party arrived over the Balti-
more & Ohio at $50 o'clock this morning
from Washington. He was greeted by a vast
crowd at the depot and smiled his appre-
citation. despite his badly discolored face.
His right cheek was rather badly swollen
and confused and his left eye showed signs
of discoloratIon. Mayor Sweeney, President
Laughlin and Secretary Birch, of the Board
of Trade. Postmaster Hall and Councilman
Waterhouse formed a committee which re-
ceived the President. The entire party,
which embodied Secretary Cortelyou, secret
service men and a staff of correspondents,
entered vehicles and were driven to the
Mcclure House, headed by a military band.
throughout the entire route enthusiasm
was rife. the streets being lined with the
people from western Pennsylvania, eastern
Ohio and West Virginia. At the hotel the
chief executive met a delegation of the
prominent citizens of Wheeling introduced
by Senator n. b. Scott. President Roosevelt
seemed in very jovial humor and joked
with his newly-made acquaintances. He ad-
cony of the hotel standing at the northwest
He spoke long beyond his scheduled time
which necessitated the curtailment of the
regular programme. The President said in
part:
MY Friends and Fellow-citizens-It Is a
thank the mayor and, through the mayor
all OF your citizens for the way in which,
upon your behalf, he has greeted me. and L
wish TO staSe that it is a special pleasure to
be introduced by my friend, Senator Scott
because when he gives you his word you
don't have to think about 1t again Jap
plause.1
81 am glad TO have the chance of saving
a few words here in this great industrial
center. In one OF those cities which has felt
TO a notable degree the effect of the great
now passing. Probably never before in our
history has the country been more pros
porous than IL is at this moment and Ii is
q prosperity which has come alike to the
tiilers OF the soil and to those connected
with our great Industrial enterprises. Now
gentlemen. every period has its own trouble
and difficulties. A period of adversity, of
course. troubles US all. but there are
troubles IN connection with the period of
prosperity also.
WEEDS GROW WITH THE CORN.
when all things flourish it means that
there is a good chance for things that we
don't like to have flourish. just exactly as
there Is for things that we do like to have
flourish and a period OF great national ma
terial well-being is unavoidably one in
which human minds are turned to the way
in which those interested in the manage
ment Of the gigantic corporations, whose
growth has been so noted period of past
half century, flourish. We have grown to
speak of certain corporations rather
loosely as trusts using the word in its usual
and common significance of a big corpora
ton. usually doing business in several
States at least. beside the State in which
IL Is Incorporated.
1T seems TO me that In dealing with this
problem OF the trusts (perhaps il would be
more correct To call IL a group OF prob
lems) We have TO class all OF our fellow
citizens: one Is composed or those men
who refuse 10 admit that there is any ac-
tion necessary at all. The other is conn
posed or those men who advocate some
nonenective action. or. IL effective would
be effective only by destroying everything
good and bad. connected with our indus
trial development. In every governmental
process the aim that a people capable of
self-government should steadfastly keep in
mind Is 70 proceed by evolution rather than
by revolution IApplause.l On the other
hand, every people that has self-govern-
rnent must beware OF this fossilization of
mind which refuses TO allow OF any change.
the problem OF a change In our great in
dustrial civilization, in dealing with the
tendency which has been accentuated to an
extraordinary degree by steam and cleo
tricity. and by the tremendous upbuilding
OF Industrial enterprises-in dealing with
these problems / think We must set before
ourselves a desire not TO accept less than
the possible and at the same time not TO
bring ourselves TO a complete standstfll bv
demanding the impossible.
1T Is a good deal like taking care by the
engineers OF the lower Mississippi river
4e one can dam the Mississippi. II the