Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-12-05

Washington, Dec. 8. - President
Roosevelt's annual address to congress
was read in both houses yesterday.
Following is synopsis of the docu
ment:
70 the senate and house of representa-
tives:
We still continue in a period of un-
bounded prosperity. This prosperity
is not the creature of law, but un-
doubtedly the laws under which we work
have been instrumental in creating the
conditions which made it possible, and
by unwise legislation it would be easy
enough to destroy it. There will un-
doubtedly be periods of depression.
The wave will recede, but the tide will
advance. This nation is seated on a
continent fanked by two great oceans
1t is composed of men the descendants
of pioneers, or, in sense, pioneers
themselves; of men winnowed out
from among the nations of the old
world by the energy, boldness and love
of adventure found in their own eager
hearts. Such a nation, so placed, will
surely wrest success from fortune.
In my message to the present con-
gress at its first session l discussed at
length the question of the regulation OF
those big corporations which are popu-
larly known as trusts.
Our aim is not to do away with cor
porations; on the contrary, these big
aggregations are an inevitable devel-
opment of modern industrialism, and
the effort to destroy them would be
futile unless accomplished in ways that
would work the utmost mischief to the
entire body polite.
l believe that monopolies, UNI Just
Determinations, which prevent or Grip
pie competition, fraudulent overcapi-
talization, and other evils in trust Or
CARNATIONS and practices which iniur-
iously affect interstate trade, can be
prevented under the power of congress
to regulate commerce with foreign ma
tions and among the several states. -
If it prove impossible to enact a law
that will regulate these corporations,
then, assuredlY, we should not shrink
from amending the constitution so as
to secure beyond peradyentule the pow
er sought.
Stability of economic policy must al
ways be the prime economic need OF
this country. This stability should
not be fossilization. The country has
acquiesced in the wisdom of the pro-
tective tariff principle. 1t is exceed.
ingly undesirable that this system
should be destroyed or that there
should be violent and radical changes
therein. Our past experience shows
that great prosperity in this country
has always come under a protective
tariff; and that the country cannot
prosper under fitful tariff changes al
short intervals. L is most earnestly
to be wished that we could treat the
tariff from the standpoint solely of ou1
business needs. The we'll being of the
wage Garner, like the we'll being OF the
tiller of the soil, should be treated as
an essential in shaping our whole
economic policy. There must never be
any change which will jeopardize the
standard of comfort, the standard O.
wages of the American wageworker.
One way in which the readjustment
sought can be reached is by reciprocity
treaties. They can be used to wider
our markets and to give greater 6elt
for the activities of our producers, OF
the one hand, and on the other hanc
to secure in practical shape the lower
ing of duties when they are no longel
needed for protection among our owl
people or when the minimum of dam
age done may be disregarded for TIT
sake of the maximum of good aecomp
| lished.
1t would be both unwise and un
necessary at this time to attempt t.
reconstruct our financial system, which
has been the growth of century; bu
some additional legislation is, 1 think
| desirable. 1t is suggested that al
future legislation on the subject shoult
be with view of encouraging the us,
of such instrumentalities as will auto
matically supply every legitimate de