The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-21
ROOSEVELT ON
TRUST REMEDY
inclination to Strike at Them
With a Feather.
GOOD TRUSTS. BAD TRUSTS
MATTER OF REGULATION A
DIFFICULT PROBLEM.

IL ing IS President Roosevelt's
speech, delivered in Music hall to-
night:
To-day l wish to speak 10 you on
( the subject, or group OF subjects, which
we mean when we talk OF the trusts.
: The word is used very loosely. and al
/ most always with technical inseeuracy.
But the average man. when he speaks
OF the trusts. means rather vaguely all
OF the very big corporations, the growth
Of which has. been so signal d feature
OF our modern times, and especially
those big corporations which, though
organized tn one state, do business in
several states. and some of which have
tendency 10 monopolize. Us. This
whole subject OF the trusts is OF vital
concern to US. because IL presents one.
and perhaps the most conspicuous, of
the many problems forced upon our at
teDhon by the tremendous industrial
development which has taken place
during the last half century In all
civilized countries, and notably In our
own. Many factors have concurred in
bringing these changes in industrial
conditions. OF these steam and cleo
Il
nary changes in the transportation OF
merchandise and of the transmission
of intelligence have rendered not only
possible, but inevitable, the immense
increase in the rate OF growth of in
dustriai centers-that is, In the great
cities. Hence has resulted the speciaii-
cation OF industries and the unex-
ampled opportunities in the employ
ment of huge amounts OF capital, and,
therefore. for the rise in the business
world of those master minds through
whom alone II Is possible for such vast
sums OF capital 10 be employed with
profit.
Cannot Help Ourselves.
Now II matters very little whether
or net We like these new conditions,
the creation OF these new opportunities.
Many admirable qualities. which were
developed in the older, simpler. less
progressive life, have. to some degree,
atrophied until the conditions OF our
rather feverish. high pressure, COM
pick and specialized life of today have
arisen. But our likes and dislikes have
very little to do with the matter. The
new conditions are here. They have
produced both good and evil We can
not get rid of them-eVen II 1t were
not undesirable 10 get rid OF them: and
our instant duty is to try to accom-
modate our society, economic and ex-
ecpdve life TO them, and to frame
system of law and conduct under
which we shall get cut OF them the
utmost possible benefit and the least
amount OF harm. II is foolish TO pride
ourselves on our marvellous progress
and prosperity. upon our commanding
position in the International world, and
and at the same time have nothing but
denuneiations for the men 10 whose
commanding business ability we In
part owe this very progress and pros
perity, this commanding position.
Evil and Good.
Whenever great social or Industrial
changes take place. no matter how
much good there may be TO them, there
Is sure 10 be some evil. and 1t usually
takes mankind number of years and
a good deal of experimenting before
they find the right ways IN which so
far as possible TO control the new evil,
without at the same time multiplying
the new good. In these circumstances
the effort to bring the new tendencies
to a standstill Is always futile and gen.
orally mischievous; but Il is possible
somewhat to develop them Alright. A
law can, TO a degree, guide, protect
and control industrial development,
but IL can never cause II or play more
than a subordinate part in it's hearty
deVelopment-unfortu II is easy
enough by bad laws 10 bring il TO an
almost complete stop. The homely
smile OF what can be done with a
great river is far from inaccurate. The
lower Mississippi fertiitzes a great
country and also at time ravages il
by Hoods. To attempt to dam Ii in or
der 10 stop these floods would be futile.
and even If not futile, would be harm
full But 10 is entirely feasible to build
q system of levees by which these
floods shall be largely controlled. The
levees take time and trouble TO make
and to keep in order, and they do not
by any means avert all the mischief. /
Yet they do accomplish much good
and they offer the only method of ac-
compIishinS any good The only way
In which 70 build them or to exercise |
control over the current is by thor /
oughIy examining into the facts in the |
first place, and in the second place by
proceeding in spirit of combined san
ity and resolution, avoiding above all |
panic and blind rage, and not expect
ing the impossible either In time or
achievement. Incidentally, Il Is also
necessary 10 beware OF the type OF ex- |
cellent person who insists that floods |
do good and not harm, and that in
any event the effort 10 control them
win doubtless somewhat interfere with |
the water supply and damage the !
MiSSiSSippi river
Process of Evolution.
In dealing with the big corporations
we intend to proceed not by revolution |
but by evolution. We wish 10 face the |
facts, declining 10 have our vision !
blinded by the folly OF those who say
there are no evils. or by the more dan |
gerous folly of those who either see, or
make believe that they see. nothing but |
evil in all the existing system, and |
Who II given their way, would destroy !
the evil by the simple process OF bring |
ing ruin and disaster 90 the entire !
country. The evils attendant upon
over-capitaiization alone are. in my
judgment. sufficient TO warrant a far
closer supervision and control than |
now exists over the great corporations. !
Wherever a substantial monopoly can |
De shown 10 exist we should certainly |
try our utmost 10 devise an expedient /
by which Il can be controlled. Doubt /
less some of the evils existing in or be- |
cause OF the great corporations cannot /
be secured by any legislation which has /
been proposed. and doubtless others |
which have really been incident 10 the /
sudden development IN the formation |
OF corporations OF all kinds. win in the |
end cure themselves. But others viii
remain that can be cured II we only !
set about curing them with sanity. The /
surest way 10 prevent the possibility of
curing any OF the evils Is 10 approach /
the subject in a spirit OF violent rancOr
complicated with total ignorance OF
business conditions and az fundamental |