Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-03
THE NATURE OF TRUSTS
DEFINED BY ROOSEVELT.
President Says He Has Always De-
clared Against the Evil That is
in Big Combinations.

FITCHBURG, MASS, September q
The first important stop of President
Roosevelt after he had resumed his
travels through Massachusetts, to-day,
was at this city where he found the peo-
pie keeping a general holiday. "A stop Of
an hour was made here and the Presi-
dent delivered an address, thousands of
people being assembled to hear him. In
his address here the President devoted
himself almost exclusively to the trusts,
in answers to his critics. He said in part:
IF some of those who have seen cause
for wonder in what l have said this fall
on the subject OF the great corporations
which are popularity, although that is
techmcal 1naccuracy known as trusts
sages when l was Gove4..o what l said
on the stump two years ago, and what
put into my first message to Congress,
think they would have been less aston
ished.
WE CAN'T PROSPER TOO MUCH.
Il said nothing on the stump that / do
not think I could now make good and
shall not hesitate now to take the posi-
tons which then advocated. I am even
say should think Of it than that you
should applaud it. | am not going 70
try to define with technical accuracy what
ought to be meant when we speak of a
big corporation. then l ask you to pom
der the utter folly of the man who either
in spirit of rancor or in a spirit Of folly
says, Destroy the trusts without Civ
ing you an idea of what he means really
to do [ will go with him if he says de-
stroy the evil in the trusts gladly. Cap.
plause0 1 will try to find out that evil.
| will seek to apply remedies, which I
have already outlined in other speeches.
But If his policy. from wha tever motive.
whether hatred, fear, panic, or just sheer
ignorance, is to destroy the. trusts in q
way that will destroy all our prosperity,
no. Those men who advocate wild and
foolish remedies. which would be worse
than the disease, are doing all in their
power 10 perpetuate the evils against
which they nominaly war, because if we
are erourht face to face with the naked
issue of either keeping or totally destroy
ing prosperity in which the majority
~, why IS sensible men we must decide
that II is a great deal better that some
people she uld prosper too much than that
no one Should prosper enough. So that
the man who advocates destroying the
trusts by measures which would para1yze
the industries of the country. is at best
quaclz and at worst an enemy to the
republic
GROWTH SHOULD NOT BE CHECKED
Now it does not do anybody any
deal Of harm, to take steps that will
check any proper growth in a corpora
ton. We wish not to penalize but to
reward great captain of industry or
the men banded together in a corpora
ton. who have the forethought and
energy necessary to build up a great
industrial enterprise. Keep that in mind.
A big corporation may be doing excel
lent work for the whole country, and
you want, above all things, when striv-
ing to get plan which will prevent
wrong-doing by a corporation which de-
sires to do wrong, not at the same time
to have a scheme which will Interfere
with a corporation doing well, if that
corporation. is handling itself honestly
and squarely Now, what l am saying
ought to be treated as simple, elementary
truth The only reason it is neces-
sary to say it at all is that apparently
thing can be done by national legisla
ton. When I state that, I ask you to
note my words. I say I believe. 1t is
not in my power to say l know. When
l talk to you OF my own executive duties
I can tell you definitely what will and
the actions of any one else, can only
say that I believe something more can
be done by national legislation. l be-
lieve it will be DONE
AN AMENDMENT NECESSARY.
81 think we can get laws which will
measuraby increase the power Of the
Federal Government over corporations;
but, gentlemen, I believe firmly that in
the end there will have to be an amend
ment to the Constitution of the nation,
comforting additional power upon the
Federal Government to deal with cor
poratons. To get that will be a matter
of difficulty and a matter Of time:
II want you to think of what 1 have
said, because it represents all of the
sincerity and earnestness that have,
and I say to you here from this platform
nothing that I have not already stated,
and nothing that would not say at a
private table with any Of the biggest
corporation managers Of the land.