The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1902-08-29
TALKS ON THE TRUSTS
ROOSEVELT BEGINS WEEK WITH
PLEA FOR THE PEOPLE.
When a Corporation is Sued for vio-
lating the Law It is for the Benefit
of Property-All Men Must Obey
the Law-He Advocates National
Legislation to Give the Govern
ment Control of Big Corporations.

Boston, Aug. 26.-The weeks work
for President Roosevelt in his trip
through New England began in earnest
this afternoon when he departed from
the summer home of Senator Lodge, at
Nahant, and, amio the enthusiasm of
the greatest number of people he has
faced since his Pittsburg visit, July 4,
he rode into Lynn under cavalry escort
and spoke from a platform at the city
hall. Then he was taken to Boston by
special train and on arrival went to
Symphony hall, there addressing a
great gathering of business men. His
speech here was devoted almost entire
ly to consideration of the trust ques-
ton.
From the hall the president went to
the Hotel LORRAINE, where a little later
in the evening he was the guest of Gov
ernor Crane at dinner.
Tomorrow morning the presidential
party will start for Maine.
The president tonight spoke on trusts,
declaring at the opening that he did not
come to say he had discovered a cure
all for trusts. The president then, as a
preliminary to the main topic, devot-
ed considerable time to showing the
duty OF a citizen in respect to his re-
lations to the government.
Il am far from being against proper
ty when | ask th:t the question of
trusts be taken up" said the president.
81 am acting in the most conservative
sense in property interest. When a great
corporation is sued for violating the
antitrust law it is not a move against
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erty. because, when you can make it
evident that all men. big and small
alike, have to obey the law, you are
putting the safeguard of law around all
men. When you make it evident no
man shall be excused for violating law
you make it evident every man will be
protected from violation of law. | am
inclined to think that the greatest
trouble in any immediate handling of
the question of trusts comes from IL
system of government. On the whole
our system of government has worked
m~arvelousiy well. the system of divid-
ing the functions Of government, of ar
ranging a scheme under which, Maine.
Louisiana, Oregon, Idaho, New York
and South Carolina can all come in to-
gether for certain purposes and yet each
be allowed to work its own salvation
as it desires, along certain lines. But
while | most firmly believe in the fiXi-
ty of policy. | do not believe policy
should be fossilized. and if it is to be
changed we must change u govern
mental method to meet it."
The president declared he was not
advocating anything very revolution
airy; that he was advocating action TO
prevent anything revolutionary. Con-
tinuing. he said: Now, If we can get
adequate control by the nation of these
corporations, then we can pass legisla-
ton which will give us the power of
regulation and supervision over them.
If the nation had that power, mind you.
| should advocate as ~strenuously as |
knew how that power should he eXer-
ciseI with extreme caution and s~elf-re-
straint. No goou will come from plung-
ing in without having looked carefully
ahead"
The president placed much stress on
publicity as to the essential facts in
which the public has interest, express
ing the belief that publicity itself would
cure many evils. Antitrust laws. he
said, will be enforced as far as they
go. There has been considerable discus
sion as to whether a trust aimed at
would not seek to get out from under
the law by becoming a single corpora-
ton.
/ want laws to enable us to deal with
it, no matter what shape it takes. I
want to see the government able to get
at it definitely so that the action of the
government cannot be evaded by any
turning within or without federal or
state statues. | do not think you can get
action by any state. Or action by all the
states that will give us satisfactory con-
troll of trusts or big corporations, and
the result is that at present We have
a sea OF powerful artificial creation
which has no creator to which it is re-
sponsible. What | hope to see is power
given the national legislature which
shall make control real. 1t would be an
excellent thing if we could have all
states act on somewhat similar lines, so
it would be unnecessary for the na-
tional government to act, but all of you
know perfectly well states will not act
on somewhat similar lines"
The president expressed the belief
that it was possible to frame national
legislation which will give more power,
at any rate. over corporations doing in
terstate business.
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