The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-12-04
PRESIDENTS; MESSAGE. i.
TO the Senate and House of Representa.

sA " ul1VVlluL
To the Senate and House of Representa-
tives: ttsI-
we stu continue in a period of un
bounded prosperity. This prosperity 4
not the creature of law, but undoubtedl,
tne laws under which we work have beef
instrumental in creating the condition
which made 1t possible, and by unwise leg
islatlon 1t would be easy enough to destro,
It, Ihere will undoubtedly be periods O
depression. The wave will recede but tn,
tide Will advance. This nation is seated
on q continent flanked by two grea
oceans. IL Is composed Of men the de
scenoants or pioneers or. in a sense pio
neers themselves-of men winnowed ou
rom among the nations Of the old worlt
ny tne energy, boldness and love of ad
venture found in their own eager hearts
Socn a nation SO placed will surely wres
success from fortune.
AS people we have played a large par,
In the world. and we are bent upon max.
ing our future even larger than the past
In particular the events of the last -four
years have definitely decided that for woe
fbs ,o na Wea! our place must be great among
" succeed greatly, but we cannot avoid
tne endeavor from which either great
iauure or great success must come. Even
" We would We cannot play a small part.
II we should try. all that would follow
would be that we should play q, large part
ignobly and shamefully. - u. :
But our people, the Sons of the men OF
the civil war, the sons of the men who
had iron in their blood. rejoice in the
present and face the future high Of heart
and resolute of will. Ours is not the
ours is the gospel OF hope and Of tri-
umphant endeavor. We do not shrink
from the struggle before us. There are
many problems for US to face at the out
net of the fWonfiafh CenturV-RraVS DrOD-
LENS abroad and still graver at home-but
We know that we can solve them ana
solve them we'll, provided only that we
bring to the solution the qualities Of head
and heart which were shown by the men
who in the days OF Washington founded
this government and in the days Of Lin
coin preserved 1t.
No country has ever occupied a higher
plane of material well being than ours at
the present moment. This well being Is
fh 20 no sudaeh or sr causes t put
country for over a century; to our laws
our sustained and continuous policies;
Of our citizenshi p Great fortunes have
been won by those who have taken the
lead In this phenomenal industrial devel-
been Won not by doing evil, but as an in
cident to action which has benefited the
community as q whole: Never before has
fused AMONG oSr esope
have been accumulated, and yet In the
aggregate these fortunes are small M
people as a. whole. The plain people are
better off than they have ever been be-
fore. The Insurance companies. which
especially helpful to men Of moderate
means-represent accumulatiofs of CAPT.
tai which are among the largest IN this
savings banks, more owners of farms.
more well paid wageworkers In this coun-
try now than ever before IA our history.
vered the growth OF 50 much that was
good they have also favored somewhat
the growth of what was evil. 1t is emf
to cut out this evil, but let us keep q due
sense Of proportion; let us not in fixing
our gaze upon the lesser evil forget the
some of them are 1nenacing. but they are
the outgrowth not of misery or decadence,
but of prosperity, of the progress OF our
dustrial development must not be checked,
but side by side with it should go such
progressive regulation as will diminish
we did not try to remedy the evils. but we
shall succeed only II we proceed patient
ly. with practical common sense as well
as resolution. separating the good from
the bad and holding on to the former
while endeavoring to get rid OF the latter.
In my message to the present congress
at its first session discussed at length
the question of the regulation of those
big corporations commonly doing an in
terstate business. often with some tenden
cy to monopoly, which popularity
known as trusts The experience of the
past year has erapha sized. in my opinion,
the deSira bility of the steps l then pro-
posed. A fundamental requisite of social
efficiency is a high standard of individual
energy and excellence, but this is in no
wise Inconsistent with power to act In
We'll be achieved by the individual acting
alone. A fundamental base of civilization
is the inviolability of property; but this is
in nowiSe inconsistent with the right or
society to regulate the exercise OF the
artificial powers which it confers upon the
owners of property under the name of cor
porate franchises in such a way as to
prevent the misuse Of these powers. Cor
porationS. and especially combinations OF
corporations, should be managed under
public regulation. Experience has shown
that under our system of government the
necessary supervision cannot be obtained
by state action. 1t must therefore be
achieved by national action. Our aim is
not to do away with corporations. On the
contrary, these big aggregations are an
inevitable development of modern indus
trialism, and the effort to destroy them
would be futile unless accomplished in
ways that would work the utmost mis-
chief to the entire body polite. We can
do nothing Of good in the way OF regulat-
ing and supervising these corpora tons
until we fix clearly in our minds that we
are not attacking the corporations but
to do away with any evil in
them We are not hostile to them We
are merely determined that they shall be
SO handled as TO subserve the public good.
We draw the line against misconduct, not
against wealth. The capitalist who. alone
or in conjunction with his fellows, per
forms some great Industrial feat by which
he wins money is welldoer, not wrong
doer provided only he works in proper
and legitimate lines. We wish to favor
such a man when he does we'll. We wish
to supervise and control his actions only
to prevent him from doing ILL Publicity
can do no harm to the honest corporation,
and we need not be overtender about
sparing the dishonest corporation.
In curbing and regulating the combina-
tons of capital which are or may become
INJURIOUS to the public we must be care
full not to stop the great enterprises which
have legitimately reduced the cost Of pro-
duction. not to abandon the place which
our country has won in the leadership OF
the international industrial world, not to
strike down wealth with the result OF
closing factories and mines, of turning
the Wageworker idle in the streets and
leaving the farmer without market for
what he grows. Insistence upon the Inn
possible means delay in achieving the pos.
stubborn defense alike of what is good
and what is bad in the existing system,
the resolute effort to obStruct any at
TEMPT at betterment, betrays blindness to
The historic truth that wise evolution Is
The sure safeguard against revolution.
Mo more important subject can come
before the congress than this Of the regu-
Iation of interstate business. This country
cannot afford to sit supine on the plea
That under our peculiar system OF govern.