The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-09-09


Wants Government Control and
Publicity-When He Finished He
Left for Other Points in the South.
Wheeling, w. Va, September 6.-Pres-
ident Roosevelt and party arrived over
the, Baltimore and Ohio at $3.50 this
morning from Washington. He was
greeted by a vast crowd at the depot
and smiled his appreciation despite his
badly discolored face. His right cheek
was rather badly swollen and confused,
and his left eye showed signs Of discol-
grafton. Mayor Sweeney, President
Laughlin and Secretary Birch Of the
board of trade, Postmaster Hall and
Councilman Waterhouse formed a COM
mittee which received the president
The entire party, which embodied Sec
retary Cortelyou, Secret Service men
and a staff of correspondents, entered
vehicles and were driven to the Mcclure
house, headed by a military band.
Throughout the entire route enthusiasm
was rife, the streets being lined with
people from western Pennsylvania, east
ern Ohio and West Virginia. At the
hotel the chief executive met a delega-
tion of the prominent citizens of
Wheeling introduced by Senator Ma
than Scott. President Roosevelt seemed
in very jovial humor and joked with
his newly made acquaintance. He ad-
dressed an enormous crowd from the
balcony of the hotel. He spoke long
beyond his scheduled time which neces-
STATED the curtailment of the regular
programme.
The president said:
"A great period of great national ma
terial well-being is unavoidably one III
which human minds are turned to the
way in which those interested in the
management of the gigantic capitals
tic corporations whose growth has been
SO noted, a period of the past half
century, flourish. We have grown to
speak of certain corporations, rather
loosely as trusts, using the word in its
usual and common significance of a big
corporation, usually doing business in
several states, at least, beside the
state in which it is Incorporated. 1t
seems to me that in dealing with this
be more correct to call it a group of
problems,) we have to class all Of our
fellow citizens.
One is composed of those men who
refuse to admit that there is any action
necessary at all. The other is compoS-
ed of those men who advocate some
nOn-effective action, or action, which
if effective would be effective only by
destroying everything good and bad,
fa6 wit ind f,f fa1
ment. In every governmental process,
the aim that people capable Of self
government should keep in mind, is to
proceed by evolution rather than by
revolution. On the other hand, every
people that has self government must
beware of this fossiliZation of mind
which refuses to allow of any change
as conditions change.
I'VE can do something. I believe we
can do a good deal, but our accomplish
ing what I expect to see accomplished,
is conditional upon setting to work in
a spirit as far removed as possible from
hysteria. A spirit of sober, steadfast,
kindly q want to emphasize the word
kindly determination not to sumit to
wrong ourselves and not to wrong
others. / am sufficiently fortunate to
be defending now, as President, pre-
cisely the remedies that I advocated
two years ago. I am advocating them
not in any partisan spirits, because, gen
tlemen, this problem is a problem which
affects the life of the nation as whole.
am advocating them simply as an
American citizen, who, for the time
being stands as the chief executive and
the special representative of his fellow
American citizens of all parties.
Some of my ultra-conservative
friends have professed to be greatly
shocked at my advocating governmental
control or corporations l would ex-
plain to those gentlemen once for all
that they err whenever they think that
I advocate on the stump anything will
not try to put into effect after election.
Now the point is made, that working
along these lines will take time. So it
will. The first thing is to give the ma
tional government the power. What
power is given, I can assure you will
be used in a spirit as free as possible
from rancor, but with the firmest deter
mination to make big men and little
men alike obey the law. The first thing
would be to find out the facts. For
that purpose am absolutely clear that
we need publicity, not as a favor from
any one corporation but as a matter Of
right. The mere fact of the publicity
itself will tend to stop many Of the
evils, and 1t will show that some of the
alleged evils are imaginary. And, n |
nally, in making evident the remaining |
faults, those that are not imaginary |
and are not cured by the light Of day |
itself. it will give US an intelligent prop |
osition as to the methods to take in |
getting at them" (Applause.)
At the conclusion OF the speech the |
party re-enteredthe train of carriages |
and were driven over a route Of the |
principal thoroughfares Of the city. |
The decorations were Of an elaborate |
and festive order. All along the route, |
vasts crowds cheered the president to /
the echo. The party was driven to the /
Southern portion of the city where the
Baltimore and Ohio special car was /