The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-08-26
Welcome by Governor and Mayor
and Makes Another Thrust at
TruStS--Left for Lowell Today.

When you make II evident that no man
shall be excused for violating the law.
you make II evident that every man will
be protected from violation of the law
i am inclined TO think that much the
greatest trouble in any immediate hand
ling OF the question OF trusts comes
from our system of government.
Let me go back one moment, I want to
guard what | am saying. want you
TO understand that my words are being
taken at their exact value. Remember.
am not saying that even II we had all
the power we could completely solve the
trust question. Gentlemen IL what we
read in the papers Is true. they are speak
ing OF a number OF international trusts
now. Laughter and applause.] II would
be very difficult for any set OF laws on
our part 20 deal completely with a prob
lem which becomes International In Its
bearings, but a great deal can be done ia
various ways now. On the whole. our
system OF government has worked mar
velously we'll But while most firmly
believe In hxity OF policy. l do not be-
lleve that that policy should be fossilized,
and II IL Is TO be changed we must changc
our governmental method to meet IL.
FAITH IN OLD TOWN MEETING.
"I believe with all my heart I'm the
New England town meeting but you cam
In Boston. Now when this government
| was founded there were no great individ-
| ual or corporate fortunes. Everything
| has been revolutionized I'm the business
world ever since ana the progress OF
| civilization from being n trickle has be-
| come a torrent There was no particular
| thing at that time to bother us as TO
whether the nation or the state had con-
| troll of the corporations They were easy
/ TO control.
| Nov however tho exact reverse is the
1 case. and remember l say corporations.
| | do not say merely trusts, merely com
| binations or corporations. or corpora
| tions under certain peculiar conditions.
\ For instance. some time ago the attorney
\ general took action against a certain
| trust There has been considerable dis
/ cussion as TO whether the trust aimed
/ at would not seek TO get out from under
1 the law by becoming q single corpora
/ ton. Now / want laws 20 enable us TO
| deal with II. no matter what shape II
| takes. loud applause.l / want TO SEQ
| the government able TO get at II deA-
/ nitely 80 that the action OF the govern
| ment cannot be evaded by any turning
| within or without Federal or state stat
| utes.
| STATE SHOULD BE SOVEREIGN.
| "At present we have really no efri-
| Client control over big corporation
| which does business I'm more than one
state. do not think you can get action
/ by any state-action by all the states that
| will give us satisfactory control OF the
| trusts or big corporations, and the re-
i suit is at present that we have great
| powerful. artificial creation which has no
| creator 20 which IL Is responsible. lap
| plausel or course. IL is a mere truism
| that the corporation Is the creature OF
\ the state. that the state is sovereign
| Now I want 20 make a real and not a
| nominal sovereign-to have some one SOW
| ereign 10 which the corporation shall be
| really really and not nominally. RESPONSE
| BILE At present ~ we pass laws nobody
can tell whether they will amount 10 any.
thing. Now that has two bad effects
First place. the corporation becomes
Indifferent 20 the law-making body. and
In the next place. gentlemen. the law
making body gets into that most per-
| nicious custom OF passing law. not
| with reference 20 what will be done
| under n. but with reference 90 It's ef-
fects upon the opinions OF the voters
| Now that is bad thing
when any body OF law makers passes
| law not solely with reference 90
| whether that law will do good or ill but
| with the knowledge that not much will
| come Of ~. and yet that perhaps the peo-
biea "a whole viii likely think Il was good
| on the statute books. II does not speak
well for the law makers. and II does not
speak very well for the people either.
Now what hope 10 see is power given In
20 the National legislature which shall
| make the control real
| DOES NOT PROMISE MILLENNIUM.
Nothing has been done In the direction
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