The evening Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1902-1902, 1902-08-26
THE QUESTION
Discussed by President In His
Boston Speech.
He WANTS FEDERAL CONTROL.
Says That With Present Laws Cor.
pOrations Cannot Be Dealt with
as the situation Demands
They Should BE,

| BOSTON, Aug. 2G.--The weeks work
| for President Roosevelt in his trip
through New England began in earnest
| when he departed from the beautiful
summer home of the junior senator Of
Massachusetts, Hon. Henry Cabot
Lodge at NAhant, and amid the en-
thusiasm of the greatest number OF
people he has faced since the Pitts
burg visit OIL July rode into Lynn
under cavalry escort and spoke from Il
platform at city hall. Then he was
taken to Boston by special train and
on arrival Went to symphony hall,
there addressing Il great gathering of
Boston business men. His speech here
was devoted almost entirely to Il con-
sideraliOn Of the trust question.
From the hall the president went to
Hotel Touraine, where a little later in
the evening he was the guest of Gov
ernor Crane at dinner.
This morning bright and early the
presidential party started for Maine.
The president said in part:
ut is n little difficult to set clearly
DNlolc Us al VI llc Evils VI lue trust
question, but think that. those gentle
men, and especially those gentlemen Of
large means. who deny that the evils
exist are acting with great folly. am
far from being against property when
l ask that the question of trusts be
taken up. ] am acting in the most
conservative sense in property's inter-
est. When great corporation Is sued
for violating the antitrust law, it is
not a move against property" 1t is a
move in favor of property, 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 that no
man shall be excused for violating the
law, you make it evident that every
man will be protected from violation
of the law. am inclined to think
that much the greatest trouble in any
immediate handling of the question Of
the trust comes from our system OF
government. Let me so back one mo-
ment. | want to guard what l am
saying. | want you to understand that |
my words are being taken at their ex-
act face value. Remember, | am not |
saying that even if we had all the |
power we could completely solve the |
trust question. Gentlemen, if what we |
read in the papers is true they are
speaking Of number Of international
trusts now.
ut would be very difficult for any
set of laws Oh our part to deal conf
plctely with a problem which becomes
international in its bearings, but a
great deal can be done in various ways
now. A great deal is being DONE and
a great deal more can be done if we !
can see that the power is put some
where TO do it. On The whole our sys-
TEN of government has worked mar
veousIy we'll, but it has it's limita-
tons.
"Everything has been revolutionizcd
in the business world since the govern
ment was founded, and the progress Of
civilization from being trickle has
become a torrent. There was no par
ticular thing at that time to bother as
to whether the nation or the state had T
control Of the corporations. They were
easy to control. Now, however, the
exact reverse is the case, and remem-
Der | say 'corporatons'n. do not
say merely trusts, merely combina-
lions of corporations Or corporations
under certain peculiar conditions. For
instance, some time ago the attorney
general took action against certain
trust. There has been considerable
discussion as to whether the trust
aimed at would not seek to get out
from under the law by becoming a
single corporation. Now, | want laws
to enable us to deal with it no matter
what shape it takes. | want to see the
government to be able to get at it def
nitcly so that The action Of the govern
mpnt cannot be eyaded by any turn
ing within or without federal or state
statutes.
AT present we have really no eff
cient control over big corporation
which does business in more than one
state. Frequently the corporation has
nothing whatever to do with the state
in which 1t is Incorporated except to {
get Incorporated, and its actions may
be taken in entirely different commune
lies, communities which may object
very much to the methods of incorpo-
ration in the state named. ! do not
think you can get action by any state,
action by all the states, that will give
is satisfactory control of the trusts or !
big corporations. and the result is at
present that we have a great, power
'ul, artificial creation which has no
ereator TO which it is responsible. !.
1.-The creator creates it, and then it
yocs and operates somewhere else. and
here is no interest to the creator to
leal with it. 1t does not do anything
II that state. It operates outside ell
irely. OF course It Ia a mere truism
hat the corporation is the creature of
he state. that the state is sovereign. 1
Vow. want to make Il real and not Il I
lOminal sovereign, to have some one +
sovereign to which the corporation
llall be really, really and not nominal
y, responsible.
AT present If we pass laws nobody
an tell whether they will amount to
nything. Now, that has two bad ef- u
Gets. In the first place the corpora l.
ion becomes Indifferent to the law .
making body, and in, the next place a.
he lawmaking body gets into that !
most perscious custom of passing Il !
aw not with reference to what will be
Que under it. but with reference to it's
fleets OH the opinions OF the voters.
';chardcnn's R0Iipr Mills Il