Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-07
PRESIDENT AT WHEELING.
The Trusts Must Be Dealt With in
Shirt Far from Hysteria.

Inc ITuS1S NJ DC DcS1t WIN al
Spirit Far from Hysteria.
WHEELING, w. VA, Sept. 6.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt and party arrived over
the Baltimore and Ohio at $3.50 this morn
ing from Washington. He was greeted
by a vast crowd at the depot and smiled
his appreciation, despite his badly-dis-
colored face. His right cheek was rather
badly swollen and confused and his left
eye showed signs of discoloration. Mayor
Sweeney, President Laughlin and Sec
cretary Birch, OF the board of trade;
Postmaster Hall and Councilman Water
house formed a committee which received
the President. The entire party, which
embodied Secretary Cortelyou, Secret
Service men and staff correspondents, en-
tered vehicles and were driven to the
Mcclure House. headed by a military
band
Throughout ..4e entire route enthusiasm
was rife, the streets being lined to sar-
dine consistency with people from West
ern Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio. and
West Virginia. At the hotel the Chief
Executive met delegation of the promi-
nent citizens of Wheeling introduced by
Senator Nathan Bay Scott. President
Roosevelt seemed in a very jovial humor
and joked with his newly-made acquain-
tances. He addressed an enormous crowd
from the balcony of the hotel, standing
at the northwest corner, where he had
range of four different streets. He spoke
long beyond his scheduled time, which
necessitated the curtailment Of the regu-
lar programme.
Presidents Address.
IA period Of great national material
well-being is unavoidably one in which
human minds are turned to the way in
which these interested in the manage
ment Of the gigantic capitalistic corpora
tons, whose growth has been so noted a
feature of the past half century, flourish.
We have grown to speak of certain cor
porations rather loosely as trusts, using
the word in it's usual and common Signifi-
canoe of a big corporation, usually doing
business in several States at least, besides
the State in which it is incorporated. It
seems to me that in dealing with this pro-
blem of the trusts perhaps it would be
more correct to call it a group of pro-
blems) we nave 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
composed of those men who advocate
some non-effective action or action which
if effective, would be effective only by de-
stroying everything, good and bad, con-
nected with our industrial development.
In every governm entail process, the aim
that a people capable of self-governm ent
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 that
fossilization of mind, which refuses to al
low Of any change. as conditions change
Now in dealing with the problem of
change in our great Industrial civilization;
in dealing with the tendency which has
been accumulated to an extraordinary de-
gree by steam and electricity, and by the
tremendous upbuilding of Industrial en-
terprises; dealing with these problems, I
think we must set before ourselves, a
desire not to accept less than the pos
sible, and at the same time not to bring
ourselves to a complete standstil1 by de-
handing the impossible.
Can't Dam the Trusts.
1T is good deal like taking care,
through the engineers, of the lower Mis-
sissippi river. No one can dam the Missis-
sippi. If the nation starts to dam it. it's
time would be wasted. It would not in
jure the Mississippi.:it would only damage
the population along the banks. You can
not dam the current, SO you build levees,
and keep the current within bounds, and
exactly what we can do with these great
corporations, known a S trusts. We cam
not dam them; we cannot reverse the
industrial tendencies of the age. You can
control and regulate them SO that they
will do no harm.
I've can do something. 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 & want to emphasize the word
kindly determination not to submit to:
wrong ourselves. and not to wrong others;
not to interfere with the great business
development of the country, but at the
same time SO to shape our legislation and.
as to regulate, five can
not remedy. the vicious features connect;
ed with that industrial development.
am sufficiently fortunate to be defending
now. as President. precisely the remedies
that advocated two years ago I am.
advocating them, not in any partisan
spirit, because, gentlemen, this problem:
is q problem which affects the life OF the
nation al whole 4 am advnca finf,.