Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1902-09-24
SPEECH AT THE FALL FESTIVAL.
Remarkable Exposition of President
Roosevelt's Position Covering Full
ly These Important Questions.
We DO Not Wish to Destroy Corpora.
tions; va Wish to Make Them
subserVe the Public Good,
Says Roosevelt.

pOi " July seat IOrIl his views
regarding these momentous questions.
The immense audience that gathered
at the Music Hall listened to a com
prehensive and carefully prepared
speech. The following is a synopsis
Of his address:
Many admirable qualities which
were developed IN the older. simpler.
less progressive life have to some de-
gree atrophied under the conditions
ot our rather feverlsh. high pressure
complex and specialized Life OF to-
day"
The new conditions are here.
They have produced both good and
evil. We can not get rid of them
even If it were not undesirable to get
rid Of them. and our instant duty Is
TO accommodate our social. economic
and legislative life to them and To
frame system OF law and conduct
under which we shall get out OF them
the utmost possible benefit and the
least amount OF harm"
Ia dealing with the big corpora
hons we intend TO proceed not by rev
Tuition but by evolution We wish TO
lace the facts. declining TO have our
tision blinded either by the folly OF
those who say there are no evils or
by the more dangerous folly OF those
who either see or make believe that
they see, nothing but evil in all the
existing system and who IL given
their way would destroy the evil by
the simple process OF bringing ruin
and disaster 10 the entire country"
CONGRATULATIONS
THE evils attendant upon overcapi-
talization alone are in my Judgment
sufficient to warrant a far closer SUI
pervision and control than now exists
over the great corporations"
Wherever a substantial monopoly
can be shown to exist we should GER
tainly try our utmost to devise al ex-
pedient by which It can BIO controlled"
No problem, and least OF all so
difficult problem as this. can DO
solved If the qualities brought by its
solution are panic. fear. envy. hatred
and ignorance"
we do not wish to destroy corpor-
ations. We wish to make them sub
serve the public good"
The biggest corporation. like the
humblest private citizen. must be
eld-to~BtTNt-n61np with the Will
--of the people as expressed in the fund
amental law The rich man who does
not see that this is in his interests
is indeed short-sighted. When we
make him obey the law we insure him
the absolute protection Of the law
The line of demarkation we draw
must always be on conduct. not on
wealth; our objection TO any given
corporation must be. not that it IS
big but that it behaves badly"
IF the policy advocated is so rev
olutionary and destructive as to in
volve the whole community in the
crash OF common disaster. It is as GER
tain as anything can be that when
the disaster has occurred all efforts
10 regulate the trusts will cease. and
that the one aim will be TO restore
prosperity"
Furthermore. the products Of many
trusts arc unprotected. and would be
entirely unaffected by any change I'm
the tariff. or at most very slightly so
The Standard Oil Co offers a case IN
point. and the corporations which con
troll the anthracite coal output offer
another-for there is no duty what
ever on anthracite coal"
THE TARIFF LAWS.
THE real evils connected with tho
trusts can not bo remedied by anv
change in the tariff laws. The trusts
can be damaged by depriving them Of
the benefits Of protective tariff only
ON condition OF damaging all its small
competitors and all the wageworkers
employed IN the industry"
You must face the fact that only
harm will come from a proposition 10
attack the so-called trusts I'm a vim
dictive spirit by measures conceived
solely with a desire OF hurting them.
without any regard as TO whether or
not discrimination should be made be-
tween the good and evil i'm them"
eve should not be made timid or
daunted by the size Of tho problem:
we should not fear to undertake It,
but we should undertake. IL with ever
present I'm our minds dread OF the sin.
lister spirits Of rancor, ignorance and
J vanity.
eve are neither the friend OF the
rich man as such nor tho friend Of
the poor man as such; we are the
friend Of the honest man. rich or poor.
and we intend that all men. rich and
poor shall obey the law alike. and re-
ceive it's protection alike
"I am not now considering whether
or not. on grounds totally uncon.
nected with the trusts, it would be
we'll to lower the duties on various
\ schedules. either by direct legislation
o. by legislation or treaties designed