The Savannah morning news., 1902-12-03
PRESIDENT SENDS HIS
MESSAGE TO CONGRESS
Reports and Recommendations of the Nations Chief
Execotive-Trosts and Reciprocity the Principal
Questions Which Action Is Advised.

, be careful not to stop the great enter
| prises which have legitimately reduced
the cost Of production, not to abandon
! the place which our country has won
/ in the leadership Of the international
| Industrial world, not to strike down
wealth with the result of closing fac
| tories and mines. of turning the wage
worker idle in the streets and leaving
the farmer without a mar
! lnsistence upon the impossible
means delay in achieving the possible
exactly as, on the other hand. the stub
! born defense alike of what is good and
/ what is bad in the existing system, the
resolute effort to obstruct any attempt
at betterment, betrays blindness to the
| historic truth that wise evolution is
the sure safeguard against revolution.
No more important subject can come
before the Congress than this of the
regulation of interstate business. This
| country can not afford to sit supfne on
the plea that under our peculiar sys-
TEN of government we are helpless in
the presence of the new conditions, and
unable to grapple with them or to cut
out whatever of evil has arisen in con-
nection with them. The power of the
Congress to regulate interstate COM
merce is an absolute and unqualified
grant, and without limitations other
than those prescribed by the Constitu-
ton. The Congress has constitutional
authority TO make all laws necessary
and proper for executing this power
and l am satisfied that this power has
not been exhausted by any legislation
now on the statute books. It is evi-
dent, therefore, that evils restrictive
of commercial freedom and entailing
restraint upon national commerce fall
within the regulative power of the Con-
gress. and that a wise and reasonable
law would be a necessary and proper
exercise of congressional authority to
the end that such evils should be Grad
icated.
l believe that monopolies, unjust dis
ordinations which prevent or cripple
competition, fraudulent oVercapitaliza-
ton, and other evils in trust organi-
cations and practices which Injurious
~ affect interstate trade can be pre-
vented under the power of the Com
gress to regulate commerce with for
eign nations and among the several
states through regulations and re-
quirements operating directly upon
such commerce. the instrumentalities
thereof. and those engaged therein.
l earnestly recommend this subject
to the consideration OF the Congress
with view TO the passage of a law
reasonable in its provisions and effec-
tive in its operations, upon which the
questions can be finally adiudieated
that now raise doubts as to the neces-
sity of constitutional amendment. II
II prove impossible to accomplish the
purposes above set forth by such
law, then, assuredly, we should not
shrink from amending the Constitution
so as to secure beyond peradventure the
power sought
SnecinI AUGMENTATION Nao1a.I
The Congress has not heretofore made
any appropriation for the better en-
forcement of the antitrust
law as it now stands. Very
much has been done by the Depart
ment of Justice in securing the
enforcement Of this law. but much
more could be done If Congress would
make a special appropria ton for this
purpose. to be expended under the d.
rection of the Attorney eneral.
One proposition advocated has been
the reduction of the tariff as a means
of reaching the evils of the trusts
which fall within the category | have
described. Not merely would this be
wholly ineffective, but the diversion of
our efforts in such a direction would
mean the abandonment OF all intelh-
gent attempt to do away with these
evils. Many of the largest corpora
tons, many of those which should GER
tainly be included in any proper scheme
OF regulation, would not be affected in
the slightest degree by a change in
the tariff save as such change inter
fered with the general prosperity of the
country. The only relation of the tariff
to big corporations as a whole is that
the tariff makes manufa ctures profit
able, and the tariff remedy proposed
would be in effect simply TO make man.
uEactures unprofitabe To remove
the tariff as punitive measure direct
ed against trusts would inevitably re-
suit in ruin to the weaker competitors
who are struggling against them. Our
aim should be not by unwise tariff
changes to give foreign products the
advantage over domestic products, but
by proper regula ton to give domestic
competition a fair chance: and this
end can not be reached by any tariff
changes which would affect unafavor-
ably all domestic competitors, good and
bad alike. The question of regulation
of the trusts stands apart from the
question of tariff revision.
Stability of economic policy must
always be the prime economic need of
this country. This stability should not
be fossilization. The country has &C.
quiesced in the wisdom OF the protec-
tive-tariff principle. 1t is exceedingly
mat THIS system should
be destroyed or that there should be
violent and radical changes therein.
Our past experience shows that great
prosperity in this country has always
come under a protective tariff; and
that the country can not prosper un-
der fitful tariff changes at short inter-
walls. Moreover. IL the tariff laws as
whole work well. and If business has
prospered under them and is prosper
ing. 1t is better to endure for a time
slight Inconvenience and inequalities
in some schedules than to upset bust
ness by too quick and too radical
changes. 1t is most earnestly to be
wished that we could treat the tariff
from the standpoint solely of our bus
mess needs. 1t is. perhaps, too much
to hope that partisanship may be en-
tirely excluded from consideration Of
the subject. but at least it can be
made secondary to the business
interest of the country-that is to
the interests of our people as a
whole. Unquestionably these business
interests will be served If together with
hxity of principle as regards the tariff
We combine a system which will per-
NIT us from time to time to make the
necessary reapplication of the principle
TO the shifting national needs. We
must take scrupulous care that the re-
application shall be made in such a
way that ii will not amount to a dis
location of our system, the mere threat
or which mot TO speak OF the per-
fCrmance). would produce paralysis in
the business energies of the commun-
ity. The first consideration in making
l.