The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-09-21

cessful celebration of Presidents Day came very near being marred tonight with a panic that would have caused count less loss of life. It is estimated that there were over 5000 people packed into the music hall when President Roosevelt began speaking At the same time ad- joining exposition halls were crowded with people viewing the exhibits as they were unable to gain admittance in the music hall.
 After the President had been speaking about ten minutes, there was great commotion to Mechanical Hall, adjacent to Music Hall. on the north. The sparks from an electric wire had set a curtain on fire and the fire department had been called to the scene. The police and at tendants of the exposition soon put out the fire but they had much more trouble in controlling the alarmed crowd and it was with great difficulty that Captain J. B. Foraker, son of the Senator and one of the officers of the day. headed off the department from rushing into the build ing.
 Band Saved Life.
 Happily one of tho bands struck up an air and those who left the auditorium were supposed to be going out to stop the band rather than to head off a panic Very few in the auditorium where the President was speaking knew anything about the incident and the President suf- fered only a slight interruption without knowing what caused it. The aisles of the auditorium and all the standing room about the exits were packed with people ns well the great balcony and the gal lery. Had there been a cry of fire or any knowledge of what was going among those in the auditorium the fatal results could not be estimated. The information regarding the incident in the adjoining hall was carefully kept until after the hall was cleared and even then it caused a suddering sensation about the grounds and throughout the city. After the meet ing the Presidential party was driven to the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton depot direct and their special train left at midnight for Detroit. In his speech tonight the President said:
 Roosevelt Speaks.
 To-day I wish to speak to you on the subject. or group of subjects. which we mean when talk of the trusts. The worG is used very loosely and almost always with technical inaccuracy. But the average man when he speaks of the trusts means rather vaguely all of the very big corporations. the growth of which has been so signal a feature of our modern times especially those big cor porations which, though organized in one State do business in several States, and some of which have a tendency to mo- nopoize.
 This whole subject of the trusts Is of vital concern to us. because 1t presents one and perhaps the most conspicuous of the many problems forced upon our at tention by the tremendous industrial de- velopment which has taken place during the last half century in all civilized coun- u and notably in our own. Many fac tors have concurred in bringing aDout these changes in industrial conditions. Of these. steam and electricity are the chief. The extra raordinary change in the meth ods of transporta ton of merchandise and of transmission of intelligence. has rem dered not only possible. but inevitable, the immense increase in the rate of growth of industrial centers-that Is, of great cities.
 ''Hence has resulted the specialization of industries and the uneXampled oppor- turiticsi offered for the employment of hugo amounts of capital, and, therefore, for the rise in the business world of those master minds through whom alone it Is possible for such vast sums of capital to hn employed with profit Many admir- 
 the older, simpler, less progressive life have to some degree atrophied under the conditions of our rather feVerish. high pressure. complex and specialized life of today.
 The New Conditions.
 But our likes and dslkes have very little to do with the matter. The new conditions are here They have produced both good and evil. We cannot get rid
 ,I-,-i, .LI to get ride of them-and our instant duty is to try to accommodate our social econ- omic and legislative life to them and to frame d system of law and conduct under which we shall get out q them the ut most possible benefit and the least amount of harm.
 Law can. to degree gude protect and control industrial development but it can never cause 1t, or play more than a subordinate part in its healthy develop rent-iInfortunately 1t Is easy enough bv bad laws to bring it to an almost complcte stop. The homely simie of what can he done with a great river is far from inaccurate.
 "Tho Lower Mississippi fertilizes a great country and also at times ravages it by floods. To attempt to dam it in order to stop these floods would be fu- tile and, even if not futile, would be harmful But it is entirely feasible to build a system of levees by which these eoods shall be largely controlled The lavees take time and trouble to make and to keep in order, and they do not by any means avert all mischief. Yet they do accomplish much good and they offer tho only method of accomplishing any good.
 .Tha only way in which to build them o f, exercise control over the current ts hv thoroughly examining into the facts ir inc first place, and in the second place bv proceeding in spirit of combined san itv and resolutions avoiding above all things every form of hysteria, panic and blind rage. and not expecting the impos- eihle either in time or achievement h. cidentalIy, 1t Is also necessary to be- ware of the type of excellent person who insists that floods do good and not harm, and that in any event the effort to con- troI them will doubtless somehow inter fore with the water supply and damage tbe Mississippi River.
 Revolution Not Desired.
 ..In dealing with the big corporations u-e intend to proceed not by revolution t,,+ evolution. We wish to face the facts dec1ining to have our vision blinded eith- or bv the folly of those who say there are no evils or by the more dangerous