The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-22

Cincinnati, Sept. 22.-President Roose-
Welt took firm stand against a revision
OF the tariff as a means Of curbing the
trusts in his Saturday night speech.
The gist of his argument was that the
Encouragement of any particular schedule,
In order to reach a given trust. would
work to the disadvantage OF smaller man
ufacturers and Of American, workmen
He urged the adoption Of constitu-
tional amendment placing the supervision
of trusts in the hands Of the government
lie said In part:
''This whole subject of the trusts is of
vital concern to us, because it 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-
tries. and notably in our own.
THE new conditions are here. they
have produced both good and evil. We
cannot get rid of them-eVen II 1t were
not undesirable to get rid OF them-and
our instant duty is to try to accommo-
date 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 bene-
fit and the least amount of harm.
TT is foolish to pride ourselves on our
marvellous progress and prosperity, upon
our commanding position in the interna-
'AN~ -
nothing but denunciation for the men to
whose commanding business ability we in
part owe this very progress and proSperl-
ty, this commanding position
whenever great social or industrial
changes take place, no matter how much
good there may be to them. there is sure
to be some evil; and 1t usually takes man
kind number Of years and good deal
of eXperim enting before they find the right
ways in which. so far as possible, to con-
troll the new evil without at the same time
multiplying the new good.
Law can, to a degree, guide, protect
and control industrial development, but IT
can never cause il or play more than a
subordinate part in it's healthy develop
ment, but unfortunately 1T is easy enough
by bad laws to bring it to an almost com
plete stop.
1.-THE homely smile of what can be done
with great river is far from inaccurate.
The lower Mississippi fertlizes a great
country and also at times ravages 1t by
floods. To attempt to dam 1t in order
to stop these floods would be harmful
But it is entirely feasible to build a sys-
tenn of levees by which these floods snail
be largely controlled.
'"The only way in ,Jhich to build them
or to exercise control over the current Is
by thoroughly examining into the facts In
the first place, and In the second place
by proceeding In a spirit of combined san
fly and resolution, avoiding, above al
things, every form Of hySterta, panic anC
blind rage, and not expecting the 1mpos-
sible either In time or achievement.
I'm dealing with big corporations we
Intend to proceed, not by revolution, bu
by evolution. We wish to face the facts
declining to have our vision blinded elthe
by the folly of those who say there are NJ
evils, or by the more dangerous folly o
those who either see, or make believe the!
see nothing but evil in all the existing syS
tenn and who. If given their way, Woult
destroy the evil by the simple process O
bringing ruin and disaster to the entire
country.
1.-THE evils attendant upon overcapital
ization alone are, In my Judgment, suth
Gent to warrant far closer supervision
and control than now exists over the grets
corporations.
1.-THE surest way to prevent the posi-
bility of curing any Of the evils is to ap
proach the subject in a spirit Of Vlolen
rancor, complicated with total 1gnoranc
of business conditions and of fundamen
tai incapacity or unwilllngneSS to under
stand the limitations on the power of al
law making bodies.
"Corporations that are handled honestl
and fairly, so far from being an evil, ar
g. natural business evolution and max
for the general prosperity OF our land
We do not wish to destroy corporations
We wish to make them subserve the pub
lie good.
'All individuals, rich or poor, privat
or corporate, must be subject to the lay
of the land, and the government will hol
them to a rigid obedience thereto. Th
biggest corporation, like the humblest pri
vate citizen, must be held to strict com
pliance with the will Of the people as ex
pressed in the fundamental law.