Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-04-06

| inuiTectly leauS 10 suspicion and hat
| red among ourselves which tends 10
limit the opportunity and therefore to
| shut the door of success against poor
men OF talent. and, finally. which en-
| tails the possibility of lawlessness@ ana
violence, is an attack upon the funda-
mental principles of American citizen
ship. Our interests are at bottom COM
mon; in the long run We go up or
down together. Yet more and more
1t is evident that the state. and If ne
cessary the nation. has got TO possess
the right of supervision and control
as regards the great corporations
which are its creatures; particularly
as regards the great business combi-
nations which derive a portion of their
Importance from the existence of some
monopolistic tendency. The right
should be exercised with caution and
self-restraint, but II should exist, so
that it may be invoked If the occasion
arises"
In my message to congress in 1901
said:
In the interest of the whole people
the nation should. without interfering
with the power of the states in the
matter itself also assume power of
supervision and regulation over all
corporations doing an Interstate bust
ness"
The views thus expressed have now
received effect by the wise. conserva-
tive and yet far-reaching legislation
enacted by congress at its last session.
In its wisdom congress enacted the
very important law providing de-
partment of commerce and labor, and
further providing therein under the
secretary of commerce and labor. for
commissioner of corporations, charg-
ed with the duty OF supervision of and
of making intelligent investigation
into the organization and conduct of
corporations engaged in interstate
commerce. His powers to expose ille-
gal or hurtful practices and to obtain
all information needful for the purpos-
es of further Intelligent legislation
Seem adequate; and the publicity JUS
tifiable and proper for the purposes is
satisfactorily guaranteed. The law
was passed at the very end of the ses-
ness of its passage congress was not
able to provide proper equipment for
the new department; and the first
months must necessarily be spent in
the work of organization. and the first
Investigations must necessarily be OF
tentative character. The satisfac-
tory development of such system re-
quires time and great labor. Those
who are intrusted with the admins
tration of the new law will assuredly
administer it in spirit of absolute
fairness and justice and of entire fear
lessness, with the firm purpose not to
hurt any corporation doing a legiti-
mate business-on the contrary to
help it-and on the other hand not to
spare any corporation which may be
guilty of illegal practices, or the meth
DDS of which may make ii a menace
to the public welfare. Some substan-
tial good will be done in the immedi
ate future; and as the department gets
fairly to work under the law an ever
larger vista for good work will be 4.
opened along the lines indicated The
enactment of this law is one of the
most significant contributions which
have been made in our time toward
the proper solution of the problem of
the relations of the people of the
great corporations and corporate com
binations.
The president then reviewed at
length the work of curbing certain
combines and especially to the
law adopted prohibiting rebates to
shippers.
LONDON. April 4.-The papers to-
day all comment on President Roose-
vet's speech made in Chicago on the
Monroe Doctrine They are all dis
posed to heed the warning note con
tained in the address They think the
president is acting in the best of faith.
Some of the writers declare, however,
that trouble will arise whenever a
European power finds itself powerless
TO obtain redress from a Spanish
American republic unless by seizure of
territory. The newspapers want to
know why there should be a demand
for a stronger navy, as the Monroe
doctrine has been sanctioned by both
Great Britain and Germany. All Eng
land agrees that this speech of Presi-
dent Roosevelts has largely added to
his prestige abroad