Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-12-10

President Rosevelt's message to the
second session of the Fifty-eighth Con-
gress is substantially as follows:
To the Senate and House of RepreSen-
tGtires:
The country is to be congratulated on
the amount of substantial achievement
which has marked the past year both as
regards our foreign and regards our
domestic policy.
With nation as with man the most
important things are those of the house
hold. and therefore the country is csre-
cially to be congratulated on what has
been accomplished in the direction of pro-
viding for the exercise of supervision
over the great corporations and combina-
tons of corporations engaged in Inter-
state commerce. The Congress has ere
ated the Department of Commerce and
Labor, including the Bureau of Corpora
lions, with for the first time authority to
secure proper publicity of such proceed
ingS of these great corporations as the
public has the right to know. 1t has pro-
vided for the eXpediting of suits for the
enforcement OF the Federal antitrust
law; and by another law it has secured
equal treatment to all producers in the
transportation of their goods. thus taking
a long stride forward in making effective
the work of the Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Department of Commerce and Labor.
The establishment of the Department
of Commerce and Labor. with the Bureau
of Corporations Hereunder. marks real
advance in the direction of doing all that
Is possible for the solution of the questions
vitality affecting capitalists and wage
workers.
Functions of New Department.
The preliminary work of the Bureau
of Corporations in the department has
shown the wisdom Of its creation. Pub
licity in corporate affairs will tend to do
away with ignorance. and will afford
facts upon which intelligent action may
be taken. Systematic. intelligent inves-
tigation Is already developing facts the
knowledge of which is essential to a right
understanding of the needs and duties of
the business world. The corporation
which is honestly and fairly organized.
whose managers in the conduct of its
business recognize their obligation to deal
S-uarely with their stockholders, their
competitors. and the public, has nothing
to fear from such supervision. The pur-
pose of this bureau is not to embarrass
or aSSail legitimate business, but to aid
in bringing about a better industrial con-
dition-a condition under which there
shall be obedience to law and recognition
of public obligation by all corporations,
great or small. The Department of Com
IIleTCe anu LdDOT Will De not only the
| clearing house for information regarding
| the business transactions of the nation
| but the executive arm of the government
| to aid in Strengthening our domestic and
| foreign markets, in perfecting our trans
portation facilities, in building up our
merchant marine, in preventing the en-
| trance of undesirable immigrants, in i'm
| proving commercial and industrial condi-
tons, and in bringing together on COM
mon ground those necessary partners in
industrial progress-capital and labor.
Commerce between the nations is stead
| lily growing in volume. and the tendency
of the times is toward closer trade rela
| lions. Constant watchfulness is needed
to secure to Americans the chance to par
| ticipate to the best advantage in foreign
| trade; and we may confidently expect
that the new department will justify the
| expectation of its creators by the exer-
else of this watchfulness, as we'll as by
the businesslike administration of such
| laws relating to our internal affairs as
are intrusted to its care.
| In enacting the laws above enumerated
the Congress proceeded on sane and con-
sentative lines. Nothing revolutionary
was attempted; but a common-sense and
successful effort was made in the direc-
tion of seeing that corporations are so
| handled as to subserve the public good.
| The legislation was moderate 1t was
characterized throughout by the idea that
we were not attacking corporations but
endeavoring to provide for doing away
| with any evil in them; that we drew the
line against misconduct. not against
wealth; gladly recognizing the great good
done by capitalists who alone. or in
conjunction with his fellows, does his
| work along proper and legitimate lines
The purpose of the legislation, which pur-
pose will undoubtedly be fulfilled, was to
favor such a man when he does well, and
to supervise his action only to prevent
him from doing i'll. Publicity can do no
harm to the honest corporation. The
only corporation that has cause to dread
| it is the corporation which shrinks from
| the light, and about the welfare of such
corpora lions we need not be oYersensitive.
The work of the Department of Com
ulerce and Labor has been conditioned
upon this theory, of securing fair treat
ment alike for labor and for capital.
Capital and Labor.
The consistent policy of the national
government, so far as it has the power.
is to hold in check the INSCRIPTIONS man.
whether employer or employe; but to re-
fuse to weaken individual initiative or
to hamper or cramp the industrial devel-
opment or the country. We recognize
| that this is an era of freedom and COM
bination, in which great capitalistIc cor
porations and labor unions have become
factors of tremendous Importance in all
| industrial centers. Hearty recognition is
given the far-reaching, beneficent work
both corporations and unions and the
line as between different corporations.
as between different unions is drawn as
1t is between different individuals; that
is. 1t is drawn on conduct, the effort be-
ing to treat both organized capitaI and
| organized labor alike; asking nothing
save the interest of each shall be brought
into harmony with the interest of the
general public. and that the conduct of
each shall conform to the fundamental
lrfa1a Of Aha To-
freedom, and OF justice and fair dealing
towards all. Whenever either corpora
| ton, labor union. or individual disre-
| CARDS the law or acts in a spirit of arbi-
trary and tyrannous interference with
! the rights of others, whether eorpora-
tions or individuals, then where the
| Federal Government has jurisdiction, 1t
will see to it that the misconduct is
stopped paying not the slightest heed to
| the position or power of the corporation,
the union or the individual, but only to
one vital fact-that Is, the question wheth-
er or not the conduct of the individual
or aggregate of individuals is in ac-
| cordance with the law of the land. Every
\ man must be guaranteed his liberty and
his right to do as he likes with his prop
erty or his labor, so long as he does not
| infringe the rights of others. No man is
above the law and no man is below IT.
nor do we ask any mans permission when
| we require him to obey it. Obedience to
the law is demanded as right; not asked
4 as a favor.
Receipts and Expenditures.
From all sources, exclusive of the pos
| tai service. the receipts of the govern
! ment for the last fiscal year aggregated
| $500. 1866 The expenditures for the
| same period were S5o6.099007. the surplus
for the fiscal year being So, 297.667. The
indications are that the surplus for the
present fiscal year will be very small. II
Indeed there be any surplus. From July
to November the receipts from customs
were, approximately. nine million dollars
less than the receipts from the same
source for corresponding portion OF last