The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-04-09
PRESIDENTS SPEECH
Meets With Great OvatiGns at All
Stopping Places.
A Big SPEECH IN MILWAUKEE,
He Addresses the Wisconsin, Lesissa-
ture and Afterwards Speaks 10 q
Much Larger Audisrce.

Milwaukee, SpScial. - SSiu
Roosevelt was the guest CT the M
waukee Merchants ald ManufacI2:-
ers' Association ct banquet at TIE
Plankington House Friday night, the
occasion being the climax CT the Gay.
The President sat in tic centre cl
long table with ether guests CO hca3.::
At his immediate right, set C..'cd
States Senator QuaTieS, while +. y.
Wadhams, president of the Milwaukee
Merchants and Manufacturers Aa-O-
citation and toastmaster or the &C.
cas;on was seated at his icit. Ate: the
banquet had been served, Toastmastaf
Wadhams introduced Presii1lt Rocse-
welt who responded to the toast The
President OF the United States" The
President took occasion to give his
views on the subject of trusts.
Mr.. Roosevelt's speech in Part fo!-
lows:
Mr.. Toastmaster. Gentlemen:
| wish to speak to you Oh the CUES
ton Of the control ard regulation oI
those great corporations which are
popularly, although rather vagrei",
known as trusts; declinG mostly with
what has actually been accomplished
in the way CT legislation ana il the
way of enforcement CT legislation du"-
ing the past eighteen months, the
period covering the two sessions CT
the Fifty-seyenth Congress. At the
outset l shall ask you to remember
that | do not approach the subject
either from the standpoint Of those
who speak OF themselves aS antitrust
or anti-corpoTation people, nor yet
from the standpoint OF those who are
fond Of denying the existence os evils
in the trusts. or who apparently pro-
ceed upon the assumption tnat il
corporation is large enough it can do
wrong.
DESTRUCTION OF BIG CORPORA
TIONS NOT DESIRED.
I think | speak for the great ma
jority of the American people when |
say that we are not in the least
against wealth as such, whether in
dividual or corporate; that we merely
desire to see any abuse Of corporate
or combined wealth corrected and
remedied; that we do not desire the
abolition or destruction Of big corpora
tions, but, nthe contrary, recognize
them as being in many cases efficient
economic instruments, the results Of
an inevitable process of economic evo-
luton, and only desire to see them
regulated and controlled so far as may
be necessary to subserve the public
good. We should be false to the his
toric principles Of our government If
We Disseminated, either by legisla-
ton or administration, either for or
against a man Of either his wealth or
his poverty. There is no proper place
in our society either for the rich man
who uses the power conferred by his
riches to enable him to Cypress and
wrong his neighbors, nor yet for the
demagogic agitator who, instead Of at
tacking abuses as all abuses should
be attacked wherever found, attracks
property, attacks prosperity, attacks
men Of wealth, as such, whether they
be good or bad, attacks corporations
whether they do we'll or i'll, and seeks,
in spirit Of ignorant rancor, to over
throw the very foundations upon
which rest our national well-being.
In consequence of the extraordinary
industrial changes of the last half
century and notably Of the last two or
three decandes, changes due mainly
to the rapidity and complexity of our
industrial growth, We are confronted
with problems which in their present
shape were unknown to our fore
fathers. Our great prosperity with its
accompanying concentration of popu-
lation and Of wealth, its extreme speci-
alization Of faculties, and it's develop
ment of giant industrial leaders, has
brought much good and some evil.
and it is as foolish to ignore the good
as wilfully to blind ourselves to the
evil.
REMEDIES FOR A PORTION OF
THE EVIL.
The evil has been partly in inevi-
table accompaniment Of the social
changes, and where this is the case it
can be cured neither by law or by the
administration of the law, the only
remedy lying in the slow change of
character and of economic environ
ment. But for portion Of the evil, at
least, We think that remedies can be
found. We know we'll the danger of
false remedies, and we are against all
violent, radical and unwise change.
But we believe that by proceeding
slowly, yet resoluteIy, with good sense
and moderation, and also with firm
determination not to be swerved from
our course either by foolish clamor or
by any base or sinister influence. we
can accomplish much for the better
ment of conditions.
FORMER SPEECHES RECALLED.
Nearly two years ago, speaking at
the State Fair in Minnesota, | said:
1T is probably true that the large ma
jority of the fortunes that now exist
in this country have been amassed, not
by injuring our people, but IS an incl
dent to the comforting CT great benefits
upon the community. and this, no mat
ter what may have been the conscious
purpose of these amassing them. There
is but the scantiest justification for
most Of the outcTy against the men
of wealth as such; and it ought to be
unnecessary to state that any appeal
which directly or indirectly leads to
suspicion and hatred among ourselves,