The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1903-04-11
TREATS OF TRUSTS.
President Roosevelt Delivers Ad-
dress Reviewing the Problem.
Psblie;ty TO he brought About
Through New DepartnSen mt of Com
merce and Labor-suits Pros
ecuted by the Government.

address delivered at Milwaukee. April ..
1909
In cons equence of the extraordin-
ary industrial changes of the last
half century, and notably of the last
two or three decades, changes due
mainly to the rapidity and complex
ity of our industrial growth, we are
confronted with problems which In
their present shape were unknown to
our forefathers. Our great prosper
ity, with its accompanying concentra-
ton of population and of wealth, its
extreme specialization of faculties,
and its development of giant indus
trial leaders, has brought much good
and some evil, and II is as foolish to
ignore the good as willfully to blind
ourselves 10 the evil.
The evil has been partly the in
cvitable accompaniment of the So
cial changes, and where this is the
case il can be cured neither by law
nor by the administration of the law,
the only remedy lying in the slow
change of character and of economic
environment But for n portion of
the evil. at least, we think that rene
dies can be found.
In it's 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
a commissioner Of corporations,
charged with the duty of supervision
of and of making intelligent inyesti-
cation into the organization and con-
duct of corporations engaged in inter-
pose Illegal or hurtful practices and
to obtain all information needful for
the purposes of further intelligent
legislation seem adequate; and the
publicity justifable and proper for
public purposes is satisfactorily
guaranteed.
But much though this is, it is only
a part of what has been done in the
effort to ascertain and correct i'm
proper trust or monopolistic prac-
tees. Some IS months ago the in
dus;rial commission, an able and non
partisan body, reported to congress
the result Of their investigation of
trusts and industrial combinations.
One of the most important of their
conclusions was that determinations
in freight rates and facilities were
granted favored shippers by the rail-
roads and that these determinations
clearly tended toward the control of
production and prices in many fields
OF business by large combinations.
That this conclusion was justifiable
was shown by the disclosures in the
investigation of railroad methods pur-
sued in the fall and winter of 1901
1902. II was then shown that GER
tain trunk lines had entered into un-
lawful agreements as to the trans
portation of food products from the
west to the Atlantic seaboard, Civ
ing few favored shippers rates
much below the tariff charges i'm
posed upon the smaller dealers and
the general public. These unjust
practices had prevailed to such an ex-
tent and for so long time that
many of the smaller shippers had
fbcen driven out of business, until
practically one buyer of grain on
each railway system had been able
by his illegal advantages to secure
monopoly on the line with which his
secret compact was made; this mo-
mopoly enabling him to fix the price
ITO both producer and consumer.
1t is clear that corporations Great
ed for quasi public purposes, clothed
for that reason with the ultimate
power of the state to take private
property against the will of the own
or, hold their corporate powers as
carriers In trust for the fairly Impair
tial service of all the public. Favor
i,ism in the use of such powers. UNI
Justly enriching some and uniustly
impovcrishing others. discriminating
in favor of some places and against
others, is palpably violative of plain
principles Of justice. Such n practice
unchecked is hurtful in many ways.
Congress, having had its attention
drawn to the matter, enacted most
important anti-rebate law, which
greatly strengthens the interstate
commerce law. This new law prohib-
ITS uEder adequate penalties the Civ
Ing and as well the demanding or re-
cciring of such preferences, and pro-
vides the preventive remedy of in
junction.
All of this represents great and
substantial advance in legislation.
But more important even than legis-
Lation is the administration OF the
law, and ! ask your attention for a
moment to the way in which the law
has been administered by the pro-
found jurist and fearless public serv-
ant who now occupies the position of
attorney general. Mr.. Knox. The
constitution enjoins upon the presi-
dent that he shall take care that the
laws be faithfully executed, and UNI
der this provision the attorney gen.
cra' formulated policy which was
in effect nothing but the rigid en-