Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1903-04-08
PRESIDENTS SPEECH
Meets With Great 0yatiOns at All
Stopping Places.
A BIG SPEECH IN MILWAUKEE,
He Addresses the Wisconsin LegisIa-
ture and Afterwards Speaks to
Much Larger Audience.

Milwaukee. Special. = President
Roosevelt was the guest of the Mil
waukee Merchants and Manufacture
ers' Association at banquet at the
PlankinGton House Friday night, the
occasion being the climax of the day.
The President sat in the centre Of
long table with other guests of honor.
at his immediate right, sat United
States Senator Quarles, while e. A.
Wadhams, preside mt of the Milwaukee
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
citation and toastmaster of the oc-
casion was seated at his left. After the
banquet had been served. Toastmaster
Wadhams introduced President Roose-
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 fol
lows:
Mr.. Toastmaster. Gentlemen:
| wish to speak to you on the QueS-
ton Of the control and regulation OF
those great corporations which are
popularity, although rather vaguely.
known as trusts; dealing mostly with
what has actually been accomplished
IN the way OF legislation and in the
way OF enforcement of legislation dur
ing the past eighteen months. the
period covering the two sessions OF
the Fifty-seventh Congress. At the
outset | shall ask you to remember
that | do not approach the subject
either from the standpoint of those
who speak OF themselves as antitrust
oT anti corporation people. nor yet
from the standpoint of those who are
tond OF denying the existence of evils
In the trusts. or who apparently pro-
ceed upon the assumption that If a
corporation is large enough it can do
wrong.
OBSTRUCTION OF BIG CORPORA
TIONS NOT DESIRED.
/ think l speak for the great ma
lority OF the American people when !
say that we are not in the least
against wealth as such, whether in
nVldual or corporate; that we merely
neslre TO see any abuse of corporate
Or combined wealth corrected and
remedied; that we do not desire the
abolition or destruction of big corpora.
IONS, but. o nthe contrary, recognize
them as being in many cases efficient
economic instruments, the results of
IN inevitable process of economic evo-
utlon. and only desire to see them
regulated ana controlled so far as NAV
De necessary to subServe the public
tOllc principles of our government If
We Disseminated. either by legisla-
ion or administration. either for or
against man OF either his wealth or
us poverty. There is no proper place
II our society either for the rich man
VINO uses the power conferred by his
riches to enable him to oppress and
wrong his neighbors. nor yet for the
1einaSogic aSitator who. instead of at
lacking abuses as all abuses should
ce attacked wherever found. attracks
property. attacks prosperity, attacks
men OF wealth, as such. whether they
oe good or bad, attacks corporations
whether they do well or i'll. and seeks
IN a spirit OF ignorant rancor to over.
,hrow the very foundations upon
winch 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
10 the rapidity and complexitv of our
industrial growth. we are confronted
with problems which in their present
shape were unknown to o.r fore
fathers. Our great prosperity with its
accompanying concentration of popu-
'ation and OF wealth. its extreme speci-
elization of faculties. and its deveIon-
- cAahI iAlOuollIdI lSdUclS. mas
brought much good and some evil
and 1t iG as foolish to ignore the good
as wllfully to blind ourselves 10 the
evil 'A0
hEMEDlES FOR PORTION OF
TUE EVIL.
Ihe evil has been partly in ineyi-
table accompaniment of the social
changes, and where this is the case Il
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 q portion of the evil at
ieest. We think that remedies can no
round. We know well the danger os
raise remedies, and we are against all
violent, radical and unwise change.
But we believe that by proceeding
slowly, yet resolutely, with good sense
ana "ooerauon, and also with a firm
oetefmlnation not to be sweryed from
cur course either by foolish clamor or
by any base or sinister influence we
can accomplish much for the better
ment of ccAdltions.
FORMER SPEECHES RECALLED
Nearly tho years ago. sDeakinp at
the State Fair in Minnesota. said.
1t is. probably true that the large ma
!oEi.y Oh the fortunes that now exist
IN TINS country have been amassed nor
Dy inrring our people. but as an Incl
uent TO the comforting of great benefits
upon the community. and this. no mat
ter what may have been the conscious
purpose or those amassing them. There
is nut the scantiest justification for
NEST OF the cutlery against the men
oi wealth as such; and IL ought to he
unnecessary to state that any aDpeal
which directly. or indirectly leads 10