The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-04-07
ROOSEVELT ON TRUSTS
President Gives His Views on Sub
ject at Milwaukee Banquet.
TIE LAWS WILL BE ENFORCED
Measures Passed By Fisty-seventh
Congress VIII BE Rioidly Applied to
NioIators - lndiscriminate Leoisla.
ton Would BRING Ruin.

ton Would Bring Ruin.
Milwaukee. April 4. - President
Roosevelt was the guest of the Mil.
Taukee Merchants and Manufacturers
Association at a banquet at the Plan
Linton House last night. The pres
ident sat in the center OF long table
with other guests OF honor At his
immediate right sat United States
Senator Quarles. while +. A. Wad
hams. president OF the Milwaukee
Merchants and Manufacturers Asso-
citation. and postmaster of the occa-
sion, 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. and
spoke in part as follows.
/ wish GO speak 20 you on the ques-
ton ol 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 Is months. the period
covering tho two sessions Of the 57th
congress. I think / speak for the
great majority OF the American peo-
pie when I say that we are not in the
least against wealth as such, whether
individual fr f..
~ desire TO see any abuse of corporate
or combined wealth corrected and
remedied; that we do not desire the
abolition or destruction of big cor.
porauons, but. on the contrary. recog-
nize them as being in many cases eff
cient economic instruments, the re-
suits of an inevitable process of eco
nomic evolution. and only desire TO
see them regulated and controlled so
far as may be necessary to subserve
the public good
In its wisdom congress enacted the
very important law providing a de-
Dartment of commerce and labor. and
further providing therein under the
secretary OF commerce and labor for
n commissioner of corporations. charg-
ed with the duty of supervision Of and
OF making intelligent investigation in
to the organization and conduct OF
corporations engaged in Interstate
commerce. His powers to expose il
legal or hurtful practices and to OBJ
tain all information needful for the
purposes OF further intelligent legisla-
ton seem adequate; and the publicity
justifiable and proper for public pur-
poses is satisfactorily guaranteed 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 TO the people Of the great
corporations
Some is months ago the industrial
commission. an able and non-partisan
body. reported to con gress the result
of their investigation of trusts and in
dustrial combinations. One of the
most important of their conclusions
was that Determinations In freight
rates and facilities were granted to
favored shippers by the railroads and
that these determinations clearly
tended toward the control of produc-
ton and prices in many fields of bust
ness by large combinations.
Congress- having had it's attention
drawn to the matter, enacted a most
important anti-rebate law, which
greatly strengthens the Interstate
commerce law. This new law prohib-
its under adequate penalties the Civ
ing and as we'll the demanding or re-
ceiying of such preferences. and pro
vides the preventive remedy of in
junction. The vigorous administration
of this law. and it will be enforced.
will. it is hoped. afford a substantial
remedy for certain trust evils which
have attracted public attention and
have created public unrest
All of this represents a great and
substantial advance in legislation. But
more important even than legislation
Is the administration of the law. The
constitution enjoins upon the presi-
dent that he shall toke care that the
laws be faithfully executed. and under
this provision the attorney general
formulated policy which was in ef-
feet nothing but the rigid enforce
ment. by suits managed with con
summate skill and ability. both of the
antitrust law and of the imperfect
provisions of the act to regulate CON-
merce. The first step taken was the
prosecution Of II suits against the
principal railroads of the middle west.
restraining them by Injunction from
further violations OF either of the laws
IN question.
The people may wisely, and with
confidence. await the results which are
reasonably to be expected from the
impartial enforcement of the laws
which have recently been placed unon
the statute BOOKS. Legislation or q
general and indiscriminate character
would be sure to fail. either because
it would involve all interests in a
common ruin, or because It would not
really reach any evil. We have en-
deavored 20 provide a discriminating
adaptation of the remedy 10 the real
mischief