Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1903-04-09

j.
outside the opera house as were al
lowed to enter and this is not as it
should be.
ABOUT TRUSTS.
In his Milwaukee speech the presi-
dent spoke on what has been done
during the last eighteen months, in
I; the way Of legislation and enforce
ment Of legislation. in controlling
and regulating trusts. The great
majority of American people are not
against wealth as such whether indi-
vidual or corporate. We do not desire
the abolition or destruction Of big
corporations, but only to see them
regulated and controlled 80 far as
may be necessary to subserve the pub.
lie good. I'VE should Ire false to the
historic principles Of our government
if we Disseminated, either by legis-
lation or administration, either for
or against man because Of either his
wealth or his poverty. There is no
proper place in our society either for
the rich man who uses the power con-
ferred by his riches to enable him to
Oppress and wrong his neighbors, nor
yet for the demagogic agitator who,
instead of attacking abuses as all
abuses should be attacked wherever
found, attacks property, attacks pros
perity, attacks men of wealth, as
such. whether they be good or bad,
attacks corporations whether they
do well or i'll, and seeks in a spirit Of
Ignorance or rancOr, to overthrow the
very foundations upon which rests
our national well-being.'' =
The extraordinary Industrial changes
of the last half century, notably of
the last two or three decades, have
given rise to many problems unknown
to our fOrefathers. These changes
are accompanied with many evils,
some of which cannot be cured by
law. "We know we'll the danger of
false remedies, and we are against all
violent, radical and unwise changes.
But we believe that by proceeding
slowly, yet resolutely, with good
sense and moderation, and also with
"a firm determination not to be
Swerved from our course either by
foolish clamOr or by any base or sinis-
ter influence, we can accomplish much
for the betterment of conditions
These steps represent a very SUBJ
stantial achievement, but further
it is not at present advisable to go
in the way Of legislation. The effort
{ has so far succeeded because it has
been made in spirit of common
sense, as far removed as possible from
rancOr, hysteria, and unworthy
demagOgic appeal. In the same
spirit the laws will continue to be
enforced.
The president Concluded !:
sMany of the alleged remedies ad-
vocated are of the unpleasantly
drastic type which seeks to destroy
the disease by killing the patient.
Others are so obviously futile that it
is somewhat difficult to treat them
seriously or as being advanced in good
faith. High among the latter
place the effort to reach the trust
question by means of the tariff. You
can, of course, put an end to the
prosperity of the trusts by putting
an end to the prosperity of the ma
tion; but the price for such action
seems high.
The alternative is to do exactly
what has been done during the life Of
the congress which has just closed
that is, to endeav0r, not to destroy
corporations, but to regulate them
with a view of doing away with
whatever is of evil in them and of
making them subserve the public use.
The law is not to be administered in
the interest of the poor man as such,
nor yet in the interest of the rich
man as such, but in the interest of
law-abiding man, rich or poor. We
are 80 more against organizations of
capital than against organizations Of
labor. We welcome both, demanding
only that each shall do right and
snail remember its duty to the repub-
lie. Such a course we consider not
merely benefit to the poor man, but
a benefit OF the rich man. We do no
man an injustice when we require him
to obey the la. On the contrary if
he is a man whose safety and we'll
being depend in peculiar degree up
on the existence of the spirit Of law
and order, we are rendering him the
greatest service when we require him
to be himself an exemplar of that
spirit
Reference is made to the establish
ment Of the department of labor and
commerce, much good work being ex-
pected from it. The evils of rebates
allowed by the railroads and the ex-
tent to which they prevailed are
pointed out. As a result of these un-
just practices, many smaller shippers