The San Francisco call., 1904-09-12
Oppostons Lack of Policy on the Question of National
Finance Is Held Up to Ridcule

But it is difficult to respect an attitude OF
mind such as has been fairly described above.
and where there is respect there be no
trust A policy with so slender a basis OF
principle would not stand the strain OF a
single year OF business adversely.
We, on the contrary, believe in the gold
Of the business world, and in sound none
tary system matters Of principle; as mat
of permanent organic policy. In 1896 and again
in 1900 far-sighted men, without regard TO
their party fealty in the past, Joined to work
against what they regarded as debased Ron
etary system. The policies which they cham
pioned have been steadfastly adhered TO by
the administra ton; and by the act of March
IA. 1900 Congress established the single gold
standard the measure of our monetary
value. This act received the support of every
Republican in the House, and Of every Repub-
lican except one in the Senate. OF our oppo-
nents, eleven supported 1t in the House and
two in the Senate; and one hundred and
fifty opposed il in the House and twenty-efght
in the Senate. The record of the last seven
years proves that the party. now IN power
can be trusted to take the additional action
necessary to improve and strengthen our mon
etary system, and that our opponents cannot
be trusted. The fundamental fact Is that
in a popular government such as ours no
policy is irrevocably settled by law unless
the people keep in control of the Government
men who believe in that policy as matter OF
deep-rooted conviction. Laws can always be
revoked; ii is the spirit and the purpose OF
those responsible for their enactment and ad-
ministration which must be fixed and un-
chaAgeabIe. 1t Is idle to say that the none
tary standard of the nation is irrevocably fixed
50 long as the party which at the last cleo
tion cast approximately forty-Six per cent OF
the total vote refuses to put in its platform
any statement that the question is settled.
determination TO remain silent cannot be &C
cepted equivalent to a recantation. Until
our opponents a party explicitly adopts the
views which we hold and upon which we
have acted and acting, in the matter OF a
sound currency. the only real way to keep
the question from becoming unsettled is to
keep the Republican party in power.
ante IN rafn
ence to capital and labor, individual or cor
porate, here again all we need by way OF
answer is to point to what we % nave "a actually lay
We shall continue to carry out the policy We
have been pursuing, and to execute the laws
as resolutely and fearlessly in the future as
we have executed them in the past. In my
speech Of acceptance / said
: we recognize the organization Of capital
and the organization of labor natural cut
comes of our industrial system. Each kind
of organization. Is to be favored So long as
for the rights Of others. Each is to be granted
the full protection of the law. and each in
turn is to be held to. strict obedience to the
law; for no man is above II and man
below It. The humblest individual is to have
his rights safeguarded as scrupulousy as
those of the strongest organization, for each
Is to receive Justice no more and no less The
problems with which we have to deal in our
modern industrial and social life are mani
fold but the spirit in which 1t Is necessary
to approach their solution is simply the spirit
of honesty, of courage and of common sense"
The action OF the Attorney General IN en-
forcing the antitrust and interstate commerce
laws, and the action of the last Congress in
charging the scope OF the interstate COM
merce law, and in creating the Department OF
Commerce and Labor, with Bureau of Cor
porations have for the first time opened a
chance for the National Government to deal
intelligently and adequately with the ques-
tions affecting society. whether for gool
or for evil, because OF the accumulation Of
capital in great corporations, and because of
the new relations caused thereby These laws
are now being administered with entire eff
cheney; and as, in their working, need IL
shown for amendment or addition to them
whether better to secure the proper publicity,
or better to guarantee the rights of shippers,
or in any other direction-ths need will be
law, as developed, affords a complete legal
remedy against monopolies." But there is no
rules can be enforced only by the State courts
and officers. No Federal court officer could
take any action whatever under them. It
the States to control trusts and monopolies,
which led to the passage OF the Federal stat
utes known as the Sherman antitrust act and
through the exercise of the powers conferred
by these acts. and by the statutes of the last
Congress experimenting them, that the Ma
tional Government acquires any jurisdiction
over the subject To say that action against
the application of the common law is equiva-
lent to saying that the National Government
should take no action whatever to regulate
them.
Undoubtedly the multiplication Of trusts
and their increase in power has been largely
due to the failure Of officials charged with
the duty of enforcing the law to take the
necessary procedure" Such structure upon
the failure Of the officials Of the National
Government TO do their duty IN this matter
is certainly, not wholly undeserved as far as
the administration preceding President Nc
Kinleys is concerned; but 1t has no appiica-
ton at all to Republican administration. 1t
Is also undoubtedly true that what is most
needed is Officials having both the disposi-
ton and the courage to enforce existing law
This Is precisely the need that has been met
by the consistent and steadily continued action
of the Department of Justice under the pres
ent administration.