The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-12

i
solution is simply the spirit OF honesty
OF courage and OF common sense
| The action OF the Attorney General II
enforcing the Antitrust and Interstate
Commerce laws and the action OF the las
| Congress In enlarging the scope OF the In
| the Department Of Commerce and Labor
| with a Bureau OF Corporations have fol
| the first time opened chance for the Ma
| tional Government to deal intelligently ano
| adequately with the questions affecting
society, whether for good or for evil, be.
cause OF the accumulation OF capital ir
great corporations, and because OF the new
relations caused thereby. These laws are
now being administered with entire effi.
cheney; and as, In their working, need n
whether better to secure the proper pub,
licity or better to guarantee the rights o.
shippers, or in any other direotion-this
need will be met. 1t Is now asserted that
the common law, as developed, ahords q
complete legal remedy against monop r.
United States. Its rules can be enforced
only by the State courts and officers. NO
Federal court or officer could take any action
whatever under them. II was this fact
coupled with the inability OF the States 70
control trusts and monopolies, which led
as the Sherman Antitrust act and the
Interstate Commerce act; and II Is only
through the exercise OF the powers con-
ferred by these acts, and by the statutes
Of the last Congress supplementing them,
that the National Government acquires
any Jurisdiction over the subject. To say
that action against trusts and monopoliee
should be limited to the application OF the
common law is equivalent to saying that
the National Government should take no
action whatever to regulate them.
Undoubtedly, the multiplication OF trusts
md thatr In IL, ha Iar0alv
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 Ma
tional Government to do their duty in this
matter is certainly not wholly undeserved
dent McKinley's Is concerned; but 1t has no
application at all to Republican administra-
tion. 1t is also undoubtedly true that what
Is most needed is officials having both the
disposition and the courage to enforce
existing law This is precisely the need
steadily continued action Of the Depart
ment Of Justice under the present admin
istration.
So far as the rights Of the individual
wage worker and the individual capitalist
are concerned. both as regards one an
other, as regards the public. and as re-
position Of the Administration has been
SO clear that there is no excuse for mis-
representing 1t and no ground for oppos-
ing 1t unless misrepresented. Within the
limits defined by the national Constitution
the national Administration has sought
of his right to live his life and dispose Of
his property and his labor Ms he deems
best, so long as he wrongs no one else.
It has shown In effective fashion that In
endeavoring to make good this guarantee
1t treats all men, rich or poor, whatever
as standing alike before the law. Under
our form Of government the. sphere In
which the nation as distinguished from.
the State can act Ia narrowly circumscribed
but within that sphere all that could be
done has been done. All thinking men are
of action Of the National Government in
such matters Being ourselves mindful OF
them, we have been scrupulously careful
on the one hand to be moderate In our
promises, and on the other hand to keep
these promises In letter and In spirit Our
considerations They have promised. and
many Of them now promise, action which
they could by, no possibility take In the
exercise Of constitutional power. and which
If attempted would bring business to a
s S,s LANGUAGE Of Wild invective and appeal
to all the baser passions which tend to exotic
one set Of Americans against their fellow
Americans; and yet whenever they have
had power they have fttingly supplemented
this e1travagance Of promise by absolute
nullity In performance
Citizens Protected Abroad.
This Government Is based upon the fun
damental idea that each man, no matter
what his occupation, his race or his religious
belief, is entitled to be treated on his worth
as a man, and neither favored nor dis
against because OF any accident
In his position. Even here at home there is
painful difficulty In the effort to realize
this ideal; and the attempt to secure from
other nations acknowledgment Of 1t some
times encounters obstacles that are we'll
nigh insuperable; for there are many nations
which in the soS S oo q r the ss
principles which Americans regard as
axiomatic obtain any recognition whatever.
One of the chief difficulties arises in con-
neotion with certain American citizens OF
foreign birth, or OF par tcular creed, who
stance, refuses to admit and protect Jews.
Turkey refuses to admit and protect GER
tain scots Of Christians. This Govern
ment has consistently demanded equal
protection abroad for all American citizens.
whether native or paturalized. On March
n, lSuS, ESCTelhIy A1uy ochb q iottci vi
structions o all the diplomatic and consular
officers Of the United States in which he
said: This Department does not dis
criminate between native born and natural
lied citizens in according them protection
while they are abroad, equality qua OF treat
United States" These orders to our agents
abroad have been repeated again and again,
and are treated as the fundamental rule Of
conduct laid down for them, proceeding
noon the theory "that all naturalised citizens
on the United States while in foreign coun-
tries are entitled TO and shall receive from
this Government the same protection OF
persons and property which is accorded
to native born citizens, In issuing pass
ports the State Department never dis
eliminates or alludes to any mans re-
Iinion; and In granting to every American
citizen native or naturalized, Christian
Or Jew, the same passport, so far as 1t has
power It insists that all foreign Govern
nents shall accept the passport as prima
'acie proof that the person therein de-
scribed Ia q citizen Of the United States
and entitled to protection as such. II is
4 standing order to every American diplo-
matte and consular officer to protect every
American citizen, OF whatever faith, from
unjust molestation; and our officers abroad
have been stringently required to comply
with this order.
Under such circumstances the demand
Of our opponents that negotiations be be-
gun to secure equal treatment Of all Amen-
cans from those Governments which do
not now accord II shows either ignorance
Of the facts or insincerity. No change Of
policy In the method or manner OF negoti-