The Elbert County tribune., 1904-12-08
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
READ TO CONGRESS
Document Deals VoluninousIy with
Questions of State---Tariff Left for
Future Comnunication---Po of
the Government Toward Organized
LaborDealing with Illegal Conabi-
nations.

| shortly lay before you in special mes
sage the fall report OF the investiga ton
of the bureau OF labor into the Colorado
mining strike. as this is strike in which
certain very evil forces. which are more
or less at work everywhere under the
conditions of modern industrialism. be.
came startlingly prominent.
Corporations.
When we come to deal with great cor
porations the need for the government to
act directly is far greater than In the
case of labor. because great corpora tions
can become such only by engaging in in
terstate commerce. and Interstate com
merce is peculiarly the field of the gen
eral government. 1t is an absurdity to ex-
peet to eliminate the abuses in great cor
porations by state action. II is difficult to
be patient with an argument that such
matters should be left TO the states. be-
cause more than one state pursues the
policy Of creating on easy terms corpora
tions which are never operated within
that state at ALL but in other states
whose laws they ignore. The national
government alone can deal adequately
with these great corporations. To try to
zeal with them in an Incorporate. de-
structive. or demagoglc spirit would. in
all probability, mean that nothing what
ever would be accomplished and. with
absolute certainty. that II anything were
accomplished It would be OF harmful
continue to show the very qualities that
they have shown-that is. moderation
good sense. the earnest desire to avoid
doing any damage. and yet the quiet de-
termination to proceed. step by step.
without halt and without hurry. In enm-
mating or at least in minimizing what
ever of mischief or of evil there is to in
terstate commerce in the conduct of
great corporations. They are acting in
no spirit OF hostility to wealth. either in
dividual or corporate. They are not
against the rich man any more than
against the poor man. On the contrary
they are friendly alike toward rich man
and toward poor man. provided only that
each acts in a spirit OF justice and de-
cency toward his fellows. Great corpora
tions are necessary. and only men of
great and singular mental power can
manage such corporations successfully.
and such man must have great rewards.
But these corporations should he man
aged with due regard to the interest of
the public whole. Where this can
be done under the present laws 1t must
be done. Where these laws come short
others should be enacted to supplement
them.
The bureau of corporations has made
careful preliminary investigation OF many
important corporations 1t will make a
special report on the beef industry.
Bureau of Corporations.
The policy of the bureau is to accom-
plish the purposes of its creation by CO
| operation. not antagonism: by making
constructive lcgisla ton. not destructive
prosecution. the immediate object OF its
inquiries: by conservative investigation
| of law and fact and by refusal to issue
incomplete and hence necessarily inaccu-
rate reports. Its policy being thus one
OF open inquiry into. and not attack up
on. business. the bureau has been able to
| gain not only the confidence but better
| still. the cooperation of men engaged in
legitimate business.
The bureau offers to the Congress the
means OF getting at the cost of produc-
ton of our various great staples of COM
merce.
Rebates.
Above all else. we must strive to keep
the highways of commerce open to all
on equal terms; and to do this IL is nee
essary to put a complete stop to all re-
bates. Whether the shipper or the rail-
road Is to blame makes no difference; the
rebate must be stopped. the abuses of
the private car and private terminal
track and side track systems must be
stopped. and the legislation of the Fifty
eighth Congress which declares It to be
unlawful for any person or corporation to
offer. grant, give. solicit. accept or re-
ceive any rebate. concession, or discrfrn-
ination in respect OF the transportation of
any property in interstate or foreign
commerce whereby such property shall
by any device whatever be transported
at a less rate than that named in the
tariffs published by the carrier must be
enforced. While am of the opinion that
at present 1t would be undesirable II 1t
We're not impracticable. finally to clothe
the Interstate Commerce Commission
with general authority to fix railroad
rates. do not believe that as n fair Sc
curity to shippers. the Commission should
hs, r.yit1
rate has been challenged and after full
hearing found to be unreasonable to de-
eide. subject to judicial review what
shall be a reasonable rate to take its
place; the ruling OF the commission to
take effect Immediately. and to obtain
unless and until 1t is reversed by the
court OF review. In my Judgment the
most important Legislative act now need
ed as regards the regulation OF corpora
tions Is this act to confer on the Inter
state Commerce Commission the power
to revise rates and regulations the re-
vised rate to at once go into effect. and
to stay in effect unless and until the
court of review reverses It,
Much space is here devoted to a
consideration of the problem of the
proper housing of the poor in our
great cities. and the Importance of a
proper solution of the question shown.
Oh tiiS oupJcSb tHe ihSSSd5e says.
There should be severe child-labor and
factory-inspection laws 1t is very desir-
able that married women should not --ork
in factories. The prime duty of the man
is to work. to be the breadwinner; the
prime duty of the woman is to be the
mother. the housewife. All questions of
tariff and finance sink into utter insig-
nifcance when compared with the tre-
mendous. the vital Importance OF trying
to shape conditions that these two
duties Of the man and OF the woman can
be fulfilled under reasonably favorable
circumstances. If race does not have
plenty of children. or If the children do
not grow up. or II when they grow up
they are unhealthy in body and stunted
or vicious in mind. then that race is de-
cadent. and no heaping up Of wealth. no
spiendor of momentary material prosper