The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-12
Roosevelt Hits the Trust
Again.
Continued from Page One)

J the revenue with efficiency and hon
! esty has completely discouraged all
| revolutionary movement, while it has
| already produced such an increase in
| the revenues that the government is
| actually getting more from the forty.
| five per cent. that we turn over to II
| than it got formerly when it took the
| entire revenue. This is enabling tbs
| poor harrassed people of Santo Do.
| mingo once more to turn their atten-
! ton to industry and to be free from
| the curse of interminable revolution
airy disturbance. 1t offers to all bona
| fde creditors, American and Euro
pean. the only really good chance to
obtain that to which they are justly
| entitled while it in return gives t..
Santo Domingo the only opportunity
| of defense against claims which it
| ought not to pay-fOr now if it meets
the views of the Senate we shall our
! selves thoroughly examine all these
claims, whether American or foreign,
and see that none that are improper
! are paid.
Under the present arrangement the
| independence of the island is scrupu-
| lousy respected, the danger of viola
| ton of the Monroe Doctrine by the
| intervention of foreign power vaniShes,
and the interference of our govern
ment is minimiZed The
|
| any need of our establishing any kind
of protectorate over the island and
! gives the people of Santo Domingo
the same chance to move onward and
upward which we have already
given to the people of Cuba.
Control of Corporations.
zone of the main features of our
national governmental policy should
be the effort to secure adequate and
effective supervisory and regulatory
control over all great corporations do
ing an interstate business. Much OF
the Legislation aimed to prevent the
evils connected with the enormous de-
Velopment of these great corporations
has been ineffective, partly because l.
aimed at doing too much and partly
because it did not confer on the gov,
eminent really efficient method OF
holding any guilty corporation to &C
count. The effort to prevent all re-
straint of competition, whether harm
full or beneficial, has been ill-judged,
what is needed is not 50 much the eff
fort to prevent combination as IL Wig
liant and effective control of the COM
binatiOnS formed, so as to secure just
and equitable dealing on their part
alike toward the public generally, to-
ward their smaller competitors, and to-
ward the wage workers in their en-
plOy.
Under the present laws we have i'll
the last four years accomplished much
that is of substantial value; but tbs
difficulties in the way have been so
great as to prove that FURTHER
LEGISLATION Is ADVISABLE.
Many corporations show themselves
honorably DESTROYS to obey the law
but unfortunately some corpora
tons. and very wealthy ones at
that, exhaust every effort which
can he suggested by the highest abii'
ity, or secured by the most lavish eX-
penditurc of money. to defeat the pur-
poses of the laws on the statute books.
mot only the men in control OF
these corporations, but the business
world generally, ought to realize that
such conduct is in every way perilous,
and constitutes a menace to the nation
generally, and especially to the peo-
pie Of great property.
Il earnestly believe that this is true
of only a relatively small portion OF
the very rich men engaged in handling
the largest corporations IN the coun-
try; but the attitude of these compare
lively few men does undoubtedly harm
the country, and above all harm the
men of large means, by the just, but
sometimes misguided. popular indig-
solidation in the form of what are
popularity called trusts of corporate
interests of immense value has tend
ed to produce unfair restraints on
trade of an oppressive character, and
these unfair restraints tend to create
great artificial monOpolies. The viola
tons of the law known as the anti
trust law, which was meant to meet
the conditions thus arising, have more
and more become confined to the lar
ger combinations, the very ones
against whose policy of monopoly ami
oppression The policy of the law was
chiefly directed. Many of these cOm~
binatiOns BY SECRET METHODS
and by prOtractCd litigation are still
unwiscIy SEEKING TO AVOID THE
CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR HE
GAL ACTION. The government has
very properly exercised moderation in
attempting TO enforce the criminal pro-
visions of the statute; but it has be-
come our conviction that in sOnn'
cases, such as that Of at least certain
of the beef packers recently indicted iii
Chicago, it is impossible longer TO show
Ieniency. Moreover if the existing law
proves to be inadequate, so that under
established rules of evidence clear VIC,
lations may not be readily proved, de-
fance of the law must inevitably lead
to further legislation. This legislation
may be more drastic than / would pre-
fer. If so, it must be distinctly UNI
derStOOd that it will be because OF the
stubborn determination of some OF the
great combinations in striving to pre-
vent the enforcement of the law rs IL
stands. by every device, legal and IL
legal. Very many of these men seem
to think that the alternative is simply
between submitting to the mild klnd
of governmental control we advocate
and the absolute freedom to do what
ever they think best. They are greaI'
" in error. Either they will nave 10
submit to reasonable supervision ana
regulation by the national authorities,
or else they will ultimately have to
submit TO governmental action OF ii.i
more drastic type III.
GREAT CORPORATIONS ARE
| THEMSELVES TO BLAME if by their
oDDOsition to what is legal and just
they foster the popular feeling which
calls for smell drastic action.
81 believe that all corporations en-
gagged in interstate commerce should
he under The supervision OF the no.
tionaI government. | do not believe in
taking steps hastily or rashly, and It