Los Angeles herald., 1905-05-09
TALKS To DENVER CITIZENS
ON SUBJECT
JUSTICE FOR ALL HIS THEME
Elaborate Banquet Is rendered Mr..
Roosevelt at the Brown Palace
HoteI-Speech Contains Inn
portant Utterances
BY Associated Press.

DENVER, May S.-The entertain
ment of President Roosevelt by the
citizens of Denver tonight was fit
ting conclusion of a day of royal well
come as he journeyed through the
state of Colorado from Glenwood
Springs. All the townspeople along
the Denver & Rio Grande railroad,
over which the presidential party trav-
eled, gathered at the stations to greet
the president, ,and every evidence of
good will was seen and heard.
The crowning event came tonight In
the form of banquet rendered Presi-
dent Roosevelt by the Denver chamber
of commerce at the Brown Palace ho-
tel. This was perhaps the most sump-
tuous affair ever held in the state, and
the president was visibly pleased by
the picture that unfolded itself to his
eyes as he entered the banquet hall.
Promptly at $50 o'clock the last
course of the elaborate menu was fin
ished and President James Temple of
guests to order and introduced Chief
Justice William H. Gabbert, who act
ed as toastmaster. In a brief speech
Justice Gabbert introduced the presi-
dent. who rose amid cheers and re-
sponded to the toast, "The Nation"
The Presidents Speech
After discussing various questions Of
interest, particularly to Colorado, the
president took up the question of rail-
road rate legislation as follows:
'I want to say word as to a gov
ernmental policy in which I feel that
this whole country ought to take
great interest and which is itself but
part of the general policy Of extending
the powers of the interstate commerce
commission and of giving them par
ticularly the power to fix rates .and to
have the rates that they fix go into
effect practically at once. AS l say,
that represents in my mind part of
what should be the general policy of
this country, the policy of giving not
to the state but to the national gov
ernment an increased regulatory power
over corporations.
1.-THE first step, and to my mind the
most important step, Is connected with
giving such power over the great trans
portation corporations of this country.
1 was going to say when the first
pioneers came to Colorado, but that
would hardly be so, but in the days of
the fathers of the oldest among you
~.
nations were what they had always
been-that is, waterways and roads
Therefore they were open to all who
chose to travel upon them.
The New System
"Within the last two generations we
have seen a system grow up under
which the old methods were complete
ly revolutionized and now the typical
highway of commerce is, of course, the
railroad. Compared to the railroad the
ordinary road for wheeled vehicles and
the waterway, whether natural or arti-
fetal, have lost all their Importance.
Here in Colorado, for instance, it Is the
railroads which, of course, are the only
highways that you need take into ac-
count in dealing with the question of
commerce in the state or outside of the
state. Therefore, under this changed
system we see highways of commerce
grow up, each of which is controlled by
single corporation or Individual.
sometimes several of them being con-
trolled in combination by corporations
or by few individuals. When such Is
the case in my judgment it Is abso-
lutely necessary that the nation, for
assume a supervisory and regulatory
function over the great corporations
which practically control the highways
of commerce.
Emphasizes Two Points
Nov fix clearly in your minds two
facts at the outset. AS with everything
else mundane when you get that SUI
pervisory and regulatory power on be-
half of the nation, you will not have
cured all the evils that have existed
and you will not equal the expecta-
tions OF the amiable, but ill-regulated
enthusiast, who thinks that you will
have cured all those evils. A measure
of good will come, some good will be
done, some injustice will have been
prevented, but we shall be a long way
from the millennium. Get that fact
clear in your mind and wou will be saw
ing for yourself store of incalculable
disappointment in the future. That is
the first thing.
"Now, for the second and even the
more important: When you give a
nation more power remember that
harm and not good will come from Civ
ing 1t unless you give 1t with the firm
determination not only to get justice
for yourselves but to do justice to 9TH
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