The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-12-08
THE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Delivered to Congress Tuesday-Treats on Rate
Question, Panama Canal Insurance and
Many Other Questions.
TO Tho Senate and House Of Represen-


ENJOY great Prosperity. unuouptediy
tiere wni pe eDo t,iId now in sucn prvs- |
perlty, ana tins evD ANA now Wii pe |
ie,t inoie or t,ss w an MEMOIRS OF the
community, bo,n ny the deserving and
the unueserving. Against tne wro.h of
the Luru the wisuvin OF man can not
avail; IN tlmc OF mood or urougnt hu-
man bgenui,y can pat partiany repiur
the uis.,ster. A general ttIiurc OF crops
wouiu nurt all or us. Agdrn, II the fony
OF man mas the geneitl weii-being,
viii have 10 pay part OF the penaity IN
currcu py tIvse VINO are gunty or the
foiiy. A pane brought on uy the spec
uIauve toiIy OF part of the business
community wound nurt the Whole nusi-
ness community. Bdt such stoppage OF
welfare, Thought II might be severe,
would not rc tasting. In the long run
the one Vital tactOr In the permanent
prosperity ot the country u. the h'gn IN
0IvIuuai character Oh the average amer
lean worker. the average American citi-
zen, no matter whether his work be
mental or manual, whether he be farmer
or wage worker. business man OF pro-
in our Industrial and social system
the interests OF all men arc so closely In
tertwIled that In the immense majority
of cases n misunderstanding man who,
by his efficiency, by has ingenuity ana
Industry, benefits himself must also BEN
eft others. Normally tho man of great
productive capacity who becomes rich
by giidng the labor OF many other men
does SO by enabling them to produce
his guidance, and both he and they share
In .he benefit, which comes aiso to the
pubnc at large. The superficial fact that
the sharing may be unequal must never
blind us to the underlying fact that
there IL this sharing. and that the bene-
fit comes In some degree to each man
concerned. Normally the wage worker
the man of small means, and the aver
age consumer, as well as the average
producer, are all alike helped by making
conditions such that the man OF excep-
tial business ability receives an excep-
tion reward for his ability. Something
can 6e done 5y legislation , m s TO help Sn 'nS as
q permanently beneficial character can
be given to the less able and less fortu-
nSte % shHe sh ns she o fesuts ss on S H
Industrious and efficient people who act
decently; and this Is only another way
% h sSyiIhs I 'nsI e ANY ya p ess forsnmaie TG must
Of necessity come even more to the
more able and more fortunate. H. there
fore, the less fortunate man is moved
by envy OF his more fortunate brother
10 strike at the conditions under when
they have both, though unequaily, pros
pered the result will assursdly be that
struck at, IL will visit with an even
heavier load the one who strikes the
bow. Taken as a whole We must oil
80 up or do down together.
COnPORA iIUNS.
Yet, while not merely admitting, but In
sisuIig upon this, IL Is also truo that
where there is no governmental restraint
or supervision some of the exceptional
men use their enei gies not In wavs that
are for the common good. but In ways
which tell against this common good.
The fortunes amassed through corpor-
ate organizations are now so large,
and vest such power in those that wieiu
them, as to make II a matter of neces-
sity to give to the sovereign-that is, to
the government. which represents the
Of supervision over their corporate. use.
In order to insure n healthy social anu
/ Industrial life, every big cornoraton
Should be held responsible by. and be
accountable to, some sovereign strong
enough to control its conduct. am in
no sense hostile to corporations. TINS Is
to prevent all complnation win be not
only useless, but in the end vicious
because OF the contempt for law wn
the failure to enforce law inevitably
produces. We should. however, recog-
nize In cordial and ample fashion the
Immense good effected by corporate
and The wealth of intellect, energy and
fidelity devoted to their service, and
Tn. rcfore normally to the service OF tina
public, by their officers and directors.
The corporation has come to stay, Just
rs the trade union has come TO stay.
Each can do ana has done great rood
Each should he favored 20 long as II
does good. But each should be sharply
checked where it acts against law ant
justice. ~
so long as the finances of the nation
are kept upon an honest basis no other
question of internal economy with VI;
the congress has the power 70 ieai- be-
gins TO approach in Importance the mat
ter of endeayoring to secure proven in
dustrial conditions under which the ~
divid9als-and especially the great cor
are to act. The makers on our national
constitution provided especially that tho
regulation OF interstate commerce snou.
come within the sphere of the general
government. The arguments in favor of
their taking this stand were even then
overwhelming. But they are far strong
velopment of great business agencies.
usually corporate In form. Experience
has shown conclusively that 1t is useless
TO try to get any adequate regulation
and supervision of these great corpora.
tons by state action. Such regulation
exercised by sovereign whose jurisdic-
ton is co-extensive with the field of
work OF the corporations-that Is, by the
national government, | believe that this
tanned by the enactment of law bv the
congress. II this. proves impossible IL
Will certainly be necessary ultimately to
confer in fullest form such. power unon
the national government by proper
amendment OF the constitution. II would
cure such an % amendent M Hr ntii e IS 50 cer- es
tain that the result can not be obtained
under the constitution as IL now is. The
laws of the congress and OF the several
states hitherto, as "assed upon by the
courts. have resulted more often In
showing that the states have no power In
the matter than that the national gov
ernment Mas powert 50 that there at
present exists n very unfortunate con-
dition of things, under which these great
corporations doing an interstate basincss
occupy the position of subjects without
sovereign, neither any state govern
ment nor the national goyernment} hav-
Ing effective control over tnen.5 Our
steady aim should be by legislation, eau
tiousy and carefully undertaken! bu'
resolutely perseyered In. to assert tho
sovereignty of the national government
by affirmative action.
This is only In form an Innovation. In
substance Il Is merely restoration: toI
from the earllest time such regulation
nized by the action of the law making
bodies; and all that | propose is to meet
me EN- ehangen f Soh,lons tba non n, sncn annei
dicating the power II has always pos
Bessed, not only In this country but also
In England before and since this count