Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1905-12-14
PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE READ
Able Document, Dealing With Many
Important Subjects.
Federal Rate Supervision Main Thems
Economy in Public Expenses
Maintain Monroe Ooctr,ne--M ore
Liberal Tariff for Philippines
Citizenship for Porto Ricans.
The most i'm portant points brought out In
the presidents III essago follow:

The most i'm por tant points brought out In
che Presidents III essage follow:
To the Senate and House Of Representatives
The people of this country continue to en-
Joy great prosperity. Undoubtedly there will
be ebb and flow in such prosperity. and this
ebb and flow will be felt more less by all
members Of the community. both by the de-
serving and the undeserving. Against the
wrath OF the Lord the wisdom Of man cannot
avail: in times Of flood or drought human in
&enuity can but partially repair the disas-
all Of Again. II the folly OF man mars
the general well-beng, then those who are
innocent of the folly will have to pay part OF
the penalty incurred by those who are guilty
of the folly panic brought on by the
speculative folly OF part OF the business com
munity would hurt the whole business com
munity But such stoppage OF welfare, though
1t might be severe. would not be lasting. In
the long run the vital factor in the per
maLent prosperity of the country ls the hlRh
individual character of the average American
worker, the average American citizen, no mat
ter whether his work be mental or manual
whether he be farmer or wageworker. busi-
professional man.
In our Industrial and social system the In
terests of all men are 10 closely intertWlned
that in the immense majority OF cases a
straight dealing man who by his efficiency,
by his ingenuity and industry. benefits him
self must also benent others. Normally the
man of great productive capacity who becomes
Ilcn Dy BululnB tne IaDOr OF many OtiltT men
does SO by enabling them to produce more
than they could produce without his guild
ance; and both he and they share In the
benefit. which comes also to the public at
large. The superficial fact that the sharing
may be unequal must never blind us to the
underlying fact that there is this sharing, and
that the benefit comes in some degree to each
man concerned. Normally the wageworker'
the man of small means, and the average con-
sumer, as well as the average producer, are
all alike helped by making conditions such
exceptional
receives an exceptional reward for his ability.
Something can be done by legislation to help
the general prosperity; but no such help OF a
permanently beneficial character can be given
to the less able and less fortunate. save as the
results OF policy which shall inure to the
advantage OF all industrious and efficient peo-
pie who act decently; and this is only another
way of saying that any benefit which comes to
the less able and less fortunate must of ne
cessity come even more to the more able and
more fortunate. IT, therefore, the less for
tunate man is moved by envy Of his more
fortunate brother to strike at the conditions
under which they have both, though equally,
proNpsred, the result will assuredly be that
while damage may come to the one struck at,
It will visit with even heavier load the one
who strikes the blow. Taken as a whole.
we must all go up or go down together.
Corporations.
Yet. while not merely admitting, but insist
ing upon this il is also true that where there
is Governmental restraint or SUPERVISION
some Of the exceptional men Use their ener-
giles not In ways that are for the common
common good. The fortunes amassed through
corporate organizations are now SO large. and
vest such power in those that WELD them.
to make It a matter Of necessity to give to
the sovereign-that Is, to the Government
which represents the people as a wholesome
effective power OF supervision over their cor
porate use In order to insure a healthy
cial and industrial life. every big corpora
ton should be held responsible by and be
countable to. some sovereign strong enough to
control its conduct. l am In sense hos
tile to corporations. This Is age OF
bination, and any effort to prevent all COM
bination will be not only useless. but in the
end vicious, because OF the contempt for law
which the failure to enforce law Inevitably
produces. We should. moreover. recognize in
cordial and ample fashion the immense good
effected by corporate agencies in country
such as ours, and the wealth OF intellect. en-
ergy and fidelity devoted to their service,
and therefore normally to the service Of the
public by their officers and directors. The
corporation has come to stay. just the trade
union has come to stay. Each do and
has done great good. Each should be favored
so long ae it does good. But each should be
sharply checked where 1t acts against law
and justice.
This is only in form an Innovation In
substance 1t ia merely a restoration; for from
the earliest time such regulation OF indus
trial activities has been recognized in the
ton Of the lawmakinG bodies and all that
l propose is to meet the changed conditions
in such manner will prevent the common
wealth abdicating the power 1t has always
pos* ssed. not only in this country, but also
In England. before and since this country be-
came "A separate Nation.
The best possible regulation Of rates would.
OF course. be that regulation secured by an
honest agreement among the railroads them
selves to carry out the law. Such general
agreement would, for instance at once put a
stop to the efforts of any one big shipper or
big railroad to discriminate against or Sc
cure advantages over some rival; and such
agreements would make the railroads them
selves agents for enforcing the law. The
power vested in the Government to put a
stop to agreements to the de.rment of the
public should. in my judgment. be accom-
panied by power to permit. under specified
conditions and careful supervision. agree
ments clearly in the interest of the public.
But. in my judgment the necessity for Civ
Ing this further power is by means as
great the necessity for giving the Com
mission or administrative body the other
powers l have enumerated above; and it
may well be inadvisable to attempt to vest
this particular power in the Commission or ,
,ther administrative body until it already
possesses and is exercising what l regard as ,
by far the most important power OF all the ,
powers l recommend-as indeed the vitally
important power-that to fix a given maxi
mum rate, which rate. after the lapse OF a
-easonable time. goes into fun effect. sub
ect to review by the courts t
Let me most earnestly say that these recon- c
ne n dations not made IN any spirit OF a
hostility to the railroads. on ethical grounds s
IN grounds OF right, such hostility would be ,
ntolerable; and on grounds of mere National /
'elf-interest we must remember tAat such hoe, ,
ity would tell against the welfare not mere +
a n
" small investors, multitude of railway r
employees, wageworkers; and most severely n
ganS the interest OF the public a whole q
believe that the whole railroads, have !,
lone well and not i'll; but the railroad men =
Who wish to do well should not be exposed to !.
competition with those who have such de
Ire, and the only way to secure this end Is .
o give to some Government tribunal the "
'ower to see that Justice is done by the un- u
Wiling exactly as it is gladly done by the d
Wiling Moreover. If some Government body o
= given increased power the effect will be to e
urnish' authoritative answer on behalf OF the G.
abroad whenever irrational Clamor against II %
raised. whenever charges made against
disproved. / ask this legislation not p
My I'm the interest of the public. but in the
interest of the honest railroad man and the q
onost shipper alike, for it 1 they who are le
hicny jcoparded by the practices of their dis n
onest competitors. This legislation should be Ia
ysteria and rancor. II of the American c,
ody polite true to the traditions II
ave inherited shall always scorn any ef- C.
)rt to make hate any man because he ~ Ii
ch, just much should any II
fort to make look down upon treat or
ontemptuously any man because he is poor. di
The question of transportation lies at the n
Dot of all Industrial success. and the reVo- oil
ltion In transportation which has taken d,
lace during the last half century has been III
lie most important factor in the growth of q,
le Industrial conditions. Most en- m
hatically do not wish to see the man OF h,
reat talents refused the reward for his do
Ilents Still less do wish to see him on
but do desire to the sys- M
m OF railroad transportation so handled he