Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-12
PRESIDENT DISCUSSES GOVERN
MENT CONTROL OF INTER.
STATE COMMERCE.
SPEAKS AT CHAUTAUQUA
Visits New York Summer Settlement
and Addresses Large Audience On
Questions Of National and lnterna.
tional lmportance-Touches on Mon
roe Doctrine.

dent Roosevelt arrived here at S:45
this morning. Some time during the
night after the arrival Of the presiden-
tial train at Lakewood one of the &C.
cret service officers was robbed of
valuable watch while asleep.
Rain Mars Day.
At o'clock the President appeared
on the platform of his car for breath
of fresh air. The rain which had
been falling for several hours was
then coming down in torrents. The
Chautauqua committee waited upon
the President at 1880. After an ex-
change Of greetings the President
was escorted to a private car on the
trolley line and the short trip to the
assembly grounds was begun. AS early
as 8 o'clock 10000 people were as
sembled at the amphitheatre to secure
F, seats.
Drives Through Grounds.
At 10:45 the presidential party was
taken for drive through the grounds,
escorted by guard of honor from the
Thirteenth separate company.
Through a line Of 5000 boys and
the assembly amphitheatre, his way
When he appeared on the platform
people with cheers and Chautauquan
salute. Bishop Vincent introduced
the President, who was given an ova-
tion.
The Monroe Doctrine.
| President Roosevelt touched upon
| the Monroe doctrine and explained
the action of the United States gov
ernment with regard to the San Do
mingo situation. He then took up the
problem of railroad rate legislation
and spoke as follows:
"One 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 Vcorporations
doing an interstate business.
Much of the legislation aimed to
prevent the evils connected with the
enormous development of these great
corporations has been ineffective,
partly because it aimed at doing too
much, and partly becouse it did not
confer on the government really ef-
ficient method of holding any guilty
corporation to account The effort to
prevent all restraint of competition,
whether harmful or beneficial, has
been ill judged; what is needed is not
so much the effort to prevent combina-
tion as vigilant and effective con.
| troll of the combinations formed, so
as to secure just and equitable deal
ing on their part alike toward the pub
lie generally, toward their smaller
competitors, and toward the wage.
workers in their employ.
Under the present laws we have in
the last four years accomplished much
that is OF substantial value; but the
difficulties in the way have been so
great as to prove that further legisla.
tion is advisable. Many corporations
show themselves honorably desirous to
4 obey the law; but unfortunately, some
corporations, and very wealthy ones al
that, exhaust every effort which can be
suggested by the highest ability, or Sc
cured by the most lavish expenditure
of money, to defeat the purpose of laws
on the statute books.
Not 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 people
of great property.
! II earnestly believe that this is true
| of only a relatively small portion Of
the very rich men engaged in handling
the largest corporations of the country;
but the attitude of these comparatively
few men does undoubtedly harm the
country, and above all harm men OF
large means, by the just, but some
times misguided. popular indignation tc
which it gives rise. The consolidation
in the form of what are popularity
called trusts of corporate interests ot
immense value has tended to produce
unfair restraints of trade of an oppres
4 sive character. and these unfair re
straints tend to Great great artificial
monopolies. The violations of the Law
known as the antitrust law, which was
meant to meet the conditions thus aris
ing, have more and more become con
fined to the larger combinations, the
very ones against whose policy of mon
opoly and oppression the policy of the
law was chiefly directed. Many ot
these combinations by secret methods
and by Drotracted litigation are still
unwisely seeking to avoid the conse
quences of the illegal action. The gov
ernment has very properly exercised
moderation in attempting to enforce
the criminal provisions of the statute;
hnf has hpcoroa orr 1y;o%;<.-