Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1905-12-07
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

President ROoSevelt's annual message
Aas been delivered to congress. Open
ing with a plea for the cooperation Of
all classes IN continuing the country's
prosperity and In correcting existing
evils, Tor q square deal" for every
body, the message first takes up the
question Of corporations and railroad
rate legislation The president says:
Corporations.
I am In no sense hostile to CORPORA
5kiOns. This Is an age Of combination,
and any effort to prevent all cOmbina.
ton win be not only useless, but In the
end vicious, because Of the contempt
for law which the failure to enforce
law inevitably produces. The corpora
ton has come to stay, just as the
trades union has come to stay. Each
can do and has done great good. Each
sh0uld be favOrCd 30 long ~ It does
good. But each should be sharply
checked where It acts against law and
Justice.
Experience has shown cOnclusively
that II is useless to try to get any ade-
Quate regulation and supervision Of
these great corporations by state &C
tion. Such regulation and supervision
can only be effectively exercised by
sovereign whose Jurisdiction is cock
tenslve with the field work Of the cor
pOrations-thAt IL, by the national gov
eminent, / believe thet this regulation
and supervision can be obtained by the
enactment OF law by the congress. II
this proves impossible, It viii certainly
be necessary ultimately to confer 10
fullest form such power upon the ma
tiOnal government by Affirmative &C.
ment Of the constitution.
The Laws Of the congress and Of the
several states hitherto, aS passed upon
by the courts, have resulted more often
IN showing that the gtates have no
power In the matteT lhRn that the na-
tional government ~ power; 30 that
there at present exists a very unfOrtu.
nate condition OF things, under which
these great corporations doing an in
lerstate business occupy the position OF
uhjects without a sovereign, neither
ny state government nor the national
Dvernmsnt having effective control
yer them. Our steady aim should be
legislation, cautiously and carefully
ndertaken, but resoiutely pefsevered
b, to assert the sovereignty Of the ma
onal government by Affirmative &C
on.
This Il only In form an innovation.
, substance It Is merely a restoration.
u from the earliest time such regulu-
On OF industrial activities has been
cOgnized In the action Of the law
liking bodies, and all that propose
20 meet the changed conditions in
ch manner as will prevent the COM
Dnwealth abdlcating the power II has
Fays possessed, not only in this e0un-
but also 10 England before and
&c this country became a separate
zion.
RatiFOsd Rate Legislation.
said In my message Of Dec. o
the immediate and most pressing
"a 50 far rs legislation u concerned
the enactment Into law Of some
ams 90 secure 10 the agents Of the
sernment such supervision and regu-
bon Of the rates charged By the rail.
ds OF the country engaged IA inter
n trAaic a. shall summaTily and ef-
lively prevent tie imposition Of IN.
or unreasonable rates 10 must
ndo putting a eOmplete stop b ~
b. IN every shape and form. This
er 20 regulate rates. IKE eli similar
ers over the business world. should
exercised with moderation. caution
ard SELF restraint, bat u should exist
- that Il can b. effectively exercised
an the need arises.
ID my Judgment the most important
osision Which such law should cOR-
Is h that confeFrtng upon some con-
amt administrative body the power
decide upoa the case being br0uEht
ioFe u whether q given rate pre-
f,,ad BIZ lroad b reasonable AMI |
ana n 8. q found % b. unruanon.
and urjrst tben. after fun Invest |
- q far complaint. 20 prescrihe
limit a rae bgyuud which q ahal /
b. l1wf3l % gp-tbs maximum
nabis rae a. h q commonly eaih /
A. dcriE7d % 60 into o6ect vita |
rsasnnatI5 time and % oataln /
fhencs 0uward. subject % revisN
courts
runea hEppC1a 60 pfuuEut. ugi /
rate h too ksEh. buf hat "a
hipper b giusn 80 HW . rais.
cnss fha ouE1E1Ei1u wola /
Srkf 10 e. Or alfe1iy egeab-