The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-31
Mr.. Roosevelt Deals With the
Trust Question
EVERY MAN HAS RIGHTS
Neither Capital Nor the Lack of It
Should Give a Man Privilege
Not Enjoyed BY Other
Men.

Men.
Philadelphia. January 30-President
Roosevelt was the guest of honor and
principal speaker tonight at the forty
second anniversary banquet of the Union
League club. The President came to this
city over the Pennsylvania from Annap-
oils, where he attended the ceremonies
this afternoon incident to the gradua
tion of the senior class of cadets. An
immense throng greeted Mr.. Roosevelt
a the railway station, and he received
an ovation on his way to the Union
league which he acknowledged by con-
stantly raising his hat.
The banquet room was marvel of the
decorators art. the national colors pre-
and the tables were designated by let
ters In red, white and blue, forming the
name Roosevelt
When President Roosevelt arose to
make his address, he was greeted with
long continued applause Then the entire
assembly stood and sang the Star
Spangled Banner"
President Roosevelt in his address.
said:
This club was founded to uphold the
hands of Abraham Lincoln when he stood
as the great leader in the struggle for
union and liberty. We have right, there
fore. to appeal to this club for aid In
every governmental or social effort made
along the lines marked out by Lincoln.
The great President taught many lessons
which we who come after him should
learn. Among the most important of these
was the lesson that for veal or for woe
we are indissolubly bound together in
whatever part of the country we live,
whatever our social standing, whatever
our wealth or our poverty. whatever form
of mental or physical activity our life
work may assume. Lincoln, who was,
more emphatically than any other Pres
ident we have ever had, the President of
the plain people, was yet as sar removed
as Washington himself from the slightest
taint of demagogy. With his usual far
sighted clearness of vision he saw that
in a republic such as ours permanent
prosperity of any part of our people was
conditioned upon the prosperity OF all;
and that on the other hand any effort TO
raise the general level of happiness by
striking at the well-beng % portion of
the people could not but be in the end
disastrous to all.
Must Apply Lincon's Principles.
1.-The principles which Lincoln applied
to the solution OF the problems of his
day are those which we must apply IL we
expect successfully to solve the different
problems of our own day-problems which
are so largely industrial. Exactly as 1t is
impossible to develop a high morality un-
less we have as a foundation those quail
tiles which give at least a certain mint
mum of material prosperity so 1t is I'M
possible permanently to keep material
prosperity unless there Is back of 1t a
basis of right living and right think
ing In the last analysis, OF course, the
dominant factor in obtaining this good
conduct must be the individual character
of the average citizen. If there is not this
condition of individual character in the
average citizenship of the country all ef-
fort to supply its place by the wisest leg
islation and administration will In the end
prove futile But given this average OF
individual character. then wise laws and
the honest administration, of the laws
can do much to supplement 1t. IL either
the business world or the world Of labor
loses It's head, then 1t has lost some
thing which cannot be made good by any
governmental effort. Our faith in the fu-
ture of the republic is firm, because we
believe that on the whole and In the
long run our people think clearly and
act rightly.
Must be Government Supervision.
Enthusiastically, however, the great
development Of industrialism means that
there must be an increase in the super
vision exercised by the government over
business enterprises. This supervision
should not take the form Of violent and
ill-advised interference; and assuredly
there is danger lest 1t take such form II
the business leaders OF the business COM
munity connne themselves to trying to
thwart the effort at regulation instead OF
guiding It Alright. Such men as the mem
bers of this club should lead In the effort
to secure proper supervision and regula-
tion of corporate activity by the govern
ment not only because It is for the In
terest OF the community as whole that
there should be this supervision and reg
ulation. but because in the long run II
will be in the interest above all or the
very people who often betray alarm and
anger when the proposition is nrsf
made
Neither this people nc- any other free
neonle will permanently tolerate the use
OF the vast power conferred by vast
wealth and especially by wealth In Its
cornorate form, without lodging some
where in the government the still high
er mower Of seeing that this power, In
addition to being used In the interest
oi the individual or individuals possess
ing It. is also used for and not against
the interests of the people as a Whole.
Our peculiar form of government. a
government In which the nation Is SUI
nrenne throughout the Union In certain
respects, while each of nearly half
hundred states is supreme In It's part
Of the Union in certain other respects,
renders the task of dealing with these
conditions especially difficult. No finally
satisfactory result can be expected from
merely state action The action must
come through the Federal government.
The busir ess of the country Is now
carried on in way Of which the foun-
ders of our constitution could by no pos
sjbility have had any idea.
Under. National Control.
"All great business concerns are en-
ragged in Interstate commerce, and II was
hovond question the intention of the
founders Of our government that inter
state commerce in all its branches and
aspects should be under national and not
state control II the courts decide that
this intention was not carried out and
made effective in the constitution as II
now stands, then in the end the consti-
triton, IL not construed differently, will
have TO be amended so that the original
unao,ihted intention may be made ef-