The midland journal., 1905-12-08

The following is general synop-
sis of the annual message of Presi-
dent Roosevelt, read at opening OF
Congress:
Introduction.
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
The people of this country continue
to enjoy great prosperity. Undoubt-
edly there will be ebb and flow in
such prosperity, and this ebb and flow
will be felt more or less by all mem
bers of the community, both by the
deserving and the undeserving
Against the wrath of the Lord the wis
dom of man can not avail; in times
of flood or drouth human ingenuity
can but partially repair the disaster.
A general failure of crops would hurt
as. Again, if the folly of man mars
the general well-being, 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. A
panic brought on by the speculative
folly of part of the business COM
munity would hurt the whole business
community. But such stoppage Of
welfare, though it might be severe,
+ would not be lasting. In the long
run the one vital factor in the per-
manent prosperity OF, the country is
the high individual character of the
average American worker, the aver
age American citizen, no matter
Il L, 1,Ir Ha. to1
ual, whether he be farmer or wage
worker, business man or professional
man.
In our industrial and social system
the interests of all men are so closely
intertwined that in the immense ma
jority Of cases straight-dealing man
who by his efficiency, by his ingenu-
ity and industry, benefits himself
must also benefit others.
Thus the average producer, the
man of small means, and the aver
age consumer, as we'll as the average
produce, are all alike helped by
making conditions such that the man
of exceptional business ability re-
ceives an exceptional reward for
his ability. Something can be done
by legislation to help the general pros
perity; but no such help of perman-
emily 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 in
dustrious and Efficient people who act
decently; and this is only another
way of saying that any benefit which
comes to the less able and less for.
tunate must of necessity come even
more to the more able and more for
Z tunate. If, 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 unepually. prospered, the
result will assuredly be that while
damage may come to the one struck
at it will visit with an even heavier
load the one who strikes the blow.
Taken as whole we must all 60 up OF
go down together.
Corporations.
Yet, while not merely admitting,
but insisting upon this, it is also true
that where there is no governmental
restrait or supervision some of the ex-
ceptional men use their energies moi
in ways that are for the common
good, but in ways which tell against
this common good. The fortunes
amassed through corporate organiza.
ton are now so large, and vest such
power in those that weld them, as
to make it matter of necessity to
give to the soverign-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 heal.
thy social and industrial life, every
big corporation should be held respon-
sible by, and be accountable to some
sovereign strong enough to control its
conduct.
/ am in no sense hostile to corpor-
ations. This is an age of combination
and any effort to prevent all comb.
nation will be not only useless but
In the end vicious, because of the
contempt for law which the failure to
enforce law invariably produces. We
should, moreover, recognize in cordial
and ample fashion the immense good
effected by corporate agencies in a
country such as ours, and the wealth
of intellect, energy, and fidelity devot-
ed to their service, and therefore nor
mally to the service of the public, by
their officers and directors. The
corporation has come to stay, Just as
the trade union has come to stay.
Each can do and has done great good.
each should be favored so long as it
does eood but each should be sharply
checked where it acts against law and
Justice. So long as the finances of
the Nation are kept upon an honest
basis no other question of internal
economy with which the Congress
has the power to leal begins to ap-
proach in importance the matter of
endeavoring 10 secure proper indus
frfa conditions .,.r..r rul,soh tho arAt-