The Ordway new era., 1905-12-08
PRESIDENT OUTLINES
ISSUES OF THE DAY
important Recommendations to Legislation Made
In Annual Message to Consress-Larse Fart OF
Document Devoted to Corporations and Railroad
Rate Lesislation-Reations of Labor and Capital
Dealt With Fully.


Fifty-ninth Congress. congratulates
the people on the continued prosper
ity OF the nation. The close relation
ship and mutual dependence upon
each other of capital and labor are
pointed out. and the message con-
tinues:
Corporations.
Yet, while not merely admitting. but in :
etstinR upon this. Il Is also true tnat
where there IS no eovernmentai res,raIni ,.n y !
men use their energies no; in ways thht
are fer the common good, but IN WAYS
The fortunes amassed through corporate
organization are now so large ana vest
such power In thoss that wiein mem ,a .ive We
to the sovercign-that Is. to the Govern
ment which represents the people as
Wholesome effective power OF supcrNis-
ion over their corporate use. In order TO
insure q healthy social and Industrial llic'
every big corporation should be held re-
sovereign strong enough to control its
conduct. am In no sense hostile 70 Sor
and any effort to prevent all combinh-
tion will be not only useless. but In the
law which the failure TO enforce Law In
evitabfy produces. We should. moreover.
recognize In cordial and ample fashion the
immense good effected by corporate
agencies In n country such ss ours. ana
me wealth OF intellect. energy. and hdci-
fore normaily to the service of the public.
by their officers and directors, The cor
poration 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 II does good But
each should be sharply checked where IL
acts against law and justice
The President shows the lmpossi'
biiity OF the individual states deal
Ing successfully with corporation
greed. and the necessity of comforting
power upon the general government
even to the extent OF proper amend
ment to the constitution. He says:
II has been q misfortune that the
national laws on this subject have hlthcr-
TO been OF n negative or prohIbitive rather
than affirmative kind. and still more
h,Si, shSl ,hsy & have % In part ,, sought 10 pro pro
hibited. and have In part in their pro-
hlbitions confounded what should be
II II generally useless to try TO prohibit
all restraint on competition. whether this
restraint be reasonable or unreasonable;
generally hurtful. Events have shown
that Il l. not possible adequately to
Kind by incessant appeal TO the courts
The Department OF Justice has for the
iaat four years devoted more attention
TO the enforcement Of the antitrust lcgis-
iation than TO anything else. Much has
been accomplished: particularly marked
tons: but II Is increasingly evident that
thers Will .. very Insufficient beneficial
Ths e's s,,I, ~ u,s way ., sSoho,nle e%hanEv, %
to evade the law Immediately deN clops
another device TO accomplish the same
purpoS- What Il needed Is not sweeping
prohibition of every arrangement. good or
bad. which may tend 20 restrict comp.ti.
,,. ton; en, but such adeagatc supervision and
OF competit,-1 from being to the detri-
ment OF the publlc-as Well as such
rent other abuses In no way connected
With restriction OF competition
The nrst consideration TO be kept In
mind Is that the power should be affirm
atiye and should be given to some ad-
illustrative body created by the Congress
II given 10 the present Interstate Com.
fnercc commission or to Teorganlzed
Interstate Commerce commission. such
communication should be made uncquIyocally
administrative. ] do not believe In the
government interfering with private busi-
ness more than IL necessary. I do not
believe In the government undertaking
left ir private hands. But neither do /
believe In the government rinching from
evident that abuses are Euro to obtain
therein unless there II governmental
i'9 indea,s On. .Ic, IL Is ,. no, ny proyinss CT, to
should be enacted: but call the attention
q the Congress to certain existing CON
ditions with which IL Is desirable to deal
In my Judgment the most important pro.
vision which such law should contain
=. ,l .hnt /, sonierr,ns infer. upon som. competent
upon the case being brought before H.
whether "A given rate prescribed by a rail
road Is reasonable md lust. and 10 II !.
found to be unreasonable and unjust,
then. after full investigation of the com.
xaaa sbIih 70 p1esef,Se I, fhs ~. I'M, of rate
the maximum reasonable rate. as u H.
conn, commonly eailedr,his decision TO go into
obtain from thence onward. subject to
review by the courts. II sometimes hap
pens at present. not that a rat. is too
too low rate, In such case the commits
sion would haye the right 10 hx this
the maximum and 1t would need
only one or two such decisions
psnies OF YIs the practice CO % OF giving % impfoper @
minimum rates. I call your attention to
the fact that my proposal is not to give
a rate already fxed or originated by the
saiios. "a" x heavy s penalty n' should mould esa be- ea.
acted from any corporation which fails
20 respect an order of the commission. l
regard this power to establish a ma aximum
rate ar being essential to any scheme Of
rsal reform IN the matter. Of railway
cure u: and unless II Is granted TO the
commission there Is little use in touch
Ing the subject at all.
Continuing. the President earnestly
disclaims any spirit Of hostility to
the railroads. pointing out the bene
Ats to be derived by the fair-dealing
roads In the even-handed administra.
tion Of Justice. In this both the hon.
est rcilroad man and the honest ship.
per alike would be benefited. Ending
the subject. the President says:
The question Of transportation lies at
sne root OF al indus/ iai success, anu the
revolution IN transportation wnicn has
taken place during the last half century
has been the most Important factor IN the
Growth OF the new Industrial conditions.
Most emphhticaiiy we do not wish 10 see
the man OF great talents refused the tc.
ward for his talents. stiil less do we wish
TO SEQ him penalized: but We do desire 70
zee the system OF railroad transportation
40 handled that the strong. man shall be
Gtven no advantage over the weak man.
We wish TO insure as fair treatment for
ehe small town as for the big city. for the
D11n11 shipper as for the big shipper. In
~ old days the highway OF commerce.