Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1905-12-14

presidents message:
1.-THE people of this country continue |
to enjoy great prosperity says the
president in his opening paragraph. |
He then proceeds to give various con- |
ditions and circumstances which make |
for or against general prosperity and |
leads up to the question OF corpora
tions, of which he says: "The for
tunes amassed through corporate or
ganizatiOn are now SO large, and vest |
such power in those that WELD them,
as to make it a matter of necessity to
give to the SOvereign-that is to the
government, which represents the peo-
pie as wholesome effective power
nf supervision over their corporate
USE In order to insure a healthy So
cial and industrial life, every big cor-
poration should be held responsible
by, and accountable to- some sovereign
strong enough to controI it's conduct.
l am in no sense hostile to corpora
tons. This is an age of combination,
and every effort to prevent all comb
nation will be not only useless, but
in the end vicious, because Of the con-
tempt for law which the failure to en-
force law inevitably produces. 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 as long as 1t
does good. But each should be sharp
ly checked where it acts against law
and Justice"
The president points out the useless
ness of any attempt to secure regula-
| ton and control of corporations by
| state action. Such regulation and SUI
pervision can only be effectively eXer-
cised by the national government, and
the president believes proper power
can be secured by enactment of laws
by congress; if the Constitution will
not permit this action, then the Con
stitution should be amended comforting
upon congress full power to enact ad-
equate legislation He continues:
What is needed is not sweeping
prohibition of every arrangement,
good or pad, which may tend to re-
strict competition, but such adequate
supervision and regulation as will pre-
vent any restriction of competition
from being to the detriment Of the
publc--as well as prevent other
abuses in no way connected with re-
striction of competition. Until the
national government obtains proper
control over big corporations engaged
in interstate commerce it will he I'M
possible to deal adequately with the
evils.
Control of Railroad Rates.
"The immediate and most pressing
need so far as legislation is concern
ed, is the enactment into law or some
scheme to secure to the agents of the
government such supervision and reg
ulation of the rates charged by the
railroads of the country engaged In
interstate traffic as shall snmmarily
and effectively prevent the imposition
of unjust or unreasonable rates. 1t
must include putting a complete stop
to rebates in every shape and form
This power to regulate rates, like all
similar powers over the business
world, should be exercised with mod
Grafton, caution and selfrestraint; but
it should exist, so that it can be eff
. fectively exercised when the need
, arises.
1.-The first consideration to be kept
in mind is that the power should bs
; affirmative and should be given to
: some administration body created by
congress. | do not believe in the gov
ornment interfering with private bust
ness more than Is necessary. I do no
| hnlicvo IN ths oOvprpmppt np6prt q K n 8
any work which can with propriety bt
. left in private hands. But neither d(
| believe in the government flinchins
from overseeing any work when l
becomes evident that abuses are sure
to obtain therein unless there is gov
ernmental supervision. In my judg
l, ment the most important provision
II which the law should contain is tina
!, comforting upon some competent ad
ministration body the power to decide
upon the case being brought before il
whether given rate prescribed by
railroad is reasonable and just, and
u it is found to be unreasonable an
. unjust, then, after'full investigation @
= the complaint, to prescribe the limit c
y rate beyond which it shall not be Law
- full to go--the maximum reasonabl
rate, as it is commonly called-this d.
Cison to go into effect within re;
sOnable time and to obtain froi
thence onward, subject to review b
=, the courts. 1t sometimes happens ;
= present, not that a rate is too high bl
that a favored shipper is given to
low rates In such case the cor