Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-12-08
Would Materially Increase the
Powers of Interstate Com
merce Commission.
life INSURANCE QUESTION
Sees Good and Evil in Labor Unions
Asks for Immediate Appropri-
ations for Panama Canal, and
Promises Report of Board of En-
gineers and Recommendations
Later---other Matters.

Washington, Dec. 5.-The annual mes
xnape NJ President Roosevelt was read IN
lboth houses of congress to-day. 1t is doc-
ument of some 24,O00 words and con-
tains recommendations for much important
legislation.
The subject of federal supervision OF cor
porations. and especially railroad corpora
7fions is the first subject treated oil py tne
president and to 1t he gives the greatest
amount of attention. After speaking o, the |
general prosperity of the country, anu ' tI1
power of the corporations tor goou oI eni'
in connection with the nations prosperity
he says: A., o.;on
So long as the finances OF the nation
are kept upon an honest basis no otnet
question of internal economy with "hicll
the congress has the power TO ueal oeBlhS
10 approach in Importance the mater VI
.endeavoring to secure proper industrial
conditions under which the indiViduals-
and especially the great corporatlohs
doing an interstate business are 10 act
The makers of our national constitution
5nroyided especially that the regulation
of Interstate commerce should come WIFI
I'm the sphere of the general government
The arguments in favor OF thelr .akAhS
this stand were even then overwhelming
But they are far stronger to-day, in view
of the enormous development OF great
business agencies, usually corporate IN
form Experience has shown conclusive
iy that 1t is useless to try to get any
ADEQUATE regulation and supervision OF
these great corporations by state action
Such regulation and supervision can only
be effectively exercised by sovereign
whose jurisdiction is coeXtensive with the
field of work of the corporations-that is'
by the national government. L belieNe
that this regulation and supervision can
be obtained by the enactment of law by
the congress. If this proves impossible
1T will certainly be necessary ultimately
TO confer in fullest form such power upon
the national government by proper
amendment of the constitution. II would
obviously be unwise to endeavor TO secure
such an amendment until 1t is certain
that the result cannot be obtained under
the constitution as ii now Is. 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 states have no power in the matter
than that the national government has
power; so that there at present exists
"A very unfortunate condition of things,
under which these great corporations do
ing an interstate business occupy the po-
sition of subjects without a sovereign,
neither any state government nor the ma
tional government having effective con-
troll over them. Our steady aim should
be by legislation cautiously and care
fully undertaken but resolutely per-
severed in, to assert the sovereignty oi
the national government by affirmative
action.
Present Laws Inadequate.
1t has been a misfortune that the ma
-tional laws on this subject have hitherto
been OF n negative or prohibitive rather
than an affirmative kind. and still NOR
that they have in part sought to prohibi
what could not be effectively prohibited
and have in part in their prohibition
confounded what should be allowed AM
what should not be allowed. 1t is gen
orally useless to try to prohibit all re
-straint on competition, whether this re
straint be reasonable or unreasonable
and where 1t Is not useless II is gener
ally hurtful. Events have shown that
is not possible adequately to secure tn
enforcement of any law of this kind b.
incessarl appeal to the courts. The de
partmeht of justice has for the last fou
ye0rs devoted more attention to the en-
forcelnent of the antitrust legislatio
than to anything else. Much has bee
accomplished; particularly marked ha
been the moral effect of the prosecutions
but 1t Is increasingly evident that theI
will be a very insufficient beneficial rt
ssult in the way of economic change. Til
successful prosecution OF one device
.evade the law Immediately develops al
other device to accomplish the same pu
pose What is needed is not sweepin
prohibition of every arrangement goo
or had, which may tend TO restrict con
petition, but such adequate supervise
and regulation as VIII prevent any r
striction of competition from being
the detrment of the public-as well
.such supervision and regulation as W
,preyent other abuses in no way connect'
with restriction of competition. OF the
ABUSES, perhaps the chief. although
no means the only one, Is overcapltaliz
Y rtion-generally itself the result of disho
eat ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of the myri
evils II brings in its train; for such owe
rehabilitation often means an inhati
that invites business panic: 1t always CO
ceais the true relation of the profit earn
10 the capital actually invested. and
.creates a burden OF interest paymer
which is a fertile cause of improper
.duction in or limitation OF wages;
damages the small Investor. discourag
thrift. and encourages gambling a
speculation; while perhaps worst of
rs the thickness and dishonesty which
'imples-for harm TO morals is worse tn
any possible harm to material interes
and the debauchery of politics and bu
mess by great dishonest corporations
Tar worse than any actual material e
they do the public untn the natioi
government obtains, in some mann
which the wisdom of the congress m
suggest, proper control over the big C
porations engaged in interstate CONNIE
that Is, over the great majority of
big corporatons-it viii be impossible
deal adequately With these evils
Railroad Rate Regulation.
am well aware OF the dihcult
.o6 the legislation that l am susge