The Caldwell tribune., 1905-12-09
PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE
Federal Rate Supervision
Is The Theme
ECONOMY in EXPENSES
Monroe Doctrine Should Be Main
tainGd InviOIate.
MORE LIBERAL PHILIPPINE TARIFF
Communication Is Submitted and Lis
tened to simultaneously In the
Two Houses-Confer Cit.
izenship on Porto
Ricans.
MORE LIBERAL PHILIPPINE TARIFF

anessage, as delivered to both houses of con-
lgress follows:
The people of this country continue to en-
Joy great prosperity. Undoubtedly there VIII
be ebb and flow in such prosperity, and this
ebb and how will be felt more or less by all
members OF the community. both by the de-
serving and the undeserving. Against the
wrath OF the Lord the wisdom Of man cannot
avail in times of flood or drought human in
agenuity can but partially repair the disas-
ter. general failure of crops would hurt
all of us. Again, IL the folly Of man mars
Ethe general Weii-beng, then those who are
sannocent of the folly will have to pay part OF
the penalty incurred by those who guilty
of the folly. panic brought. on by the
speculative folly of part of the business COM
Enunity would hurt the whole business COM
immunity. But such stoppage of welfare though
1t might be severe, would not be lasting. In
the long run the vital factor in the per-
Enahent prosperity of the country is the high
individual character of the average American
worker, the average American citizen, no mat
tier whether his work be mental or manual,
whether he be farmer wageworker, husi-
uess man professional man.
In our industrial and social system the In
aerests Of all men are so closely intertwined
that in the immense majority of cases
astraight-dealng man who by his efficiency,
by his ingenuity and industry, benefits him
self must also benefit others. Normally the
znan Of great productive capacity who becomes
Gich by guiding the labor of many other men
does so by enabling them to produce more
aIfce; and both he and they share in the
benefit, which comes also to the public at
large. The superficial fact that the sharing
may be unequal must never blind us to the
underlying fact that there is this sharing, and
1hat the benefit comes in some degree to each
znan concerned Normally the wageworker,
Ghe man of small means, and the average con-
sumer, as we'll as the average producer, are
all alike helped by making conditions such
that the man of exceptional business ability
receives exceptional reward for his ability.
Something be done by legislation to help
the general prosperity; but such help of a
permanently beneficial character can be given
TO the less able and less fortunate, the
results OF policy which shall inure to the
advantage of all industrious and efficient peo-
pie who act decently; and this is only another
way Of saying that any benefit which comes to
the less able and less fortunate must of
more fortunate. If, therefore, the less for
1unate man Is moved by envy of his more
fortunate brother to strike at the conditions
under which they have both though equally
proGpered, the result will assuTedly be that
while damage may come to the one struck at,
AZ will visit with even heavier load the one
who strikes the blow. Taken as a whole,
We must all go up or go down together.
Corporations.
Yet while not merely admitting but insist
ang upon this, 1t is also true that where there
is Governmental restraint or supervision
some of the exceptional men use their ener-
Bies mot in ways that are for the common
good but in ways which tell against this
common good. The fortunes amassed through
corporate organizations now so large and
to make 1t matter of necessity to give to
the sovereign-that is to the Government
which represents the people a wholesome
effective power OF supervision over their cor
porate use. In order to insure a healthy So
cial and industrial life. every big corpora
ton should be held responsible by and be ac-
countabie to, some sovereign strong enough to
control Its conduct l am in sense hos
tile to corporations. This is age of com.
bination, and any effort to prevent all com.
bination will be not only useless, but in the
end vicious, because of the contempt for law
which the failure to enforce law inevitably
produces. We should, moreover, recognize in
cordial and ample fashion the immense good
eneeted by corporate agencies In a country
such as ours, and the wealth of intellect on
sergy and fidelity devoted to their service
and therefore normally to the service of the
public. by their officers and directors. The
corporation has come to stay. just as the trade
union mas come to stay. Each can do and
has done great good. Each should be favored
SO long ssa II does good. But each should be
sharply checked where 1t acts against law
AID justice.
So long the finances of the Nation are
kept upon honest basis no other question
OF internal economy with which the Congress
has the power to deal begins to approach in
Importance the matter of endeayoring to se-
cure proper industrial conditions under which
the Northumberland especially the great cor
porations-doing an interstate business are to
act. The makers of our National Constitu-
tion provided especially that the regulation
of interstate commerce should come within
the sphere of the General Government. The
arguments in favor of their taking this stand
were even then overwhelming. But they are
Tar stronger today, In view of she enormous
development of great business agencies, usu-
ally corporate In form. Experience has shown
conciusively that it 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 effect
lively exercised by a sovereign whose jurisdic-
tion Is coextensive with the field OF work of the
corporations-that is, by the National Gov
sernment- / believe that this regulation and
supervision be obtained by the enact
Inent Of law by the Congress. II this proves
Impossible, it will certainly be necessary ul-
umately to confer in fullest form such power
upon the National Government by proper
amendment Of the Constitution 1t would OBJ
viousiy be unwtse to endeavor to secure such
an amendment until 1t is certain that the
result 7cannot be obtained under the Conslitu-
Fion- 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 Govern
ment has power; so that there at present ex-
lists very unfortunate condition. OF things
under which these great CORPORATIONS doing
an interstate business occupy the position of
subjects without q sovereign, neither any
state government the National Govern
ment having effective control over them. Our
steady aim should be by legislation, cautious
" and carefully undertaken. but resoIutely
persegered IN, to assert the sovereignty of the
National Government by affirmative action.
This is only in form an innovation. In
substance 1t Il merely q TestoEStlsA; fer from