Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-06
THE MESSAGE.
Full Text of Presidents C0mmu=
nicatiOn to 59th Congress.

-, t. 10 T-.ts. va. r.}
Below the Journal gives the full text
of the annual message of President
Roosevelt read, yesterday, before the
59th Congress. -.-.. -
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives: .,-. ...
The people of this country. continue
to enjoy great prosperity. Undoubt-
eddy there will be ebb and flow in such
prosperity, and this ebb and flow will
be felt more or less by all members of
the community, both by the deserving
and the undeserving. Against the
wrath of the Lord the wisdom of man
can not avail: in times of flood or
drought human ingenuity can but par
TALLY repair the disaster. a general
failure of crops would hurt all of us.
Again, If the folly of man mars the
general well-being, then those who are
innocentlo 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 community would
hurt the whole business community.
But such stoppage of welfare, though
It might be severe, would not be last
ing. In the long run the one vital
factor in the permanent prosperity VI
the country is the high 1ndlvlduai
character of the average American
worker, the average American citizen,
no matter whether his work be mental
or manual, whether he be farmer or
wage worker, business man or profess
sional man.
In our industrial and social system
the interests of all men are so closely
intertwined that in the immense ma
jOrity of cases strengthening man
who by his efficiency, by his ingenuity
and industry, benefits himself must
also benefit others. Normally the man
of great productive capacity who be-
comes rich by guiding the labor of
many other men does so by enabling
them to produce more than they could
produce without his guidance; 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 shar-
ing, ard that the benefit comes in some
degree to each man concerned. Nor
nally the wage-worker. the man OF
small means, the average consumer. as
we'll as the average producer, are all
alike helped by making conditions such
that the man of exceptional business
ability receives an exceptional reward
for his ability. Something can be
done by legislation to help the general
prosperity; but no such help of per-
manently beneficial character can be
given to the less able and less fortu-
nate, save as the results of policy
which shall inure to the advantage of
all Industrious 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 fortu-
nate must OF necessity come even more
to the more able and more fortunate.
If, therefore, the less fortunate man is
moved by envy of his more fortunate
brother to strike at the conditions I'M
der which they have both, though I'M
equally, prospered, the result will as
suredly 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 a whole
We must all go up or go down together.
CORPORATIONS.
Yet, while not merely admitting, but
insisting upon this. it is also true that
where there is no governmental re-
straint or supervision some of the en-
ceptional men use their energies not ir
ways that are for the common good
but In ways which tell against this
common good. The fortunes amaSseC
through corporate organization are now
SO large, and vest such power in those
that WELD them, as to make 1t a matter
of necessity to give to the sovereign
that is, to the government. which
represents the people as a WHOLESOME
effective power of supervision owe
their corporate use. In order to insur
a healthy social and industrial life
every big corporation should be hell
responsible by. and be accountable to
some sovereign strong enough to con
trOi it's conduct. l am In no sens
hostile to corporations. This is an ag
of combination, and any effort to pre-
vent all combination will be not Onl
useless, but in the end vicious. becaus
of the contempt for law which tn
failure to enforce law inevitably pro
duces. We should, moreover. recogniz
in cordial and ample fashion the i'm
mense good effected by corporal
agencies in a country such as ours, an
the wealth of intellect, energy. an
fidelity devoted to their service, an
therefore normally to the service of tn
public, by their officers and directors
The corporation has come to stay, jus
as the trade union has come to sta!
Each can do and has done great goot
Each should be favored so long as
does good. But each should be SHARP
ly checked where it acts against la'
and Justice.
So long as the finances of the natio
are kept upon an honest basis no othe
question Of internal economy wit
which Congress has the power to de;
begins to approach in Importance til
matter of endeavoring to secure prope
industrial conditions under which tn
1ndividuals-and especially the gres
corporations-doinga an interstate bus
ness are to act. The makers of or
national constitution provided especia
~ That the regulation Of interesta,
commerce should come within tt
sphere of general government. tt