The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-06

0<Se
 washington. Dec. 5.--The message of President Roosevelt to the Fffty-nintn Congress today is as follows:
 TO the Senate and House of Represen-
 tafiyes:
 The people of this country continue .,, 10 enjoy ereat prosperity. Undoubtedly there wiIl be ebb and flow in such pros ptrity, and this ebb and flow Will pc felt more or less by all members or the community. both by the deserving ane the Lord the wisdom of man can not avail: in times of flood or drought hu- man ingenuity can but partially repair the disaster. A general failure cf crops would hurt all of us. Again. if the fol 1y of man mars the general well-being, then those who are innocent or thetoi- ly will have to pay part of the penalty incurred by those who are guiity CT the folly. A panic brought on by the speculative folly of part of the business 2 community would hurt the whole busi- ness community But such stoppage or welfare. though 1t might be severe would not be lasting. In the long run the one vital factor in the permanent prosperity of the country is the high Individual character of the average can citizen, no matter whether his work be mental or manual. whether he De farmer or wage-worker, business man
 Ii, our industrial and social system the interests of all men are so closely interwined that In the immense maJori- ! by. hts efficiency, by his Ingenuity and and benefit others Normsily pas, ss sne becomes %sn es rich by guiding the labor or many otn- CT men does so by enabling them to produce more than they d e9ald hnth p1edued be and they share in tho benefit, whlchecomes also te the public at large The Super canal must never blind us to tiie under lying fact that there Is this sharing, ana that the benefit comes in some degrees to each man concerned. Normally the wage worker the man of small means, and the average consumer. as well as tho average producer, are all alike help ed by making conditions such that the man of exceptional business ability re- ceives an exceptional reward for his ability. Smoothing can be done by leg isiation to help the general prosperity, but no such help of permanently bene- acai character can be given to the less able and less fortunate. save as the re- suit of policy which shall Hnure to the advantage of all industrioNs and ef- ficient people who act decentiy; and this k y b5sb may to Of tse sseyns yess be
 less fortunate must necessiity come even more to the more able and more fortunate. If therefore, the less fortu- nate man is moved to envy of his more fortunate brether to strike st the con ditions undef which they have both Mill snRpsn saasurediy nnsis be tat apvsi While damage may come to the one struck at, 1t will visit with an even heavier load the one who. strikes the blow, Taken as
 Corporations.
 Yet Wfife not merely admittfnB but insisting upon this, 1t Is also true that where there Is no governmental res traint or supervision some ot the ex- ceptional men use their energies not m ways thht are for the common good, but in ways which tell against this common good. The fortunes amassed now so large, and vest such power in those that wield them. as to make It
 matsTE S6 nefess1ay ta o g1ye ao sne which represents the people as whole some effective power of supervision over their corporate use. In order to insure d healthy social and industrial held held r]esponsibf7e ] G by, aud be accountable fo' control it's conduct am ationa. sa ao This Fhhs' is S an age Of eon,bi- nasSS ss se sGrs not ony pssless but in the end vicious, because of the con tempt for law which the failure to en- force law inevitably produces. We shcuid, moreover, reeosilize in cordial and ample fashion the immense good ef- fected by Corporate agencies In q of intellect, energy and fidelity devoted to thelr service. and therefore normal ly to the service of the public. by their has come to stay. just as the trade union has come to stay. Each can. do and has done great eat good. Eaen acn. snonid Toad But each should be sharply checked where if acts against law and justice.
 So long as the finances of the nation are kept upon an 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 endeavoring to secure proper industrial conditions under which the individuals-and especially the great corporations--doing an inter of our National Constitution provided especially that the regulation of inter state commerce. should come within the hrnuments in favor of their taking this stand were even then overwhelming. But they are far stronger. today, in view of the enorme us development or great business agencies. usually cor parate in form. Experience has shown conciusiveiy that 1t Is useless to try to get any adequate regulation and su- State action. Such regulation and su- perrision can only be effectively exer- cised by a sovereign whose Jurisdiction is co-extensive with the field of work of the corporatious-that is, by the National Government. I believe that this regulation and supervision can be obtained by the enactment Of law ny the Congress. If this proves impossi- ble, it will certainly be necessary ulti- mately to confer in fullest form such power upon the National Government by a proper amendment of the Constt- tuition. It would obviously be unWise to endeavor to secure such an amend@ nlent until 1t Is certain that the result ran not be obtained under the Consti- tuition as it now is. The laws of the Congress and of the several states hith- erto. as passed upon by the courts. that the States have no power In the matter than the National Government has power: so that there at present. exists a very unfortunat te condition of things, under which these great cor porations doing an interstate business occupy the position of subjects with out a sovereign. neither any State gov. having effective control over them. Our steady aim should be by legisla@ tion. cautionsuly and carefully under taken, but resolutely persevered in, to assert the sovereignty of the National Government by affirmative action.
 This is only in form an innovation. In substance 1t is merely a restoration: for from the earliest time such regu- iatiou of industrial activities has beeB recognized in the action of the law making bodies; and all that I propose is to meet the changed conditions in such manner as will prevent the conn monweaith abdicatfng the power it has always possessed. not only in this country but also in England before and since this country became a sepa- rate nation.
 1t has been a misfortune that the national laws on this subject have hitherto been of a negative or prohibi-