Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1906-08-31
Editorial Page Of The Evening Teller



of American business.
Great railway systems spend tens of millions
Of dollars strengthening unnecessary curves IN their
lines. thus shortening distances and charging the
roads capacity for commerce To the short-sighted
this means extravaganza: to the wise railroad
manager it is economy. And precisely what the
great railroad manager is doing in Strengthening
out the crooked places in his road is what the
American people. under the leadership Of Theodore
Roosevelt are doing in Strengthening out the meth
of a free people means the justification Of free in
stitutons and the immortality of liberty. Only that
people is doomed only those institutions are fated
which can not and will not remedy the evils which
develop within them.
This self-renewing capacity of free people
needs only leader to arouse 1t to action In order
that it may do its work. And such leader, when
the hours is ripe and never will fail free people
in any land. There was Washington and indepen-
dence; Jackson and the supremacy Of the Union;
Lincoln and nation made of men instead Of states
and all of those men free. And now comes the
moral uplift Of the mightest people in the world
with Theodore Roosevelt its prophet and statesman
The Sherman antitrust act has shown more
vitality during the presidency of Theodore Roose-
welt than since its enactment. And Were THAT
and other laws fell short OF remedying existing
been added.
And all these laws have been enforced against
all offenders alike. The nations justice has not
situations, laws, like the anti-rebate law. have
considered the wealth or influence of the lawbreak-
err: and just as a poor man Is not permitted to
escape upon the plea that he did not know what
the laws were so high placed yiolators of our ma
tional statutes have not been permitted to escape
upon the pleas that they had not understood he
laws No man, no corporation. no combination.
however vast its wealth. however established and
apparently irresistible its power. that does not to-
day stand In awe Of the nations laws To Theo-
dore Roosevelt an honest man is an honest man,
be he the chief business commander of continent
or his humblest employe; and a lawbreaker is a
awbreaker. even though he the crown Of
the worlds finance American citizenship means
the equality Of all before the peoples laws and in
the peoples courts.
Consider the activities OF the department Of
justice In the realm of commerce and industry
since Theodore Roosevelt became president Roose-
Welt attacked the great railroad trust in the United
States VS.. the Northern Securities company. and
dissolved it; the beef trust in the United States
Swift & Co. for conspring with railroad companies
to suppress competition monopolizng the pur-
chase of live stock and the sale of meats and stop
ped that conspiracy; the salt trust in the United
States VS.. Federal Salt company. and he ended Its
evil practices: the paper trust In the United States
VS.. the General Paper company and ended its vio-
lations Of law; the beef trust again deed the law
and he again attacked 1t in the United States vs.
Armour & Co.; and the beef trust was saved in tina.
case only by the famous immunity decision Of Judge
Humphreys; and then President Roosevelt demand.
ed law removing that immunity, and we passed
the law and no Immunity bath" will ever again
cleanse the beef trust of It's sins. He attacked ths
elevator trust in the United States vs. the OH.
Elevator company. and dissolved 1t; the drusntrus
in the United States the National Association o.
Retail Druggists. and that case is now progressing
Through the interstate commerce commission
and the department Of Justice President Roosevelt
has attacked, in criminal proceedings as we'll al
civil action. every violation Of law that he has hears
OF. In five years the department Of justice and TIN
interstate commerce commission have done NOR
to effectively enforce laws against the abuses an,
crimes of business than in the preceding sixtee,
years all put together And every one Of these ha
mant. not the tearing down OF American bushes.
but the building up of American business
| All business Is fatally diseased that feeds o.
1 fraud; only that business is healthy that lives b.
those rules of commercial hygiene called the law
| Of the land
This moral regeneration Of American bushes
| has not injured the country's commerce at HON