The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-08-25
RoosEvELT,s REASONS.
Continued from First Page.

ter, the work Of building the canal
would never have been begun, or ii
begun, would have halted.
1.-THE opposition to the adoption Of
the treaty by which our right to build
ing the Panama Canal was secured; q
part at least Of the opposition even
now being made to the ratification Of
the Santo Domingo treaty, which is
one more step in the effort to make
peaceful and secure the waters through
which the route Of the canal leads; the
constant effort to delay on one pretext
or another the work, show how essen
tial it is. II the American people de-
sire the Panama Canal to be built in
safety and efficient fashion they should
uphold the hands of those who in the
present congress have SO effectively
championed this work.
"No less praiseWorthy has been the
attitude of this congress ia continuing
to build and maintain on high plane
of efficiency the United States navy.
This country is irrevocably committed
to the maintenance Of the Monroe doc
trine. 1t is irrevocably committed to
the principle of defending AMI policing
the canal route. But its championship
of the Monroe doctrine and its an
nouncement of it's intentions as to the
canal route will both be absurd on
their face if the nation failed to do its
duty ia maintaining thoroughly eff
cient navy at as high a point in per-
lection as can possibly be attained.
sour external affairs are import
ant, but our internal affairs are even
more important. and no other congress
for many long year has, as regards
the betterment of our internal aft airs,
so much and such excellent work to
it's credit. The tremendous social and
industrial changes in our nation have
rendered evident the need Of a larger
exercise by the national government
of its power to deal with the business
use Of wealth, and especially of COR
porate wealth in interstate business.
1t is not too much to say that the
course OF congress within the last few
years and the hearty agreement be-
tween the executive and Legislative
of the nation in taking
the needed action, each within it's own
sphere, have resulted in the nation
for the first time definitely entering
upon the career Of proper perform
ance Of duty in these matters.
''The task is peculiarly difficult be-
cause it is one ii which the fanatical
or foolish extremist and the reaction
airy, whether honest or dishonest,
play into one another's hands, and
they therehy- render il especially hard
to secure legislative and executive
action which shall be thoroughgoing
and effective, and yet which shall not
needlessly jeopardize the business
prosperity which we all share, even
though we do not ali share it with as
much equality as we are striving to.
1t is a very easy thing TO play the
demagogue in this matter, to conine
ones self merely to denouncing the
evils OF wealth, and TO advocate, often
ia vague language, measures so
sweeping that while they would en-
tirely fail to correct the evils aimed
at, they would undoubtedly succeed in
bringing down the prosperity of the
nation with rush.
# is also easy to play the part of
the mere obstruetionist; TO decline to
recognize the great evils OF the present
system. and to oppose any effort to
defeat them in rational fashion, there
by strengthening Immensely the hands
OF those who advocate extreme and
foolish measures. But it is not easy
70 do as the present congress and its
Immediate predecessors have done:
hat is, sternly to disregard alike the
of those who have profted
BY the present evils, and the wild
slamor of those who care less to do
away with them than to make a repu-
'ation with the unthinking Of standing
% extreme opposition to them. But
his is precisely what the present con-
Tress has done. Instead Of enaeting |
anti-trust laws which were either so |
vague or so sweeping as to completely |
lefeat their objects, it has given us an |
Interstate commerce law which will en-
lble us to exercise in thorough fashion |
} supervision over the common car
'fers Of this country so as, while |
icrupulously safeguarding their prop |
Z interests, to prevent them from
,hafging excessive rates; to prevent
heir favoring one man at the expense
II another: and especially a strong
nan at the expense OF weak man; I
Ind to require them TO be fully ae-
'ountable to the public for the service |
which to their own profit they render
he public.
1.-The previous congress, by the en-
lctment Of the Elkins bill. and by the
reation Of the Department Of Com /
aeree and Labor, including the bu-
eau Of corporations. had enabled as
Q make great strides along the path
i thus bringing the use Of wealth Ii