The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1906-03-15
COAL AND OIL INQUIRY
INVESTIGATION by the Interstate Com
merce Commission Approved.
PRESIDENTcRITlCls CONGRESS

Inenicient Asks More Law and
Money Fears ProbiDE Will Result
in Immunity to Onenders-Has Signed
Resolution Reluctantly.
Washington, d. C-Presfdent Roose-
vent sent a message to Congress an
nouncing that he had signed the Till
man-Gillespie resolution calling on the
Interstate Commerce Commission to
investigate railroad monopolies in oil
and coal, and incidentally gave Con-
gress a piece Of news officially that
will attract wide attention.
In his message Mr.. Roosevelt said:
81 have signed the joint resolution
instructing the Interstate Commerce
Commission to make examinations into
the subject of railroad determinations
and m~onoDolies in coal and Oil, and
report ON the same from time to time
I have signed it with hesitation, be-
cause in the form in which 1t was
passed it achieves very little, and may
achieve nothing, and it is highly unde-
sirable that a resolution of this kind
shall become law in such form as to
give the impression of insincerity--that
is, of pretending to do something which
lreally is not done-but after much
hesitation 1 concluded to sign the reso-
luton because its defects can be rene
died by legislation which I hereby ask.
for. 1t must be understood that I'M
less this subsequent legislation is
granted the present resolution must be
mainly, and may be entirely, inopera-
tive.
Before specifying what this legisla-
ton is l wish to call attention to one
or two preliminary facts. In the first
place, a part Of the investigation re-
Quested by the House of Representa-
tives in the resolution adopted Febru-
airy Is. 1905. relating to the oil indus
try, and a further part having to do
with the anthracite coal industry, have
been for some time under investigation
by the Department Of Commerce and
Labor. These investigations, 1 am in
formed, are approaching completion,
and before Congress adjOurns I shall
submit to you the preliminary reports
of these Investigations. Until these
reports are completed the Interstate
Commerce Commission could not en-
deavor to carry out so much Of the
resolution of Congress rs refers to
the ground already covered without
I III Az LION Va S\AAA9 49, W.
Investigations conflict and therefore
render each other more or less nuga-
tory.
I'm the second place, 1 call your at
tention to the fact that if an inves-
| tigation of the nature proposed i'll
this joint resolution is thoroughly and
; effectively conducted it will result in
; giving immunity from criminal prose-
cution to all persons who are called,
sworn and constrained by compulsory
J process of law to testify as witnesses;
though, of course, such immunity from
prosecution is not given to those from
/, whom statements or information mere
: ly, in cCntradiStinction to sworn teSti-
mOny. are obtained.
This is not at all to say that such
: Investigations should not be under
, taken. Publicity can by itself often
accomplish extraordinary results for
good; and the court Of public judgment
may secure such results where the
courts of law are powerleSs. There are
many cases where an investigation,
securing complete publicity about
abuses and giving Congress the mate
rial on which to proceed in the enact
[ ment of laws, is more useful than a
: criminal prosecution can possibly be.
But it shoui- not be provided for by
| law without q clear understanding that
: it may be an alternative instead of an
: additional remedy; that is, that to carry
on the investigation may serve as a bar
to the successful prosecution Of the Of
I lenses disclosed. The official body di-
rected by Congress TO make the inves-
tigItiOn must, of course, carry out its
direction, and therefore the direction
should not be given without full appre-
citation of what it means.
"But the direction contained in the
Joint resolution which 1 have signed
will remain almost imperative unless
. money is provided TO carry out the in
v~estigatiOnS in question. and unless
the commission in carrying them out
, is authorized to administer oathS and
compeI the attendance of witnesses.
: 81 accordingly recommend to Con-
: gress the serious consideration of just
what they wish the commission to do.
and how far they wish it to go, having
in view the possible ircompatibility OF
conducting an investigation like this
! and Of also proceeding criminally in a
court of law; and. furthermore, that 4
l sufficient sum. say $50.00O, be at once
= added to the current appropriate ton for
the commission so as to enable it to
: do the work indicated in a thorough
and complete manner, while at the
same time the power is explicitly con-
: ferred upon it to administer oathS and
compel the attendance of witnesses Ill
p making the investigation i'll question.
whic. covers work quite apart from It's
II ,.uties.
The general tone Of the message will
be considered by Congress as a slap
from the Executive, aud will go fer TO
disturb the relations between the two
branches of the Government.
q, Read between the lines the message
is taken by many legislators to mean
that urged on by the action of Cong less
and the charges of inactivity in prose
cution of great ~monopolies, the Admin
istratiOn is contemplating a prOsecu-
: ton Of the Standard Oil Company and
the %al combinations.