Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-08-20
ROOSEVELT ACCUSES
RICH MALEFACT0RS OF
A GIANT CONSPIRACY
Openly Hints Financial Troubles of the Country Are
Voluntarily Caused in Order to Discredit
His Administration.

~o~~~~~~~~-~~-~~~~~
a full measure of justice to the pub
lie
National Incorporation Law.
Il believe in a national Incorporation
law for corporations engaged in inter-
state business. l believe. furthermore,
that the need for action is most press
ing as regards those corporations
which, because they are common car
Iiers, exercise Il quasi-pubfic function,
and which can be controlled. in all re-
spects by the federal government. by
the exercise of the power conferred un-
der the interstate commerce clause,
and if necessary under the pOstroad
clause of the constitution.
During the last few years we have
taken marked strides in advance along
The road of proper regulation of these
railroad corporations; but we must not
stop in the work. The national govern
ment should exercise over them Il sim
liar supervision and control to that
which il exercises over national banks.
~ Y Ntti wv tAtAn 'liiN bN l'lCN'N'Allis-
ther along the lines marked out by
the recent national legislation.
''In dealing with any totally new set
of conditions there must at the outset
be hesitation and experiment. Such
has been our experience in dealing
with the enormous concentration of
capital employed in interstate business.
Not only the legislatures but the courts
and the people need gradually TO be
educated so that they may see what
the real wrongs are and what the real
remedies.
Deal With Several states.
almost every big business concern
is engaged in interstate commerce, and
such a concern must not be allowed by
q deXter0us shifting OF position. as has
been too often the case in the past, to
escape thereby all responsibility either
to state or to nation. The American
people became firmly convinced of the
necd of control over these great aggre-
cations of capital, especially where
they had a mOnOpolistic tendency, be.
fore they became quite clear as TO the
proper way of achieving the control
Through their representatives, in con
gress they tried two remedies, which
were to large degree. at least as in
terpreted by the courts. contradictory
On the one hand. under the antitrust
law the effort was made to prohibit all
combination. whether ii was or was
/ It hurtful or beneficial to the public.
On the other hand, through the in
terstate commerce law a beginning was
made in exercising such supervision
and control over combinations as tC
prevent their doing anything harmful
| to the body polite. The first law, the
so-called Sherman law. has filled ;
useful place, for it bridges over thu
transition period until the American
people shall definitely make UP it!
mind that it will exercise over The
great corporations that thOrOughgoins
and radical control which it is certain
ultimately to find necessary.
Part of Law is Good.
THE principles of the Sherman Law
so far as it prohibits combination
which. whether because of their eXten
or of their character, are harmful t
the public, must always be preserved
ultimately, and | hope with reasOnabl
speed, the national government mus
Ipass laws which, while increasing TIL
supervisory and regulatory power O
the government, also permits such use
iful combinations as are made with al
solute openness and as the representa-
tives of the government may prev
ously approve. But it will not be pos
sible to permit such combinations saw
as the second stage in a course of pre-
ceedings of which the first stage mus
be the exercise of q far more complet
control by national government.
''In dealing with those who often
= against the antitrust and interstat
commerce laws, the department of ju
: tice has to encounter many and grea
= difficulties. Often men who have bee
guilty of violating these laws hav
: really acted in criminal fashion, and
possible should be proceeded agains
: criminally; and therefore it is advis
bic that there should be a clause
these laws providing for such Grimm;
5 action, and for punishment by impri
} onment as well as by fine.
! But, as is well known, in a crimin;
: action the law is strictly construed
t favor of the defendant, and in OF
t country, at least, both judge and Jun
e are far more inclined to consider h
S rights than they are the interests
S the general public; while in addition
/ is ALWAYS true that a mans oenor