Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-12-10
THE MESSAGE IN PART.
Document Entire Would Make Ov,

Document Entire Would Make over
Twenty Newspaper Columns.
President Roosevelt's message to the
Sixtieth Congress is of great length, the
longest ever penned by any President, and
in full contains over $4,000 words. In
part the President says:
No nation has greater resources than
ours. and | think Il can be truthfully said
that the citizens Of no nation possess
greater energy and industrial ability In
no nation are the fundamental business
conditions sounder than in ours at this
very moment: and il is foolish, when
such is the case, for people to hoard
money instead of keeping it in sound
banks; for il is such boarding that is the
immediate occasion of money stringency
Moreover, as a rule, the business of our
people is Conducted with honesty and
problty. and this applies alike to farms
and factories, TO railroads and banks TO
all our legitimate commercial enterprises.
In a. large body of men. however,
there y certain to be some who are dis.
honest, and If the conditions are such that
these men prosper or commit their mis-
deeds with Impunity, their example is
very evil thing for the community Where
these men are business men of great sa-
gacity and OF temperament both unscrupu-
lous and reckless. and where the condi-
tons are such that they act without SUI
perviSion or control and at first without
effective check from public opinion. they
delude many innocent people into making
investments or embracing in kinds of
business that are really unsound. When
the miSdeedS of these successfully dishon-
est men are discovered. suffering comes
not only upon them. but upon the inno-
cent men whom they have misled IL is
q painful awakening, whenever il occurs !:
aud. naturally, when Il does occur those
who suffer are apt to forget that the long
er IL was deferred the more painful n
woCli be. In the effort to punish the
guilty. 1t Is both wise and proper to en-
de- or so far as possible 10 minimize the
dis,0Ss of those who have been misled hv
tte guilty. Yet il Is not possible TO re-
ain because of suCh distress from striv-
ing TO put an end to the miSdeedS that are
che ultimate causes Of the suffering. and.
rs a means to this end, where poSs ible to
punish those responsible for them. There
may be honest differences of opinion as 10
many governmental policies; but surely
there can be no such differences as 10 the
need of unainchins perseverance in the
war against successful dishonesty.
Interstate Commerce..
The founders Of the constitution provid-
y" t4tttN tAt udttNual EoNefNMeuI should
have complete and sole control ,f inter
state commerce. There was then prac-
ucally no interstate business save sueh az
vas conducted by water. and this the ma
<l0nai government at once proceeded to
regulate in thoroughSoing anu effective
fashion. Conditions have now so wholly
changed thar she interstate commerce by
water is insignificant compar>i with the
amount that goes by land. and almost an
bic business concerns are now engaged ia
interstate commerce. As result. II can
be bur partially and imperfectly controG
Ell or regulated by the action of any one
of the several States; such action inevita-
bly, tending "a BE- either too drastic or
el=, 100 lax. and in either case ineffective
for purnSeS of Justice Only the naGscnal
government can ia acknowledging fashion
exercise the needed control. This does not
mean that there should be any extension
of federal authority. for such authority
already exists under the constitution in
aupleSt and most far-Feaehing form. but
it does mean that there should be an sx-
tens "A of federal activity. The most
vital need is in connection with the rail-
roads As to these. in my judgment there
should now be either a national incorpo-
ration act or law licensing railway GOSH
panies TO engage in interstate commerce
upon certain conditions The railroads
and all other great corporations will do
come; the only question Is as TO what gov