The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1907-06-07
A NATIONS TASK
President Roosevelt Defines His Po-
sition Regarding Railroads
and Their Control.
SHOULD HAVE FULL POWER
Supervision Over Common Carriers
Must Be As Complete AS That
Now Exercised Over Ma
tionsl Banks.

Indianapolis, Ind, May 3l.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt delivered the principle
address in this city Thursday at the
unwilling of the statue to Gen. Law
ton, veteran of the civil war, who
died in the service of his country in
the Philippines. The address had
been looked forward to for weeks as
being the first authoritative express
sion of the presidents views regard
ing the relationship of the govern
men to the railroads of. the country.
After delivering an eulogy on Gen.
Lawton and the veterans OF the Civil
war Mr.. Roosevelt said among other
things:
Great social and industrial prob
lens confront us, and their solution
demands on our part unfaltering cour-
age, and yet wise, good-natured self
restraint; so that on the one hand we
shall neither be daunted by diff
culties nor fooled by those who would
seek to persuade us that the diff
culties are insuperable; while on the
other hand we are not misled into
showing either rashness or vindictive-
ness.
One great problem that we have
before us is to preserve the rights
of property; and these can only be
preserved if we remember that they
are in less jeopardy from the socialist
and the anarchist than from the pre-
datory man of wealth The power
of the nation must be exerted to stop
crimes of cunning no less than
crimes of violence There can be no
halt in the course we have deliber-
ately elected to pursue, the policy
of asserting the right of the nation,
so far as 1t has the power, to super
wise and control the business use OF
wealth, especially in its corporate
form. To-day I wish to say word
to you about the first and most I'M
portant feature of this task, the
control of the common carriers doing
an interstate business; a control abb
solutely vested in the nation. There
must be vested in the Federal Gov
eminent full power OF supervision
and control over the railways doing
interstate business; power in many
respects analogous to and as COM
plete as that the Government eXer-
cises over the national banks. IL
must possess the power 10 exercise
supervision over the future issuance
of stocks and bonds, either through
national incorporation (Which l
should prefer or in some similar
fashion.
The movement to regulate railways
by law has come to stay. The people
of this country have made up their
minds-and wisely made up their
minds-to exercise a closer control
over all kinds of public-service cor
porations. including railways. Every
honestly managed railway will gain
and not lose by the policy. The men
more anxious to manipulate stocks
than to make the management of
their roads efficient and honest are
the only ones who have cause to OPP
pose it.
We who believe in steady and
healthy progress stand unalterably
for the new era of the widest pub
licity. and of fair dealing on the part
of railroads with stockholders, pas
sengers, and shippers. We ask the
consent Of no man in carrying out
this policy; but We gladly welcome
the aid Of every man in perfectine
the Law in its details. and in secur-