Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-08-20
ROOSEVELT H[AYS
TWO BAD EXTREMES
President Delivers Address on
Present Day Conditions at
Provincetown, Mass.
SPECIAL PRIVILEGES DOOMED
President Says Wicked Corporations
Must Be curbed and That unrea-
sonabIe Socialists Are Great Men,
ace to Nation-Aims Of His Admin
istration.

Proyincetown. Mass, Aug. 20
President Roosevelt delivered the main
address today at the laying of the cor
nerstone Of the Cape Cod Pilgrim mem
orial monument, in the presence of an
immense throng assembled ITO attend
the ceremonies. His address was the
feature Of an elaborate days program
and the financial world, especially that
portion represented by corporations
which have been under governmental
scrutiny. awaited his remarks with
degree of uneasiness.
The presidential party, on board the
Mayflower, arrived last night. and the
ship anchored on the same spot the his
toric Mayflower is supposed to have oc-
cupied when the Pilgrims came to these
shores. The president came ashore TO-
day and was received by Governor
Guild and other OFFICIALS. The party
was escorted to the top Of Town Hin
where the ceremonies of the day took
place The Massachusetts, grand lodge
of Masons was in charge OF the exef-
cises and other speakers besides the
president were Ambassador Bryce, Sen
ator Lodge and Representative Loving.
Following the exercises a banquet was
served in the town hall. and the presi-
dential party then returned to the May
flower for the return "trip TO oyster
Bay.
not inVtfp0
TO participate in today's exercises ar
rived last night. At $3.50 the nag OF
the Mayfiower, with President Roose-
welt on board, was sighted at Long
Point and a salute of welcome was
doomed forth from the guns on ooaro
the yachts in the harbor. As the May
nowSr passed the line of battleships
and other craft, she returned the sa-
lutte.
The president made a most impor-
tant address. in that he established un-
enuiyocally that his administration
would 20 ahead with its prosecution OF
law-breaking corporations without fear
of the stock brokers.
President Roosevelt, after referring to
the historical significance of the occa-
sion, took up the discussion of the pres
The utterly changed conditions OF
our national life necessitate changes In
certain of our laws, of our government
tai methods. Our federal system OF
government is based upon the theory
of leaving to each community, to each
state. the control over those things
which, affect only it's own members and
which the people of the locality them
selves can best grapple with, while
providing for national regulation in
those matters which necessarily affect
the nation as whole. 1t seems to me
that such questions as national sover-
eighty and states rights need to be
treated not empirically or academic
ally, but from the standpoint of the in
terests Of the people as whole.
Special Privileges Must Cease.
! Experience has shown that it is nee
essary to exercise q far more efficient
control than at present over the busi-
ness use of those vast fortunes, chiefly
corporate which are used Gas under
modern conditions they almost invari-
ably are) in interstate business. When
the constitution was created none of !
the conditions Of modern business ex-
listed. They are wholly new and we |
must create new agencies to deal eff |
fectively with them. There is no OBJ |
lection in the minds of this people to |
any mans earning any amount of I
money If he does it honestly and fair |
ly, If he gets it as the result of special /
skill and enterprise, as reward of |
ample service actually rendered. But !
there Is a growing determination that
no man shall amass a great fortune by t
special privilege, by chicanery and |
wrong-doing, SO far as it is in the /
power of legislation to prevent; and ,
that the fortune when amassed shall |
not have business use that is anti
social. Most large corporations do a +
business that is not confined to any |
one state. Experience has shown that +
the effort to control these corporations {
by mere state action can not produce
wholesome results. In most cases such .
effort fails to correct the real abuses
of which the corporation is or may be (
guilty; while in other cases the effort
is apt to cause either hardship to the
corporation itself, or else hardship to I
neiehboring states which have not
tried TO grapple with the problem in the .
same manner; and Of course we must
be as scrupulous to safeguard the
rights of the corporations as to exact |
from them in return full measure of
justice to the public. believe in ma
tional incorporation law for corpora
tions engaged In Interstate business. l
believe, furthermore that the need for
action Is most pressing as regards
those corporations which, because they
are common carriers, exercise a quasi
public function; and which can be
completely controlled in all respects
oy the federal government by the ex-
.rcise Of the power conferred under
he interstate commerce clause and II
necessary. under the post-road clause,
If the constitution During the last
'ew wears we have taken marked
,trides in advance aIons the road ot
roper regulation of these railroad
orpcrations; but we must not stop in