The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-08-23
A Time for Self Control.

Secretary Taft are to make speeches
this week, of which more or less trust.
worthy forecasts are allowed to leak
out by somebody. Mr.. Bonaparte is
reported as having already said that
if complaints are made that his de.
partment proposes to punish proEl-
nent and wealthy men or corporations
having vast amounts OF capital and
engaged In very extensive business,
where these are shown to have been
-wiIfuI and persistent Law breakers oR
a great scale and with grave injury
to the purposes Of the law why then
the complaints are we'll founded Tor
this is 'precisely what the department
of justice is trying to do" and what
it will continue trying to do 80
long as he is at the head. The most
definite forecast of what resident
Roosevelt is going TO say at the Prov
incetown celebration tomorrow comes
by way of London. The Washington
correspondent of the Daily Mail has
it from the highest authority that
Mr.. Roosevelt has no intention Of re-
taken" On the contrary, he says,
the president will reiterate his inten-
tion of pursuing the trusts that he
thinks have broken the laws, and
he will consider what additional
legislation is necessary to enforce his
views" He is not alarmed in the
slightest at the slump in Wall street
but believes that an effort is being
made by large interests to frighter
him into a more conservative policy
How near this roundabout forecast
comes to the mark we shall know after
the speech has been delivered.
Secretary Taft will address the Buck
eye Republican Club at Columbus to.
day, and what pdrports to be the gist
of his speech has already been publish
ed as coming from intimate friends
of the secretary" who are assumed to
know what he is going to say Whether
they know or not they may know
enough about his views on the subjects
referred to to feel sure that chose
are his sentiments According to this
tale which awaits verification today,
the secretary of war, who is regarded
by many as the most probable success
or OF President Roosevelt will ex.
plain, defend and unequivocally in
(dnrse every action that has been taken
10y the administration toward the con-
1trol and regulation of railroad corpor-
atlOnS and trust" More than that, he
will favor Il further strengthening of
the interstate commerce law by giving
'Ghe commission power to classify
merchandise for rate fixing" prohibit
ing the issue of new stock or bonds
without certificatiOn from the COM
mission that the proceeds are &c be de-
voted to a legitimate railroad purpose.
z such as betterments of road and
equipments" and forbidding railroads
engaged in interstate commerce to
purchase stock in competing lines |
He will also favor tariff revision, in
heritance tax and an effort to secure |
new supreme court decision on tie !
income tax question, and viii deny |
that President Roosevelt is responsible |
for the hostile attitude of states to- |,
ward railroads or for the slump in |
Wall street" and will charge that the |
l:sAiJrOads brought it on themselves as !
retaliation for their ;OrIoHr illegal |
uractiCes.'
Now we are not going to assume that |
these forecasts are correct, OF that
those furnishing them know before
hand what is going rU he said, Dut
there is .vason to believe tnat they
reflect more Or less clearly the known
attitude of the persons who are 10 |
sneak There is no reason to suppose
*hat the admin istratiOn has Fahen
alarm, or is to retreat from its position |
or will abandon the policy OF strength
ening the laws against corpofase |
abuses and seeing that they are en- !
forced. for there is no reason why |
it should do anything of the KIND AS !
Ar. Bonaparte is reported IS saying IN |
his Interview, Business men ought 10
wish to have the laws strictly and I'M
partially enforced" for if this IS done
seeyerybody knows what he can do |
and what he cannot and everybody has |
fair field and no favor" Now
the agitators and the agltated might |
as we'll turn their thoughts away from
what the administration has done or IS
going to do, and give more consider
alton to the actual situation instead OF
one which they imagine.
The policy of the administration has
been in the main right, and no dOLbt |
it will be persisted in. That might as
well be accepted and calculations re-
conciled with it for there is no danger
of radical action which will make |
matters worse and bring about disas- |
ter. The state of mind produced by