The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1907-06-07
HUSTLE OR TAKE A BACK SEAT
FRIDAY, JUNE Z, 1907
President Roosevelt's Address.

Every citizen in this country
should read carefully every line
of President Roosevelt's address
delivered at Indianapolis on
Decoration day. The following
are a few extracts of special in
terests.
zone great problem that we have
before VI is to preserve the rights
of property; and these car only
be preserved if we remember that
they are in less jeopardy from the
socialist and the anarchist than
from the predatory man Of wealth.
There must be vested in the fed
eral government a full power of
supervision and control over the
railways doing interstate business;
a power in many respects analo-
gous to and as complete as that
the government exercises over the
national banks. 1t must possess
the power to exercise supervision
over the future issuance of stocks
and bonds, either through a ma
tional incorporation (Which L
should prefer or in some similar
fashion. Such supervision to in
clude the frank publicity of every
thing which would-be investors
and the public at large have a
right to know.
The federal government will thus
be able to prevent all overcapital-
ization in the future; to prevent
any man hereafter from plumber
ing others by loading railway
properties with obligations and
pocketing the money instead Of
spending it in improvements and
in legitimate corporate purposes;
and any man acting in any such
fashion should be held to a crimi-
nal accountability.
This nation would no more in
lure securities which have become
an important part of the national
wealth than it would consider a
proposition to repudiate the pub
lie debt.
"But the publicinterests requires
guaranty against improper multi
plications of securities in the flu
ture. Reasonable regulations for
their issuance should be provided,
so as to secure as far as may be
that the proceeds thereof shall be
devoted to legitimate business
purposes.
'The shippers of the country
must be supplied generously with
cars and all other equipments
necessary to ,roperly care for our
commerce, q d all this means that
the national government must be
given full and effective power OF
supervision and control. But the
interest OF. those who build, who
manage and who invest in the
railroads must be no less scrupu-
lousy guarded than the interests
of the public.
The C of our whole system
of government depends upon oul
di terminating between pen, no.
with reference to whether they
are rich or poor, whether they
follow one occupation or another
but with reference solely tt
whether they act as honest and up
right citizens should act. Let thu
local attorneys of the big roadi
keep out of politics; and whel
they have to appear before tn
national or any state Legislature
let their pames be put on a specia
register, and let their business o
above board and open.
Demand honesty-absolute, un
flinching honesty-together wit
courage and common sense, i
public servant and in bushes
man alike.
Make it evident that you Wi
not tolerate in public life a ma
who discriminates for or againt
any other, save as justice an
reason demand 1t; and that !
your attitude toward business me
koward the men who are dealin