Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-08-27
PEOPLE OR TRUSTS !?
PRESIDENT IN SPEECH ASKS
WHO SHALL RULE.
No Countermarch in Governments
Campaign to Punish wrongdoers-
Favors National incorporation
Law and Protection for Workers.

President Roosevelt was the central fig
IRE at Provincetown. Mass. at the laying
| If the corner stone OF the Cape Cod Pill
grim Memorial monument The PreSi-
lent delivered the principal address at the
ceremony. He reiterated the purpose of
The administration TO curb the criminal
TENDENCIES of greet corporations that are
engaged in interstate commerce. Pun
iShment for individuals as well as cor
porations that violate the law was urged,
and the executive declared that punish
ment by Imprisonment as well as fine for
dagrant offenders would be the aim Of the
| department of justice
He declared he was determined to find
out who was to rule the government-the
people through their governmental agents,
Or the wealthy few?
Mr.. Roosevelt gave his direct sanction
to a national incorporation law for con
Germs doing an interstate business, saying
that it is his belief that such corporations
can be controlled by the federal govern
ment under the interstate commerce
clause and, if necessary. under the post
roads clause of the Constitutions
An earnest word was spoken for legis-
lation which will conserve the rights and
interests of wage-eainers employed by
corporations engaged in interstate com
merce. Mr.. Roosevelt said that if the
law enacted last winter limiting the hours
of work of railway employees was not
strong enough it must be strengthened.
For strong Employers' Liability Law
Declaration was made that a more far
reaching and thorough-going employers
liability law must be passed The Presi-
dent said: ut is monstrous that a man
or woman who is crippled in an indus
try, even as the result of taking what
are the necessary risks of the occupation,
should be required to bear the whole bur-
den of the loss. BY making the en-
ployer liable the loss will be distributed
ultimately among all the benefieiaries of
the business"
Touching the matter of receiverships
for trusts that are guilty of wrongdoing
Mr. Roosevelt said that the desire is Ito
do something effective" and that more
over, when we thus take action against
the wealth which works iniQuity we are
acting in the interest of every man of
property who acts 3eceutly and fair by
his fellows and we are strengthening the
hands of those who propose fearlessy to
defend property against all unjust at
tacks."
Concerning individualism and socialism
the President said ut will be highly dis
astrous if we permit ourselves to be mis-
la1 =, ,,fDo g h. in,
unrestricted indivdualism the all-suffi-
cient panacea for social evils but it will
be even more disastrous to adopt the
opposite panacea of any socialistic sys-
tenn which would destroy all individual
ism, which would root out the fiber Of
our whole citizenship"
An echo of his recent undesirable citi.
zen" pronouncement is to be found in this
passage from Mr.. Roosevelt's speech
'sThele is unfortunately a certain number
of our fellow countrymen who seem to ac-
cept the view that unless a man can be
proved guilty of some particular crime he
shall be counted good citizen, no matter
how infamous the life he has led, no mat
ter how pernicious his doctrines or his
practices. This is the view announced
from time to time with clamorous insist
ance, now by a group of predatory capt.
talists, now by a group of sinister an
archistic leaders and agitators."
Supervise Railways Like Banks.
In touching upon the railroads the
President declared: ''The national gov.
eminent should exercise over them a SUI
pervision and control similar to that
which it now exercises over national
banks. We can do this only by proceed
ing farther along the line marked out by
recent national legislation"
Concerning the matter of national con-
troll as it might conflict with the rights of
the States Mr.. Roosevelt said:
"It seems to me that such questions as
national sovereignty and States rights
need to be treated not empirically or AGA
demically, but from the standpoint of the
interests of the people as whole. Ma
tional sovereignty is to be upheld in Sc
far as it means the sovereignty Of the
people used for the real and ultimate good
of the people and States rights are to be
upheld in so far as they mean the peoples
rights. Especially is this true in dealing
Win bhC itidbiOho VI liiS PNOPtP &c a. nhOAN
to the great corporations which are the
distinguishing feature of modern business
conditions"
Mr.. Roosevelt said a word concerning
what might be accomplished in time in
the way of making easier the path of use
full combinations, but he said fatty that
the day could not come before there was
far more thorough control by the national
government On this matter his words
were:
ultimately, and l hope with reason
able speed, the national government must
pass laws which, while increasing the
supervisory and regulatory power Of the
government, also permit such useful com
binations as are made with absolute open,
ness and as the representatives Of the gov.
eminent may previously approve. But il |
will not be possible to permit such com. |
binations save as the second stage in q |
course of proceedings of which the first |
stage must be the exercise of a far more |
complete control by the national govern |
ment."
Told In Few Lines.