The Irish standard., 1907-10-05
President DRENCHED:
SPEAKS IN ST. Louis
FAVoRs GOVERNMENT AID FoE
GREAT LAKES TO GULF WA
TERWAY PROJECT,
PEOPLES IDEAS MUST
REGULATE COMMERCE
Holds That tho Constitution Gives
- Authority to Check Greed of Great
Experimentation Should Use
Its Charter Power.

st. Louis. Oct 3.-Welcomed by
screaming whistles, changing bells,
laundering intonations of bursting
bombs and the huzzahs from thou
sands OF human throats. President
Roosevelt landed at ST. Louis at 3: AZ
o'clock Wednesday morning, marking
the first stop on his voyage down the
Mississippi river from Keokuk. Ia. to
Memphis. Tenn. where he will at.
tend the Lakes to the Gulf Deep Wa.
terways association convention, Fri.
day.
AS president Roosevelt stepped
ashore he was welcomed by Is gov.
ernors from various states, congress,
men and city dignitaries.
The President Drenched.
BY the time the procession had pro
ceeded eight blocks the president and
his welcoming host were instantly
drenched. The horses were whipped
up. and regardless of professional
formation the president was hurried
to the Iai Alai building, where he be-
gan speaking soon after II O'clock
Talks In Wet Clothes.
Notwithstanding that President
Roosevelt was caught in the rain as
he stood in the open carriage bowing
to the multitude, he proceeded
straight to the Jai Alai building and
went through the programme in his
wet clothes.
Mayor Wells, whose raiment was
also considerably dampened, intro.
duced Gov. Folk of Missouri, who in
turn made brief speech, presenting
President Roosevelt.
1t is a very real pleasure to adj
dress this body Of citizens of Mis-.
souri, here In the great city of ST.
Louis the president said, II have
often visited ST. Louis before. but al
ways by rail. Now ! am visiting it
In the course OF a trip by water. a
trip on the great natural highway
which runs past your very doors--a
highway once so important. now al.
most abandoned. which | hope this
nation will see not only restored to
all its former usefulness, but given
far greater degree Of usefulness to
correspond with the extraordinary
growth Of wealth and population in
the Mississippi valley.
There are many classes of com,
modities. especially those which are
perishable in their nature and where
the value Ia high relatively to the
bulk, which will always be carried by
rail. But bulky commodities which
are not Of perishahle nature will al.
ways he specially suited for the condi.
tons of water transport.
Would Govern by Constitution.
The president discussed at length
the problems of controlling big cor
porations. He said the nation should
use its charter power to meet condi.
tions in certain extremities. and he
declared in favor of a liberal inter.
probation Of the United States con.
stitution. He said it should he
amended II necessary He favored
national aid to create the great water
way from the great lakes to the gulf.
Following are some Of the more. ex.
pressive points especially emphasized
by the president In his speech:
Sovereign for Corporations.
The chief economic question of the
day in this country is to provide SOW
erefgn for the great corporations en-
gagged in interstate business; that is,
for the railroad and the interstate in.
dustrial corporation"
Capitalists Short Sighted.
Great capitalists have shown
extreme unwisdom in their violent op-
position Of complete control over the
railroads by the federal government
=. AS national commerce agents the
big interstate railroads ought to he
completely subject to national au.
thority Only thus can we secure their
complete subsection to- and control
by. single sovereign, representing
the whole people"
IF ask that the national powers al
ready conferred upon the national gov
eminent by the constitution shall be
SO used as to bring national commerce
and industry effectively under the fed
eral government and thereby avert in
dustrial chaos. My plan is not to
bring about Capitalization. 1t is that.
the government shall recognize a con-
dition Of Capitalization in field
where It already exists"
con the lower courses of the Mfssis.
sippi the nation should do its full
share in the work of levee building
Finish Panama Canal In Five Years.
IF we are able to keep up substan.
TALLY the rate of progress that now OBJ.
tains we shall finish the actual digging
Of the Panama canal within five or
six years.
We have definitely taken our place
among the great world powers and it
would be a. sign Of weakness. having
taken such a place, to shirk it's re-
sponsibilities. Therefore, unless we
are willing to abandon our insistence
upon the Monroe doctrine. to give up
the Panama canal, and to be content
to acknowledge ourselves weak,