The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-10-23
The Trust Conference Of This
Organization Opened IN
Chicago Yesterday.
The Conference viii Continue For ssv-
srai Days and d Attended by About
400 Delegates President Buffers a.
dress--Othef Interesting Speakers,

thiCAju, UcL. xx.--Ihe trust confer
snce Of the National Civic Federation
which Ii 10 continue several days, open.
"a hero today. About 400 delegates
were present. representing ~ states and
10 many different organizations Of mer-
camille and civic aud municipal charae.
Ter. President Nicholas Murray Butler
after calling the convention 10 order,
said,
"0n behalf of tho National Civic
Federation II II my agreeable duty 10
extend cordial greeting to the dele.
gates who have assembled TO constitute
this conference We have before ii q
raN opportunity for the free and fair
Interchange Of views, and for the consid.
crate discussion OF some Of the ques.
ticna that are now. and FOR some time
past have been, uppcrmcst Ii The pub.
III mind. II Il BY bodies such al this,
representing the voluntary assembling
Of hundreds Of interested citizens. that
public opinion itself Is formed
I'VE are here to try To shed light upon
some Of the most difficult economic and
political problems Of our time. We do
not expect to solve them, but II Ii not
too much to hope that we may con.
tribute something toward their solution.
One OF the most beneGcent results OF the
development Of the 10th century was
the rapid growth Of the corporation as
an instrument for carrying on industry
and commerce. Experience has shown
us, however, that wc have not been en-
tirely successful as Yet III adjusting our
public administration and our legal
theory to the situation which the multi.
plieation and growth Of corporations has
brought about. Not only has there been.
far too many cases sinister alliance
koStxaen those who have sought govern.
Emeni privileges for the corporations
whicg they serve and those who as gov;
ornamental oiIicers were In position to
infuence the granting Of such privileges,
but corporations themselves, although
the creatures Of the state, have seemed
to be In some ways beyond the power Of
the state to control and outside the
reach Of its authority. Particularly ii
this true Of those most important bodies
which are known as public service cor
porations. II will hardly be denied that
the power which called the corporation
into existence must, in self-defence and
In order to sustain an equitable relation
to every citizen, 50 supervise and con-
tr0l the operations Of the public service
corporation that the latter shall not
Infringe either On tho powers Of the
state itself Or on the rights and just
privileges Of any individual citizen.
"Above all else, unless we propose to
wreck the whole economic basis on
which our prosperity and our happiness
rest, we must have care that we sol
speak and 80 act al not to disturb that
faith Or confidence which civilized man
has in his fellows and upon which rests
the whole enormous structure Of our
credit system. Destroy that, and there
viii not be many public service or other
loft to regulate for some
time to come
I'VE all know how much feeling, and
what just feeling, has been aroused in
the United States BY corporate misman- /
agement. It Is difficult to speak in !
language too strong Of the usurpations !
II power and the lafcenies Of funds
which have been committed By corpor. !
fte officers. But lot Us not lose our /
heads. WE are face to face with econo.
MID conditions that are new, and with
economic abuses that, though manifold, II
nave grown up slowly and in the dark.
There Is ample power in our institutions,
p our constitution and our laws tol