Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-08-21
ROOSEVELT ONCE MORE
DECLARES WAR ON TRUSTS


amass n great fortune by special priv
ilcgc, by chicancry and wrong doing
SO far as ii is in the power of legis-
laiion to prevent and that the for
tune when amassed shall not have
Il business use that is antisocial. Most
large corporations do Il business that
is not confined TO any one state. EX
pcrioncc has shown that the effort 10
control these corporations by mere
State action can not produce whole
some results. In most cases such cf-
fort fails to correct the real abuses
of which the corporation is or may
be guilty; while in other cases the
effort is apt to cause either hardship
TO the corporation itself. or else hard
ship to nciglIborng States which nave
not tried to grapplc with the prob.
lem in the same manner; anC of
cOurc we must be as scrumlous 10
safeguard he rights of the corpora
tions rs to exact from them in return
n full measure of justice to the pub
lie. believe in national incorpor-
alton law for corporations engaged in
interstate business. believe further
more. that the need for action Is most
pressing as regards those corporations
which because they are common car
ricrs. exercise n quasi-public Junction.
/ and which can be completely con
trollcd IN all respects by the FeGcral
| Government. by the exercise OF the
power conferred under the Interstate
commerce clause, and. if necessary,
under the postroad clause, of the
Constitution During the last few
years we have taken marked strides
in advance along the road Of proper
regulation of these railroad corpora
! lions; but we must not stop in the
work The National government
should exercise over them a similar
supervision and control to that which
ii exercises over national banks. We
can do this only by proceeding far
ther along the lines marked out by
the recent national legislation.
Complete Control by Federal Govern
ment.
Ultimately. and hope with reas-
enable speed. the National Govern
ment must pass laws which, while
increasing the supervisory and regu-
latory power of the government. also
permits such useful combinations as
are made with absolute opcnness and
dis the representatives of tho govern
ment may previously approve But It
will not be possible to permit such
combinations save as tine second stage
iie Il course of proceedings of which
the first stage must be the exercise
of 4 fare more complete control by
the National Government.
Rap at Undesirable Citizens"
There is unfortunately certain
number of our fellow countrymen who
seem TO accept the view that unless
n man can be proven guilty of some
particular crime he shall be counted
a good citizen. no matter how infa-
nous The life he has led no matter
lhow pernicious his doctrines or his
practices. This is the view announced
from time to time with camorous in
sistoncc, now by Il group of preda-
tory capitalists. now by group of
sinister annrchistic leaders and agi
tators. whenever special champion
of either class. no matter how evil
his class. no matter how evil his gen
eral life. is acquitted of some one
| specific crime. Such n view is wicked
whether applied to capitalist or labor
leader. TO rich man or poor man. But
we have 10 take this feeling into ac-
count when we are debating whether
it Is possible to get n conviction III
ia criminal proceeding against some
rich trust magnate, many of whose
actions are severely to be condemned
from the moral and social standpoint.
but no one of whose actions seems
| clearly to establish such technical
guilt rs will ensure conviction.
! An instance of this is the demand
often made for criminal prosecutions
! where such prosecutions would he
certain to fail We have found by