The Washington herald., 1907-10-03
ROOSEVELT URGES DEEP WATERWAYS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

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the construction, the right apprehension
of the living conditions 10 which it is 10
be applied.
The Constitution is unchanged and un-
Changeabie save by amendment in due
form. But the conditions To which il is
10 be applied have undergone a change
which is almost a transformation. with
the result that many subjects formerly
under the control of the States have
come under the control OF the nation.
Commerce Now Interstate.
Now. by the railroad. the mails. the
telegraph. and the telephone an immense
part of our commerce Is interstate. BY
the transformation II has escaped from
the power OF the State and come under
the power Of the nation. Therefore there
has been a great practical change in the
exercise of the national power, under the
acts Of Congress, over interstate com
merce.
The change as regards Interstate COM
meTCe has been. not IN the Constitution
but in the business OF the people 20 which
IL is to be applied. Our economic and
social future depends in a very large part
upon how the interstate commerce power
Of the nation Is Interpreted.
1 believe that the nation has the whole
governmental power over interstate COM
merce and the widest discretion in deal
ing with that subject: Of course under
the express limits prescribed In the Con-
stitutl0n for the exercise Of all powers.
such for instance as the coasiitiOn that
/ due process Of law shall not be de-
MED
The nation has no direct power over
purely interstate commerce, even where 10
is conducted by the same agencies which
conduct interstate commerce. The courts
must determine what Is national and
what IS State commerce. The same red-
soning which sustained the power Of Con-
gress 20 incorporate the United States
Bank tends 20 sustain the power 10 in
corporate an interstate railroad or any
other corporation conducting an inter
state business.
Must Amend Constitution.
There are difficulties arising from our
dual form Of government. II they prove
to be insuperable, resort must be had 20
the power Of amendment Let us first
try TO meet them by an exercise of all
the powers OF the national government.
which in the Marshall spirit Of broad in
depreciation can be found In the Consti-
tuition as it is They are Of vast extent.
The chief economic question Of the day
In this country is 10 provide a sovereign
for the great corporations engaged in in
teTstate business. that is, for the rail
porations At the moment our prime con-
Germ is with the railroads.
The railroads themselves have been ex-
/ Ceedingly shOTtsighted in the r8uCOUous
bitterness which they have shown against
the resumption by the nation Of this long
neglected power. Great capitalists, who
pride themselves upon their extreme con-
servatiSm, often believe they are acting
/ in the interests Of property when follow
ing course so ShnrtSiglted as 10 be
Z a
have shown extreme unWisdOm IN their
violent opposition TO the assumption Of
complete control over the railroads by
( the Federal government
| The American people will not tolerate
| the happy gO-luCky system of no control
over the great interstate railroads. with
the inSOleut and manifold abuses which
have SO generally accompanied it. The
control must exist somewhere; and unless
[ IL is by thOrOughgOing and radical law
placed upon the statute books Of the ma
/ ton. il viii be exercised I'm ever-inCreas-
/ ing measure by the several States
Federal Control Needed.
Personally. I firmly believe that there
should be national legislation 10 control
ali industrial corporations doing an inter
state business. including the control OF
the output OF their securities; but as 20
these the necessity for Federal control is
less urgent and immediate than IS the
case with the railroads Many Of the
abuses connected with these corporations
will probably tend 10 disappear now that
the eOyernment-the pUbliC-iS gradually
getting the upper hand as regards putting
stop to the rebates and special privi-
legeS which some Of these corporations
/ have enjoyed at the hands OF the COM
mon carriers. But ultimately II VIII be
found that the complete remedy Tor these
abuses lies in direct and affirmative ac-
ton by the national government. That
/ there Is constitutional power for the ma
tionaI regulation of these corporations
I have myself no question
Nation Has Power Now.
/ I am not pleading for an extension of
| constitutional power. I am pleading that
/ constitutional power which already exists
/ shall be applied 10 new conditions which
| did not exist when the Constitution went
/ into being
( 1 ask that the national powers already
conferred upon the national government
| by the Constitution shall be so used as
/ to bring national commerce and industry
/ effectively under the authority Of the
IFederal government, and thereby avert
/ industrial chaos.
NV plea il not to bring about a COndi-
ton of Capitalization. It Is that the gov
eminent shall recognize a condition OF
Capitalization in field where II already
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/ place in the world Of commerce and in
! 6ustry. All ! ask is that the national
government look this fact In the face. ac-
/ cent 1t as a fact, and ~ Itself according
/ Iv for q policy Of supervision and control
/ over this centralized commerce and in
/ dusty.
Lunches with Governors.
At the conclusion Of his address. the
President was again driven through
the principal streets Of the city, this
time under more pleasant weather con-
ditions Luncheon was served at the JEFF
/ ferson Hotel. at which twenty visiting
governors of the Mississippi Valley States
were present
After the luncheon, the President was
/ driven to the levee, and again boarded
/ the steamer Mississippi and started on
/ his trip down the river to Cairo, where
/ he will arrive at o'clock tomorrow
1 morning. On the voyage down to st.
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