Semi-weekly herald., 1907-12-05
PRESIDENTS MIS-
SAGE TO CONGRESS
A Strong Plea for Just and Equitable Laws
on All Important Questions Now Be-
for the Country

Of permanently beneficial character
can be given to the less able and less
fortunate save as the results OF n
policy which shall inure to the ad.
vantage of all industrious and efficient
people who act decently; and this is
only another way of saying that any
benefit which comes TO the less able
and less fortunate must Of necessity
come ever more to the more able anil
more fortunate II. therefore. the less
fortunate man is moved b. envy OF
rs more fortunate brother TO strike
It the conditions under which tLey
have both though uneuaauy prol-
pered, the result will assuredly be
that while damage may com. 10 the
one struck at 1t will visi+ w;r an
even heavier load the one who strikes
the blow. Taken as whole. We must
all go up or go dowa together.
Yes. while not mo ely a, hitting
but insisting upon this. t is also true
that where there is no - 'vernrent.
r, straint or supervision scma OF the
except al men use ~" energies.
not in Ways that are roc ia con.mcn
good lat in ways whlch tel against
this common good. The fortunes
amassed through corporate organiza-
tion are now so large. anj vest such
power in those that WELD lhc,n as 10
make it Il matter of necessity to give
to the sovereign-that is, to the gov
elnment which represents the people
as a whole-some effective power OF
supervision over their corporate use
Ii; order to insure a healthy social
and industrial life. every big corpora.
tion should be held responsible by
and be accountable to, some sovereign
strong enough to control Its conduct,
am in no sense hostile TO corpora
tions. This is an age of combination,
and any effort to prevent all COM
bination will he not only useless. but
in the end vicious. because of the
contempt for law which the failure to
should. moreover. recognize in cordial
and ample fashion the immense good
effected by corporate agencies in
country such as ours, and the wealth
OF intellect. energy, and fidelity de-
voted to their service. and therefore
normally to the service OF the public
by their officers and directors The
corporation has come to stay. just
as the trade union has come to stay.
Each can do and has done great coed
Each should be favored so long as it
does good But each should be sharp.
ly checked where it acts against law
and Justice.
"" The makers of our ma
tional constitution provided especially
that the regulation of interstate com
merce should come within the sphere
% the general government. The ar
guments in favor of their taking this
stand We're even then overwhelming
But they are far stronger today, in
view of the enormous development
Of great business agencies, usually
corporate in form. Experience has
shown conclusively that it is useless
to try to get any adequate regulation
and supervision can be obtained by
the enactment of law by the congress
Our steady aim should be
by legislation, cautiously and carefully
undertaken, but resolutely persevered
in, to assert the sovereignty of tho
national government by affirmative ac-
! ton.
: This is only in form an innova.
( ton In substance 1t Is merely q
I restoration for from the earliest time
/ such regulation of industrial actiyi
ties has been recognized in the ac
tion of the lawmaking bodies; and all
that propose is to meet the changed
conditions in such manner as will pre-
vent the commonwealth abdicating thn
power it has always possessed. not
only in this country. but also In Eng
land before and since this country be-
came a separate nation.
at has been misfortune that the
national laws on this subject have
hitherto been of a negative or pro
hibitive rather than an affirmative
kind. and still more that they have IN
part sought to prohibit what could not
be effectively prohibited. and have II
part in their prohibitions confounded
what should be allowed and what
should not be allowed. 1t Is generally
useless to try to prohibit all restraint
on competition, whether this restrain
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