Evening star., 1907-11-19
TASK ALMOST ENDEO
Presidents Message to Con-
gress Nearly Completed.
ORIGINAL DRAFT REVISED
Recent Events Have Necessitated
Many Changes.
TREATMENT OF CORPORATIONS
Amendment of the Sherman Anti
Trust Law, It Is Believed, Will
Be Suggested.
TREATMENT OF CORPORATIONS

The Presidents message to Congress is
now almost completed. When he wrote It
at Oyster Bay and sent it to the public
printer as complete. he had no idea that
events would necessitate an almost entire
change In his discussion Of every impor-
tant subject he was dealing with. Never
before has he found it imperative to re-
construct the main portions of his mes
sage Now he thinks he can let It go to
Congress about as it stands He intends
to take a vacation about Thanksgiving
day and he wants to get the message off
his hands before then
1t is realized by the President that his
message will make its appearance at the
most delicate time In the history of his
administration. For that reason he has
been proceeding with the greatest care
in what he has to say Not only does the
situation require that he shall advise Con-
gress along financial and currency lines
but at the same time he must, it is nci1t-
cd out. make suggestions an. com
mendations as to the antitrust and cor
poration laws in existence and legislation
necessary for the future.
The Sherman Antitrust Law.
1t Is now pretty we'll understood that the
president will ask Congress to consider
important amendments to the Sherman
antitrust law. under which most of the
governments attacks on corporations
nave been made. and he may even init
mate that the law should be repealed and
something not so Objectionable to the
business world. but effective in its pur-
pose substituted for it,
Bitter protests have been made to the
President against the continuation of the
administration policy of attacking combi-
nations unde- the antitrust law. and he
has been told that If this is kept UP the
largest and most honest business estab-
l1shments of the country will have their
credit weakened. The President has been
assured by many that the law makes no
discrimination between the honest and the
dlshonest corporation. For resorting to
the law Attorney General Bonaparte
comes in for the worst sort of drubbing
The President must be exceeding eau
tious in treating of such a subject in his
message. If he goes too far he will lay
himself open to the accusation of joining
the reacttonaries. while If he does not say
something to allay the feeling of unrest
in the big corporations in the country ha
Will be accused of attacking the founda-
tions of the prosperity and credit of the
United States. So far he has found sound
advice from such men Cortelyou, Root
and Meyer.
Emergency Legislation.
The President is also seriously consider
ing the advisabi1ity of asking Congress to
put upon the statute books laws which
will permit the Treasury Department to
meet stringency like the one that has
just been threatening. He will call
attention to the fact that resort had to be
had to a law in the issue of 500 0O1. 900
certificates of Indebtedness that was
passed to deal with the war with Spain
1t was never intended to remain upon the
statute books after the war. but by over
sight was not repealed with the other
laws applying to that emergUhcy No
administration, he will intimate. should
have to resort to stretching laws in this
manner, and Congress should remedy that
condition by enactment of proper laws
giving unequivocal authority for extraor-
dinary measures of relief in times of
emergency