The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-06-17
Editorials BY the People.
What Has Roosevelt Done?

L
To the Editor OF The Times.
have been reading with a great deal
OF interest Mr.. @. W. Lawrie's com.
munication TO your paper entitled
what Has Roosevelt Done?" and
Mr.. Fred II. Marvin's reply 10 same.
Considering the importance and
timeliness Of the subject take the
liberty OF adding to what has already
been said. by discussing another phase
OF the subject.
To what extent have the Roosevelt
policies increased the national well
fare and happiness OF the American
people and To what extent have our
problems been solved or are on the
way OF being solved. through the
Roosevelt policies.
make no attempt to attack the SIN
certify OF Roosevelt's motives, but
simply state the facts as they are.
The one great question before the
american people. question before
which every other problem sinks into
insignificance. Is the trust question"
so In asking what has Roosevelt done,
the answer must be, to what extent
has the trust question been solved: Is
the power or the trusts. the number or
the trusts. the capitalization OF the
trusts less today than when Roosevelt
took hold?
II someone would have declared TO
admirers Of Roosevelt In 1901 that
seven years from that date the power
ha "a NJ ha ha
Capitalization OF wealth would be far
greater than II was then. what would
they have said?
Roosevelt is ready to step out his
work Is nearly finished. and not alone
Is the trust problem not any nearer
TO being solved. but on the contrary.
his successor will find the problem
far greater than when Roosevelt took
| hold.
Roosevelt practically declared him
self and some OF his policies to be
wrong, when. In one OF his messages
TO the last congress, he declared that
the trusts are here 10 stay He dft
not make that admission seven years
ago. or even one year ago, but after
being nearly seven years In ONCE he
at last declares that the trusts are
here to stay"
AS far as solving the trust problem
Is concerned, a problem that is far
more important than all other prob
lens combined, Roosevelt is an abso-
Lutte failure: more than a failure, con-
sidering that the power OF trusts and
monopolies over the people liz greater
today than IL was seven years ago.
But his greatest failure does not
lay In the fact of his not being able TO
curb the power OF the trusts, but in
his inability TO see that the evolution
of modern Industrial development
makes trusts inevitable, and that he
should have wasted seven years OF ef
forts before admitting that the trusts
are here TO stay
How many more years must pass
before Roosevelt will admit that regu-
lation IL failure and admit that
public ownership is the only logical
solution OF the trust problem. Pub
lie ownership" OF the railroads, tele.
graph and all industries which are or
ganized on national scale and in
which competition has virtually ceased
to exist.
In public ownership the problem
VI IcfHNtstiHs surplus pTOHtS iS SoiFcu
because all money received In any
publicly owned industry must be spent
In wages and cost Of service. lf there
is surplus II can be used TO reduce
the cost OF the service or In necessary
improvements.
Neither Roosevelt nor his party has
taken the first step towards public
ownership.
And as for increasing the material
welfare OF those that need II most.
what are We TO think OF Roosevelt In
falling to say one word In all his mes.
sages to congress about the great UNI
employed problem, or to recommend
one single emergency measure to re-
lieve the terrible sufferings Of the mil
lions Of unemployed OF this country.
J. r. STOCKER.
Detroit June IA. 1908.