The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-02-06

Of violence. corruption and fraud, from |
murder to bribery and ballot-boX stun
ing in politics. We are trying to secure
equality OF opportunity for all; and the |
struggle for honesty is the same whether /
Il is made on behalf Of one set OF men
or OF another.
Laws Must Continue to Be
Administered with Even Hand |
The laws must in the future be ad-
ministered as they are now being ad-
ministered. so that the department Oh |
Justice may continue TO be, what II now
is, in very fact the department OF JUS
tice, where so far as our ability pernlts
justice is meted out with an even han9
to great and small, rich and poor, weak |
and strong. Moreover, there should oe |
no delay In supplementing the laws now
on the statute books by the enactment OF
further legislation as outlined IN the
message | sent to congress on its assem- !
bling Under the existing laws, much'
very much, has been actually accom-
plished during the past six years, and II
has been shown by actual experience
that they can be enforced against the
wealthiest corporation and the richest
and most powerful manager or manlpu-
lator of that corporation las vigorously
and fearlessly as against the humDlest
offender Above all, they have beeh
enforced against the very wronsdoers
and agents of wrongdOers who nave LOT
so MANY years gone scot free and nOuteu
the laws with impunity, against great
law-defying corporations OF lmlnSnSee
IL. CHs
dozen years have treated themselves ana
have expected others to treat them rs
being beyond and above all possible
II is especially necessary to secure to
the representatives of the national gov
ernment full power to deal with the great
corporations engaged In interstale .,t to;r,- IN
rnerce and above all, with the great m
terstate common carriers. our peopIe
should clearly recognize that Wnlle tneIe
are difficulties in any course OF conauet et
| to be followed in dealing with these great
| oorporations these difficulties must De
| faced, and one of three courses foll0weq'
The first course is to abandon all Ell
| fort to oversee and control their acIomis
| in the interest of the general pupnc
| and to permit return to the utter lack
| of control which would obtain II they
| were left to the common law. l do not
| for one moment believe that our people
| would tolerate this position. Ihe eX-
! ira aordinary growth OF modern lndustTlai-
ism has rendered the Conlldon don+ed ia" to deal
| with totally different conditions; IN many
respects inadequate to deal with tne neW
| conditions. These new condiuons Hiahe ~ ~
! necessary to shackle cunning as III Wy IlIt
| mast we have shackled force. Inc NasI
| Individual and corporate fortunes tne
| ast combinations of capital, Whlcn nave
| marked the development of our lnuustrlal
| system create new conditions, ana necesr
| state n change from the old atutuue oL
| the state and nation toward the ruIes
regulating the acquisition anu u; uitI order rrh
| meled business use of property, IN oIuGI SI
| both that property may be auequatey
| nr0tected and that at the same @ @tlllIe
those who hold it may be prevented Ironl
wrongdonG. . 4o
have the regulation undertaken either
by the nation or by the states;
| course in any event both the natohal
government and the several state gov
| ernments must do each its part, ana
| each can do certain amount that Lne
other cannot do, while the only really
satisfactory results must pc optdtneIi optiai
by the representatives of the natlonal
and state governments working heart
lily together within their respectlpet
spheres, But in my, my crW 1uosmene nene
troll can in the end only be obtained by
the action of the national government;
| for almost all the corporations OF
enormous wealth-that is, the corpora
tions which it is especially desirable to
| control-are engaged in interstate COM
merce, and derive their power anu
their Importance. not from that por-
ton of their business when is mira
state. but from the interstate business
1t is not easy always to decide JUST
where the line of demarcation between
the two kinds of business fails. rms
line must ultimately be drawn by the
federal courts. Much of the effort 70
secure adequate control OF the great
corporations by state actlon mas psen
wise and effective, but much OF 1t mas
been neither; for when the e1ort Is
made to accomplish by the action OF
the state what can only be accom-
plished by the action of the nation, the
result can only be Disappointing. and in
the end the law will probably be de-
clared unconstitutional 80; HkeWlse,
in the national arena, we VINO Delleve
in the measures herein advocated are
hampered and not aided by the eXtrem-
lists who advocate action so violent
that it would either be useless or else
would cause more mischiet thah II
We We have lust passed through two
months of acute financial stress. AZ any
such time it is a sad fact that entirely
| innocent people suffer from no tault
of their own; and every one. must feel
the keenest sympathy for the large
body of honest business men, OF hon
est investors, of honest WageworkerSS,
for which they are in no way respon-
sible. At such time there is natu-
raj tendency on the part of many men
to feel gloomy, and frightened at the
outlook; but there is no justification
for this feeling. There is no nation Sc
absolutely sure of ultimate success
as ours. OF course we shall sue
ceed ours is a nation of masterful
energy with continent for it's do
, main, and it feels within its veins the
thrill which comes to those who know
that they possess the future. We are
not cast dc wn by the fear of failure
, We are upheld by the confident hope
, of ultimate triumph, The wrongs that
! exist are to be corrected; but they in nc
way Justify doubt as to the final out.
. come doubt as to the great material
! ! prosperity of the future, or of the lofty
!, Spiritual life which is to be built upor
l that prosperity as a foundation. Nc
. misdeedS done in the present must bt
: permitted to shroud from our eyes the
: glorious future of the nation; but be-
; cause of this very fact it bchooVeS Us
never to swerve from our resolute pur'
: pose to cut out WronSdOing and uphold
what is right.
= I do not for moment believe that thu
kIni- lfJ1 nSCst slt tifNVr hoy
= | brought on business distress; SO far a!
! this is due to local and not Worldwide
! causes and to the actions of any par
5 ticular individuals, 1t is due to the specu
!. few men of great wealth, who seek t
y shield themselves from the effects of thel
q own wrongdoing by ascribing its results
{ | to the actions of those who have sough
/ | to put a stop to the wrongdoing. Blu
, If it were true that to cut out rotten
q ness from the body polite meant mo
mentary check to an unhealthy seeming
o prosperity, 1 should not for one momen
e hesitate to put the knife to the corrup
. ton. On behalf of all our people, ol
n behalf no less of the honest man
means than of the honest man who earn
q each days livelihood by that days swea
g g of his brow, it is necessary to insist upo
. honesty in business and politics alike, i
u little things; upon just and fair dealin
+ as between man and man. Those who de
T mand this are striving for the right i
= the spirit of Abraham Lincoln when
= said:
q "Fondly do we hope, fervently do W
- pray, that this mighty scourge may pas
Il away. Yet, il God wills that 1t continu
! until all the wealth piled by the bonds
e mems two hundred and fifty years of ur
y reouited toll shall be sunk, and unit
IL every drop of blood drawn with the las
e the sword, as was said three thousan
J, Years ago, so still it must be said: 'Th
a Judgments of the Lord are true an
&c righteous altogether.
!. for ali: with firmness in the right, as Go
u gives us to see the right, let us strive o
r 70 finish the work we are in."
" In the work we of this generation az
y In there is, thanks be to the Almight!
y no danger of bloodshed and no use fc
" the sword; but there is grave need {
,r those stern qualities shown alike by q