The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-02-01
R0OSEVELT'S
SPECIAL MESSAGE

fCoutanued from Page Scvcn.1
s,sttsrneas upons the actual administra-
fion 81 the law. especially through the
Deparfment OF Justice, but also tnxouEh
me Interstate Commerce Commission
and the Bureau OF Corp2rsstons. II. NE y
,lDon our policy contained IN fhese
speeches, editorials. articles, ADVERTISE
nIents, and pamphlets. and the enor-
nous sums OF money spent In these va
rious ways, give fairly accurate
measure OF the anger and terror which
our public actions have caused the cor
rupt men Of vast ,s wss1 hs, 70 tee' IN 'he
The attack is sometimes made openly
sometimes with q certain cunning. Lor
not trying to enforce i IN some s psnes
y Is be practical. One of the favorite
methods OF the latter class OF assaiiant
Il TO attack the administration for NOT
procuring the imprisonment instead 81
the fine OF offenders under these anti-
trust laws. The man making tbs as
sault il usually either prominent law
frcna the fnanciers and his arguments
from their attorneys. II the former.
he has defended and advised many
we'll that thanks to the advice OF law.
yers like himself. certain KIND 9.
modern corporation has been turned
20 render 1t well-nigh impossible to
get at the head of the corporation, at
the man who Is really most guilty..
Haa Put Some In jail.
When we are able to put the real
wronrdoer in prison. this Is what We
strive to do: this Is what we have
actually done with some very wealthy
that most baneful OF all alliances. the
alliance between the corruption OF OF.
Ranized politics and the corruption OF
do S IN 1 Tie Gaynor and Greene csse,
III the case OF the misapplicatton OF
funds In connection with certain great
banks In Chicago In 1.-THE the lsna f rksa
wise. neither the highest political posi-
ticn nor the possession Of great wealth,
n bison. The y Fe sI GoSsrnnaent does
scourge sin: 1t does bid sinners fear;
for It has put behind the bars with
.sar Sc ssrf the pSEosn ths no
land thief, the rich contractor--al, no
matter how high their station. against
whom criminal misdeeds can be prov
not protect them. But 1t often hap
pens that the EFFORT to imprison
given defendant is certain to pc futile.
Nne the corporation OF which he IL
head: 30 that. in other words. the only
way OF publishing the wrong = BY lining
the corporation, unless We are content
20 proceed personally against the minor
agent& The corporation lawyers to
whom refer and their employers are
state Of thines. and their responsibility
81 shared with all who tngeniously op-.
pose the passing of Just and effective
they have been put on the statute
Much 10 said, in these attacks upon
tion, about the rights OF innocent
stockholders" That sfockholder is not
innocent who voluntarily purchases
stock in . corporation whose methods
RRrnAnf knows In
rupt; and stockholders are bound to
try to secure honest management, or
about in he sT proceedinFs the G oVernmenf
nnds necessary In order to compel the
corporation to obey the law. There
s nns Csen i y ne pest grave wrong done
uation. stock-waterfng, stock jobbing.
gtock-lnanipuiation. This we have
sSS thns e dons saa eg gs o
xender when any existing Law had been
violated; second. by recommending the
passage Of laws which would make un-
lawful similar practices for the future.
The public men. lawyers. and editors
who loudly proclaim their sympathy for
the innocent stakeholder" when a
great law-defytng corporation Is pun
lshed, are the hrst to protest with
frantic vehemence against all efforts
BY law to put stop to the practices
OF the damage alike to the stockhoid-
srs and the public. The apologists OF
successful dishonesty always declaim
IT. on the ground that any such effort
win 'unsettle business" It is they
who by their acts have unsettled bust
cry spend hundreds of thousands Of
dollars in securing, by speech, editorial.
book. or pamphlet. the defense by mis-
and yet when public servants correct
their Measurements by telling the
truth they declaim against them for
preciated." They have hurt honest
business men. honest workingmen, hon.
est farmers; and now they clamor
against the truth being told.
Impressed In Brazen Protests.
The keynote OF all these attacks upon
the effort to secure honesty in BUSH
ness and in politics Is well expressed
IN bTazen protests against any effort
nsss h world on tSs rroond pl tbat 9as i
unnatural. unwarranted, and injurious,
and that business pspic is the neces-
sary penalty for such effort to secure
The morality Of such q plea Is pre-
cisely as great as II made on behalf
q the men caught n q gambling es-
iishmsnt is raided by the police. II
such words mean anything they mean
that those whose sentiments they. rep
resent stand against the effort to bring
about moral regeneration of business
which viii prevent repetition of the
insurance. banking, and street rail-
road scandals IN New York; a repeti-
tion OF the Chicago and Alton deal; a
repetition OF the combination between
certain professional politicians certain
professional labor leaders and certain
big fnanciers, from the disgrace Of
which San Francisco has just been res
sued; a repetition of the successful ef-
fort by the Standard Oil people to crush
out every competitor, TO overawe the
common carriers. and to establish a
monopoly which treats the public with
a contempt which the public deserves