The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1908-02-06
PRESIDENT URGES
CONGRESS TO ACT
Time to Wrest Control OF COun.
try From Greedy Corpora.
tiOns-Plea for Labor.
CONTROL IAW-DEFYING WEALTH
Sees Grave Menace in Reactionary Work
of Representatives of Preda.
tory Wealth.

Washington. Feb. 2. - President
Roosevelt yesterday sent to congress
one OF his most powerful messages.
He makes a plea for a new and
stronger employers liability law, more
power for the interstate commerce
commission, a law against speculation
In stocks and futures, and appealing
for careful use by the courts of the
power of injunction.
The president inclosed in his mes
sage statements by government. Off
GERS in answer to allegations by the
agents of the Standard Oil company
and by the president of the Santa Fe
road, in which these two corporations
denounced the verdicts rendered
against them, with heavy fines, for
criminal misconduct. The president
says these pleas of innocence are
without foundation, and he includes a
letter from Francis j. Heney in sup
port of his contention.
Attacks on Administration.
OF the attacks of these companies
on the administration the president
says:
"The attacks by these great corpo.
rations on the administrators actions
have been given wide circulation
throughout the country, in the news
papers and otherwise, by those writer's
| and speakers, who, consciously or un-
consciously, act as the representa-
tives OF predatory wealth-of wealth
accumulated ON a giant scale by all
forms of iniquity, ranging from the
| oppression of wageworkers to unfair
and unwholesome methods of competi-
ton, and to defrauding the public by
stockjobbing and the manipulation of
securities.
Work for Reaction.
Certain wealthy men of this stamp,
whose conduct should be abhorrent to
every man of ordinarily decent con-
science, nave during the last few
months made 1t apparent that they
have banded together to work for a
reaction. Their endeavor is TO over
throw and discredit all who honestly
administer the law, to prevent any adj
ditional legislation which would check
and restrain them, and to secure II
possible a freedom from all restraint
which will permit every INSCRIPTIONS
wrongdoer to do what he wishes I'M
checked provided he has enough non
ey. The only way to counteract the
movement In which these men are
engaged Is to make clear to he public
Just what they have done in the past
and just what they are seeking to &C
complish in the present.
clamor Against Truth.
"The a~pologists of successful dis
honesty always declaim against any
effort to punish or prevent 1t, on the
ground that any such effort will 'un-
settle business 1t is they who by
their acts have unsettled business;
and the very men raising this cry
| spend hundreds OF thousands OF dol
lars in securing, by speech, editorial.
book or pamphlet, the defense OF mis-
statements OF what they have done,
and yet when public servants correct
their misstatements by telling the
truth they declaim against them for
breaking silence, lest values be de-
p~reciated.' They have hurt honest
business men, honest w~orkingmen,
honest farmers; and now they clamor
against the truth being told.
"The business which is hurt by the
movement for honesty is the kind of
business which, in the long run, 1t
pays the country to have hurt.
Punish Only Wrongdoers.
I'VE are in no vindictive spirit and
we are no respccter OF persons. !.
We seek to stop wrongdoing me we
desire to punish wrongdoers only so
| far as IL Is necessary to achieve this
end.
1.-THE extraordinary violence of the
assaults upon u policy . and
the sums spent In various
ways, give a fairly accurate measure
| of the anger and terror which our pub
&c actions have caused the corrupt
men of vast wealth to feel in the very
| marrow OF their being.
1.-The methods by which the Stand
ard Oil people and others !.
| have achieved great fortunes can only
be justified by the advocacy of a sys-
tenn of morals which would also justly
every form of criminality or the part
OF a labor union and every form Of
violence. corruption and fraud. from
murder to bribery and ballot box stuff
Ing In politics.
Control law-defying Wealth.
1--WE seek to control law-defying
wealth; In the first place to prevent