Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1908-02-13
MESSAGE IS WARM
President Flags Corporations
That Defy Laws.
DENIES HE CAUSED PANIC
Attacks of Great Concerns on His Adj
ministration Are Vigorously Re.
pelled-Empoyers' Liability and
Abuses of Injunction Discussed.

ABUSES OF InluHCtioU b'sSuSoSe'
Washington.--In message dealing
principally with the control OF great
corporations, transmitted to congress
on Friday, the president hays what he
terms the law defying trusts in no
uncertain terms.
In the opening paragraphs OF the mes
sage he urges the immediate reenact-
ment of the employers liability law,
and for such legislation as Will remedy
the abuses of the injunction. He then
turns his attention to stock jobbing
and other forms of high finance, and
II do not know whether il is posi-
BILE but If possible, ii is certainly de-
sirable. that in connection with meas,
ures to restrain stock watering and
Observation-Disclosures there should be
measures taken to prevent at least
the grosser forms of gambling In Sc
curities and commodities. such as
making large sales OF what men DO
not possess and 'cornering' the market
1t would seem that the federal
government could at least act by
graph and telephone wires for mere
gambling in stocks and futures. just
as IT does in lottery transactions.
Mr.. Ripley and Relating.
Next President Roosevelt turns his
attention to rebating, submitting the
reply of the chief of the bureau OF
corporations to statements made by
the Standard oil Company and by
President Ripley of the Santa Fee rail
way. There is also letter from Dis
trict Attorney Heney of San Francis
co incloSing one from the Santa Fe's
general freight traffic manager TO the
the president say shows the utter
falsity of the plea OF ignorance made
by high officials OF the Santa Fe and
the Standard Oil Company.
The president adds
The attacks by these great corpora
tions on the Illustrations actions
Ialh A ln lFAft
throughout the country, in the newspa
pers and otherwise, by those writer's
and speakers, who. consciously or IN
consciously. act as the representatives
of predatory wealth--of the wealth
accumulated on giant scale by all
forms of iniquity, ranging from the
oppression Of wageworkcrs TO unfair
and unwholesome methods of crushing
out competition. and to defrau~ing the
public by stock jobbing and the manip-
ulation of securities. Certain wealthy
men OF this stamp whose conduct
should be abhOrrent to every man OF
ordinarily decent conscience and who
commit the hideOus wrong of teaching
our young men that phenomenal bust
ness success must ordinarily he based
on dishonesty. have during the last
few months made IL apparent that they
have banded together 10 work for a
reaction. Their endcaVor is TO over
throw and discredit all who honestly
administer the law. to prevent any
additional legislation which would
check and restrain them, and to secure
If possible a freedom from all re-
straint which will permit every un-
scrupulous wrongdoer TO do what he
wishes unchecked provided he has
enough money"
Campaign of lawbreakers.
Denying that the administration is en-
gagged In any assault property the
president continues
There are ample material rewards for
those who serve with fidelity she mann
mon of unrighteousness: but NhCy are
dearly paid for by the people who per-
NIT their representatives, whether in
| public life. i'm the press or in the coll
| leges where their young men arc taught
| 10 preach and To practice that there is
one law for the rich and another for the
| poor. The amount of money the repre-
| SentatiVcs OF certain great moneyed in
| terests are willing to spend can be gaugcd
by their recent publication broadcast
throughout the papers or this country,
| from the Atlantic to the Pacific. of huge
| advertisements attacking with enven-
omcd bitterness the administrations pol
| icy OF warning against successful dis
| honesty and by their circulation OF pam
| phlets and books prepared with the same
| object: while they likewise push the cir
culation of the writings and speeches
| Of men who. whether because they are
| misled or because, seeing the light they
yet are willing to sir against the light.
| serve these their masters of great wealth
] 10 the cost Of the plain people.
The books and pamphlets. the con-
| trolled newspapers. the speeches by pub
| lie or private men to which ! refer. are
| usually and especially in the interest
OF the Standard oil Trust and OF certain
| notorious railroad combinations, but they
| also defend other individuals and COR
porations OF great wealth that have been
| guilty OF wrongdoing II Is only rarely
| that the men responsible for the wrong
| doing themselves speak or write. Nor
| mally they hire others TO do their bidding
| or find others who will do it without hire.
| From the railroad rate law to the pure
| food law, every measure for honesty in
| business that has been passed during the
/ last six years has been opposed by these
men on its passage and I'm its admins
4 tration with every resource that bitter
| and INSCRIPTIONS craft could suggest
and the command Of almost unlimited
money secure. But for the last year
| the attack has been made with most
bitterness upon the actual administration
OF the law. especially through the depart
ment Of justice; but also through the
| the bureau of corporations"
Business" That Is Hurt.
The president at considerable length
| defends his administration against the
| charge that its policy was responsible
| for tho business depression, and says
movement NOV for honesty is the kind in OF Of
business which, in the long run, it
| In concluding his message President
| Roosevelt says:
II do not for a moment believe that
| the actions of this administration have
| brought on business distress. far
as this Is due 10 local and not world
wide causes. and to the actions of any
particular individuals, il is due 70. the
speculative folly and Migrant dishon-
estv Of a few men of great wealth. who
| seek to shield themselves from the cf-
| fectS OF their own wrongdoing by as
| crbing it's results TO the actions Of
| those who have sought To put a stop
| to the wrongdoing. But " IL were true
| that to cut out rottenness from the
| body polite meant momentary check
| TO an unhealthy seeming prosperity, l
| should not for one moment hesitate to
| n q
| behalf Of all our people, on behalf no
| less of the honest man OF means than
/ tho honest man who earns each days
| livelihood by that days sweat OF
! his brow, IL is necessary to in
| slst upon honesty i'm business and poll
| ties alike. in all walks OF life, i'm big
| things and little things; upon just and
| fair dealings as between man and man."