The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1908-12-09

Vital to the WeII-Being Of Country.
WashingtOn.-Them message of Presi-
dent Roosevelt was read in both
houses Of congress Tuesday. In sub.
stance the document was as follows:
TO the Senate and House of Represent
tatives: The financial standing of the
nation at the present time is excellent,
and the financial management of the ma
TONS interests by the government dur
ing the last seven years has shown the
most satisfactory results. But our cur
rency system is imperfect and it Is ear
nestly to be hoped that the currency
commission will be able to propose a
thoroughly good system which will do
away with the existing defects
During the period from July 1, 1901, to
September 30, 1908, there was an increase
in the amount Of money in circulation of
$S02, 991. 1893. The increase In the per capita
during this period was $685. Within this
time there were several occasions when
1t was necessary for the treasury de-
partment to come to the relief Of the
money market by purchases or redemp-
tons Of United States bonds: by increas-
ing deposits in national banks; by slim
ulating additional issues of national bank
from abroad Of gold Our imperfect cur
rency system has made these proceedings
necessary, and they were effective until
the monetary disturbance in the fall of
1907 Immensely increased the difficulty of
ordinary methods of relief. BY the mid
die Of November the available working
balance In the treasury had been reduced
to approximately $5.000.0 900. Clearing
house associations throughout the coun-
try had been obliged to resort to the
expedient of issuing clearing house GER
tificates, to be used as money. In this
emergency it was determined to invite
subscriptions for $5O, 900, 900 Panama canal
bonds, and $1OOO0O,OoO three per cent.
certificates of indebtedness authorized by
the act of June 10, 1898. 1t was proposed
to redeposit in the national banks the
proceeds of these issues, and to permit
their use as a basis for additional circu-
lating notes of national banks. The
moral effect of this procedure was so
great that 1t was necessary to issue only
$24,63l $50 of the Panama bonds and s15,-
800 of the certificates Of indebtedness.
During the period from July /, 1901, to
September 3d. 1908, the balance between
the net ordinary receipts and the net
ordinary expenses of the government
showed surplus in the four years 1902,
1903, 1905, and 1907, and a deficit in the
years 1904, 1905, 1908 and a fractional part
of the fiscal year 1909 The net result
was a surplus of $99,2S3, 413.54. The finan-
cial operations of the government during
this period, based upon these differences
between receipts and expenditures re-
suited in a net reduction of the interest
bearing debt of the United States from
1881, 141, O4O to $780,, 1858 $3.50. Notwithstanding
that there had been two sales Of Panama
canal bonds amounting in the aggregate
to 54,631 $3.50, and an issue of three per
cent. certificates of indebtedness under
the act of June 49, $685. amounting to
SIS. 436, 500. Reminding operations of the
treasury department under the act Of
March IA, 1900, resulted in the CONVEX
sion into two per cent. consols of 1880 of
5000, 309, 400 bonds bearing higher rates of
interest. decrease of $S,6S7.956 in the
annual interest charge resulted from
these operations.
In short. during the seven years and
three months there has been a net sur
plus of nearly one hundred millions of
receipts over expenditures, reduction
of the Understanding debt by ninety
millions, in spite of the extraordinary ex-
pense of the Panama canal. and a saving
Of nearly nine millions on the annual
interest charge.
Control of Corporations.
AS regards the great corporations en-
gagged in interstate business, and espe-
c;ally the railroads, l can only repeat
in my messages to the congress. be-
lieve that under the interstate clause of
the constitution the United States has
complete and paramount right to con-
troll all agencies of interstate commerce,
and l believe that the national govern
ment alone can exercise this right with
wisdom and effectiveness so as both to
secure justice from, and to do justice to,
the great corporations which are the
most important factors In modern bust
ness. l believe that it is worse than
folly to attempt to prohibit all COM
binations as is done by the Sherman
antitrust law, because such law can
be enforced only imperfectly and UNI
equally, and it's enforcement works al
most as much hardship as good I
strongly advocate that instead of an un-
wise effort to prohibit all combinations,
there shall be substituted law which
shall expressly permit combinations
which are in the interest Of the public,
but shall at the same time give to some
agency in the national government full
power OF control and supervision over
them. One of the chief features of this
control should be securing entire pub
iclty IN an matters which the public
has rlght 10 know, and Furthermore,
the power, not by judicial but by eXecu-
tive action. to prevent or put stop to
every form of improper fayoritism or
other Wrongdoing.
The railways of the country should be
put completely under the interstate com
merce commission and removed from
the domain of the antitrust law. The
power of the commission should be made
thoroughgoing, so that 1t could exercise
complete supervision and control over
the issue of securities as we'll as over
the raising and lowering of rates. AS
regards rates. at least. this power should
be summary Rates must be made
as low as is compatible with giving prop
err returns to all the employees Of the rail-
road, from the highest to the lowest,
and proper returns to the shareholders,
but they must not, for instance, be re-
duced in such fashion as to necessitate
a cut in the wages of the employees or
the abolition of the proper and legitimate
profits of honest shareholders.
Telegraph and telephone companies en-
gagged in interstate business should be
put under the jurisdiction of the inter-
state commerce commission.
1t is very earnestly to be wished that
our people, through their representatives.
should act in this matter. 1t is to
tic interest of all of us that
tEcrc should be a premium put upon in
dividual initiative and individual ca