Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-11
The Presidents Response.


IL am in hearty sympathy with the
avowed object Of the National Prosperity
Association. 1t is excellent. We have
gone far in uprooting abuses which
threaten our national life. Taken as a
whole. the standard of honesty in our
business life has been high. and today the
standard is. 1 believe. beyond what it
has ever been. and this largely because
We have made determined war on the
abuses that lowered it. AS you have
said. the depression and stagnation from
which our country is now happily be-
ginning to recover were not caused by re-
form legislation, but by the revelation
of shocking conditions in certain of our
corporations by reckless operations in
high finance. by calamity and by certain
striking. though. I believe. exceptional.
Instances of business and civic dishon-
esty. OF course. all good men must
agree with You in your condemnation OF
unwise agitation. The apathetic accep-
tance Of abuses in our governmental and
business administrations is no more dan
Kerous than the demagogic appeals oi
professional agitatorS to class llatreds
Our national conscience. I firmly believe,
has been awakened. We will not and can.
not go back to the conditions which toll
Grated wrongdOing. Neither can We
AFFORD to be led astray by those who
would embark In a visionary and twist
ed crusade against all corporations, all
business methods. We should address
ourselves to the faithful and honest OBJ
servance Of the laws Of civic righteous
ness.
1.-THE welfare of all of us can best be
obtained by striving for policy which
will promote the welfare Of each of US.
We must all cooperate In order that ben-
efit may be derived by the entire nation.
Good laws make for good government:
but laws are Of no avail unless vitalized
by the people who made them. Our re-
cent legislation has been good. and 1t is
to the interest of the entire country. and
especially OF the business interests, that
it should be enforced Such further regu-
latory legislation as is required is merely
u building upon the broad foundations
that have been laid. 1t conceals no men,
ace to business. any more than that legis-
lation which has already been enacted.
ing it; there Is no excuse for demagOgic
excitement about 1t. 1t is as much our
duty to conserve the real rights OF prop
erty as 1t is to conserve the real rights
OF labor. This We have done In the past.
and this We ought to do, and will do. in
the future
Resolution of Confidence.
''The country realizes that confidence is
not matter of law. It is an intangible
something which exists in the relations of
men. These relations have been strength
ened in our own country by the economic
reforms that have been instituted. There
fore We are more powerful today than we
have ever been. So far as the presen. ad-
ministratiOn is concerned, it will continue
unchanged the policy of safeguarding the
rights of all and OF embracing every possi-
BILE and legitimate means to advance the
welfare and prosperity Of our country.
Let there be no misunderstanding
about this. The business and commercial
interests Of this country to be prosperous
in any enduring sense must be admins
tered honestly. With occasional eXcep-
tions, they have been and are now SO ad-
ministered AS You have we'll said,
wherever there is evidence OF dishonesty
it must be pursued relentlessly and pun
ished: but having thus moved forward to
Il high plane OF business integrity. and on
that plane built wisely, let no mean seize
the moment. when We have as Z nation
pillOrized the real milefa ctors. to say that
all American business men. or even any
considerable number of them. are male
factors. I welcome your work and shall
be glad to cooperate with you in any
effort to establish prosperity or right and
honest lines"