The log cabin Democrat., 1908-02-06

justice may continue to De. what 1t nov is. in very fact the department of Jus tice, where so far as our ability per mits justice is meted out with an even hand to great and small. rich and poor. weak and strong. Moreover, there should be no delay in supplementing the laws now on the statute books by the enactment of further legislation as outlined in the message l sent to the congress on it's assembling Under the existing laws much, very much. has been actually accomplished during the past six years, and 1t has been shown by actual experience that they can be enforced against the wealthiest cor poration and the richest and most pow erful manager or manipulator of that " as against the humblest offender. Above all. they have been enforced against the very wrongdoers and agents of wrongdoers who have for floutcd the laws with impunity. against great law-defying corpora tOnS of immense wealth. which, until within the last half dozen years have treated themselves and have expected others to treat them as being beyond and above all possible check from law. It is especially necessary to secure to the representatives of the national gov ernment full power to deal with the great corporations engaged in inter- state Comerce, and above all, with the great interstate common carriers. Our people should clearly recognize that while there are difficulties in any course of conduct to be followed in dealing with these great corporations, these difficulties must be faced. and one of three courses followed The first course is to abandon all effort to over and control their actions in the in- terest of the general public and to per init a return to the utter lack of con trol which would obtain if they were left to the common law. l do not for one moment believe that our people would tolerate this position. The cX- traordinary growth of modern indus trialism has rendered the common law, which grew up under and was adapt ed to deal with totally different condi- tiOns, in many respects inadequate to deal with the new conditions. These new conditions make it necessary to shackied force. rife vast individual and corporate fortunes. the vast com binations of capital. which have marked the development of our industrial sys- tenn. create new conditions, and neces- sitate change from the old attitude of the state and the nation toward the rules regulating the acquisition and untrammeled business use of prop erty, in order both that property may the same time those who hold it may be prevented from wrongdoing.
 Talks of Financial Stress.
 eve have just passed through two months of acute financial stress At any such time it is a sad fact that en- tirely innocent people suffer from no fault of their own; and every one must feel the keenest sympathy for the large body of honest business men, of honest investors, of honest wagework- CTS, who suffer because involved in a crash for which they are in no way responsible. At such a time there is men to feel gloomy and frightened at the outlook; but there is no justifica- ton for this feeling. There is no na- tion so absolutely sure of ultimate sue cess as ours. Of course we shall Suc- ceed Ours is a nation of masterful energy. with a continent for it's domain. a n wit n tC me hn hpi1 which comes to those who know that they possess the future. We are not cast down by the fear of failure. We are upheld by the confident hope of ul- timate triumph. The wrongs that eX- ist are to be corrected; but they in nl way justify doubt to the final out come, doubt as to the great material prosperity of the future or of the lofty spiritual life which is to be built upon misdeeds done in the present must be permitted to shroud from our eyes the glorious future of the nation; but be- cause of this very fact it behooVes us pose to cut out wrongdoing and uphold what is right. I do not for a moment believe that the actions of this admin istration have brought on business dis tress; so far as this is due to local an. not world wide causes, and to the ac- tiOns of any particular individuals. it is due to the speculative folly and fla grant dishonesty of a few men of great wealth, who seek to shield themselves rom tHe elleclS or tnelr own wrong doing by ascribing it's results to the actions of those who have sought to put a stop to the wrongdoing. But if it were true that to cut out rottenness from the body polite meant mo- mentary check to an unhealthy seeming prosperity, I should not for one moment hesitate to put the knife to the corruption. On behalf of all our people, on behalf no less of the honest man of means than of the hon. est man who earns each days liveli- hood by the day s sweat of his brow. it is necessary to insist upon honesty in business and in politics alike, in all walks of life in big things and in little things; upon just and fair dealing as between man and man. Those who demand this are striving for the right in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln" said the president in conclusion.