Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1908-05-02
SPECIAL MESSAGE
The President Further Outlines His
Views as to Legislation.
STRENGTHEN ANTITRUST LAW

On Labor Iniunetions - Legitimate
Combinations Should DC Permitted.
Washington. April 2s-The president
sent a special message to congress fur
Their outlining his views as to Isgisla-
ton. The message in part follows:
In my message 70 the congress of
March p, 1908. I outlined certain meas
ures which 1 believe the majority OF our
Sountrymen desire to have enacted into
Jaw at this time. These measures do not
represent by any means AL that I would
like 10 see done II L thought II possible
but they do represent what L believe can
now be done II an earnest effort toward
this end Is made.
Since 1 wrote this message an employ
ers' liability law has been enacted which
II Is true. comes short OF what ought to
have been done. but which does represent
a real advance. Apparently there is good
ground TO hope that there will be further
legislation providing for recommending All
employees who suffer injury while engaged
IN the public service. that there Will be a
child labor law enacted for the District
OF Columbia that the waterways COM
mission Will be continued with sufficient
financial support 10 Increase the effective
ness OF its preparatory work: that steps
VIII be taken TO provide for such investi-
cation into tariff conditions by the ap-
propriSte committee OF tho house OF rep
resentattves and by government experts
80 NAAH NAe'MAANe service - Will secure
the iuil Information necessary for fmme-
date action in revising che tariff at the
hands or the congress elected next fall
and. finally. that financial legislation Will
DC enacted providing for temporary meas
Tres Tor meeting any trouble that may
arise In the next year or two. and for a
commission OF experts who shall thor
oughly Investigate the whole matter
ooth here and In the great commercial
countries abroad. 50 as 20 be able 20
recommend legislation which will put our
financial system on an efficient and per
rnanent basis IL Is much 20 be wished
that one feature OF the financial iegisla-
ton or this session should be the estab-
hshmcnt OF postal savings banks Ample
appropriations should be made TO enable
the interstate commerce commission to
carry out the very important feature Of
the Hepburn law which gives 20 the COM
mission supervision and control ever the
accounting systems or the railroads
The president then says a law
should be passed limiting the use OF
labar injunctions. as he does not wish
10 see an embittered effort made TO
destroy It. He then says:
The strengthening OF the antitrust law
Is demanded upon both moral and eco
nomie grounds Our purpose in strength
ening II Is 10 secure more effective con-
troll by the national government over the
business use OF the vast masses OF indi-
viduaL and especially OF corporate
wealth, which at the present time mo-
nopollze most OF the Interstate business
OF the country. and we believe the con-
troll can best be exercised by preventing
the growth OF abuses rather than merely
by trying TO destroy them when they
have already grown.
Power should unQuestionably be LODGED
somewhere IN the executive branch OF
the government 10 permit combinations
which viii further the public interest. but
Il must always be remembered that as re-
N vsrnu ~.
tons through which most OF the inter
state business or today Is done the bur
den OF proof should be en- them to show
that they have a right to exist
The measures advocate are IN the IN
terest both OF decent corporations and of
aw-ablding labor unions. They are more
over pre-eminently in the interest or the
pubic. for In my Judgment the American
people have definitely made up their
minds that the days OF the reign OF the
great law oefying and law evadinE cor
porauons are over and that from this
time on the mighty organizations OF capt.
al necessary for the transaction OF busi-
ness under modern conditions. while en-
couraged so long as they act honestly and
In the Interest OF the general public arc
TO be subjected TO careful supervision and
regulation OF a kind so effective AK TO In
sure their acting In the interest OF the
people as a whole.
Allegations are often made TO the effect
that there Is no real need for these laws |
looking 20 the more effective control Of
the great corporations upon the ground l
that they will do their work well without
such control call your attention TO the |
accompanying copy OF report Just sub
mitted by Nathan Matthews, chairman |
OF the finance commission. to the mayor /
and city council OF Boston. relating to /
certain evil practices OF various CORPORA
tions which have been bidders for fur i
nishing TO the city iron and steel This
report shows that there hs re been ex-
mi an - -
various corporations which have business \
with the city OF Boston. including. for in /
stance. a carefully planned combination
embracing practically all the firms and
corporations engaged in structural steel
work In New England. II affected the
states. the cities and towns. the railroads /
and street railways. and generally alI |
persons having occasion TO use iron or /
steel for any purpose In that section of /
the country. As regards the city OF Bos-
ton. the combination resulted in MARCEL
ing out the work by collusIve bids plain
iy dishonest and supported by false af-
GirmationS.
But among the many kinds OF evil. So
cial. industrial and political, which is our
duty as nation sternly to combat there
IS none at the Same time more base and
more dangerous than the greed which /
treats the plain and simple rules OF hon
esty with cynical contempt II they inter
fere with making a profit. and as a nation
we cannot be held guiltless III we condone
such action The man who breaches ha- =
tired OF wealth honestly acquired who in
culcates envy and jealousy and SANDER
GUS III VIII toward these OF his fellows
who by thrift. energy and Industry have
become men Of means Is a menace to tho /
community. But his counterpart In evil Is |
70 be found In that particular kind OF 1
multimillionaire who Is almost the least 1
enviable and Is certainly one OF the least
admirable OF all our citizens. a man of 4
whom 1t has been we'll said that his face
has grown hard and cruel while his body
has grown soft. whose son Is a fool and
his daughter a foreign princess. whose
nominal pleasures are at best those OF a
tasteless and extravagant luxury and
whose real delight. whose real life work
10 the accumulation and use OF power in
Its most sordd and least elevating form.
In the chaos OF an absolutely unrestricted
commercial individualism under modern /
conditions this Is type that becomes
prominent as inevitably as the marauder
baron hecaxpe -aEomineDt - the phYsicaI