The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-12-11
THE MESSAGE

Washington, D. C.-The Presidents
Message was read before both the
Senate and the House, following the
opening of Congress. 1t is, in part,
as follows:
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives:
The financial standing of the Ma
ton at the present time is excellent,
and the financial management of the
Nations interests by the Government
during the last seven years has shown
the most satisfactory results. But
our currency system is imperfect, and
1t is earnestly to be hoped that the
Currency Commission will be able to
propose a thoroughly good system
which will do away with the existing
defects.
The Presidents Message then
states that during the past seven years
and three months there has been a
net surplus of nearly one hundred
millions of receipts over expenditures,
a reduction of the interest bearing
debt by ninety millions, in spite of
the extraordinary expense of the Pan
ANA Canal. and saving of nearly
nine millions on the annual interest
charge. This is an exceedingly salts
factory showing, especially in view of
the fact that during this period the
Nation has never hesitated to under
take any expenditure that it regarded
as necessary. There have been no
new taxes and no increases of taxes;
on the contrary some taxes have been
taken off; there has been reduction
of taxation.
AS regards the great corporations
engaged in interstate business, and
especially the railroads, l can only
repeat what l have already again and
again said in my messages to the Con-
gress. believe that under the inter-
state clause of the Constitution the
United States has complete and para
mount right to control all agencies of
Interstate commerce, and l believe
that the National Government 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 business.
believe that it is worse than folly
to attempt to prohibit all combina-
lions as is done, by the SH rman anti
trust law, becanse such a1aw can be
enforced only imperfectly and une-
qually, and its enforcement works al
most as much hardship as good.
strongly advocate that instead of an
unwise effort to prohibit all combina-
tons. there shall be substituted a law
which shall expressly permit combin-
atoms which are in the interest of the
public, but shall at the same time
give to some agency of the National
full Of Il
supervision over them. One of the
chief features of this control should
be securing entire publicity in all
matters which the public has right
TO know. and Furthermore, the power,
not by judicial but by executive ac-
ton. to prevent or put stop to every
form of improper favoritism or other
wrongdoing.
The railways of the country should
be put completely under the Inter-
state Commerce Commission and re-
moved from the domain of the anti
trust law. The power of the Com |
mission should be made thorough
going. so that it could exercise COM
plete supervision and control over the
issue of securities as we'll as over the |
raising and lowering of rates. AS re-
CARDS rates, at least, this power
should be summary. The power to
investigate the financial operations
and accounts of the railways has been
one of the most valuable features in
recent legislation Power to make |
combinations and traffic agreements |
should be explicitly conferred upon |
the railroads. the permission of the |
Commission being first gained and |
the combination or agreement being |
published in all its details. In the |
interest of the public the representa- |
tives of the public should have COM
plete power to see that the railroads
do their duty by the public. and as a |
matter of course this power should |
also be exercised so as to see that no |
injustice is done to the railroads The |
shareholders. the employees and the
shippers all have interests that must |
be guarded. 1t is to the interest of |
all of them that no swindling stock |
speculation should be allowed. ard !
that there should be no improner
issuance of securities. The guiding |
intelligences necessary for the sue
cessful building and successful man |
agement of railroads should receive |
ample remuneration, but no man |
should be allowed to make money in |
connection with railroads out of frau
dulent over-capitaliZation and kim |
dred stock gambling performances;
there must be no defrauding of in |
vestors. oppression of the farmers |
and business men who shin freight. |
or callous disregard of the rights and |
needs of the employees In addition |
to this the interests of the sharehold- |
ers. of the employees. and of the ship
pers should all be guarded as against |
one another. To give any one of them |
undue and improper consideration is |
to do injustice to the others Rates |
must be made as low as is compatible |
with giving proper returns to all the |
employees of the railroad. from the |
highest to the lowest, and proper re-
turns to the shareholders, but they |
must not. for instance. be reduced in |
such fashion rs to necessitate 4 cut in |
the wages of the employees or the abo-
lition of the proner and legitimate |
profits of honest shareholders.
Telegraph and telephone companies |
engaged in interstate business should |
be put under the jurisdiction of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
It is very earnestly TO be wished
that our people, through their renre-
sentatives. should act in this matter.
1t is hard to say whether most dam
age to the country at large would
rome from entire failure on the part
nf the public to supervise and control
the actions of the great corporations,