The Springfield herald., 1908-02-07

Is, in very fact the department of JUS
tice. where SO far as our ability per
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 / sent to the
existing laws much' very much. has
been actually accomplished during the
by actual experience that they can be
enforced against the wealthiest cor
poration and the richest and most pow
corporation, as vigorously and fearless
ly as against the humblest offender.
Aboye all they have been enforced
agents of wrongdoers who have for
s0uf%d s0 many years gone sGotfrss and
against great law-dofyinG corpora
tions of immense wealth, which. until
treated themselves and have expected
others to treat them as being beyond
and above all possible check from law.
II is especially necessary to secure to
the representatives of the national gov
ernment fun power to deal with the
great corporations engaged in inter-
great interstate common carriers. our
people .oid should clearly a reG9gnze that
course of conduct to be followed in
dealing with these great corporations,
of three courses followed Tho first
course is to abandon all effort to over
see and control their actions in the in
terest of the general public and to per-
nit return to the utter lack of con-
troll which would obtain IL they were
left to the common law. l do not for
one moment believe that our people
would tolerate this position. The ex-
traordinary growth of modern indus
trialism has rendered the common law.
ed to deal with totally different condi-
deal with the new conditions These
new conditions make 1t necessary to
shaci1e cunning as % in the past We ,,.,, have
and corporate fortunes. the vast COM
binations of capital. which have marked
the development of our industr ial sys-
TEN, create new conditions. and neces-
state 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 wrongdoinE
Talks Of Financial Stress.
I'VE have Just passed through two
months of acute financial stress. At
tirely innocent people suffer from no
fault of their own: and every one must
feel the keenest sympathy for the
honest investors, of honest waEework-
ers. who suffer because involved in
crash for which they are in no way
a natural tendency on the part of many
men to feel gloomy and frightened at
ton for this feeling. There is no ma
tion SO absolutely sure OF ultimate sue
cess ours. OF course we shall sue
coed. ours Is nation of masterful
energy. with continent for its domain.
and it feels within its veins, the thrill
they possess the future We are not
cast down by the fear of failure. We
are upheld by the confident hope of ul-
list are to be corrected; but they In no
way Justify doubt as to the final out
prosperity OF the future or OF the lofty
spiritual life which is to be built upon
that prosperity as foundation. No
msdeeds done in the present must be
permitted to shroud from our eyes the
glorious future OF the nation; but be-
never to swerve from our resolute pur-
pose to cut out wrongdoing and uphold
what is right. do not for moment
believe that the actions of this admin
istration have brought on business dis
tress; SO far as this is due to local and
not worldwide causes, and to the ac-
tions of any particular individuals. it
is due to the speculative folly and fla
grant dishonesty of few men of great
wealth. who seek to shield themselves
from the effects of their own wrong
doing by ascribing its results TO the
put stop to the wronsdoing. But il
it We're true that to cut out rottenness
from the body polite meant n mo-
mentary check to unhealthy
seeming prosperity. ! 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 days sweat of his brow 1t
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.