Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-02-01

mutually interested. This does not
mean that they should be given the
right to pool their earnings or their
traffic
The president devotes about half
OF his message TO the attacks made
upon the administration by the
Standard Oil company. Among 9TH
er things he says:
The public men. lawyers and ed
itors. who loudly proclaim their
sympathy for the innocent stock
holders wnen a great law defying
corporation is punished. are the first
to protest with frantic vehemence
against all Efforts by law to put
stop TO the practices which are the
real and ultimate stockholder and
the public. The apologize OF sue
cessful dishonesty always declaim
against any such effort will "unsettle
business. II is they who bv thelr
acts. have unsettled business. and
the very men raising this cry spend
| hundreds OF thousands of dollars
in securing by speech, editorial.
book or pamphlet, the defense By
misstatement of what they have
done; and yet when public servants
correct their misstatements by t,u-
ing the truth they disclalm against
them for breaking silence lest val
ues be deprecated" They have
hurt honest business men. honest
workingmen. honest farmers. and
now they clamor against the truth
being told.
1T IS especially necessary TO Sc
cure to the representatives Of the
national government full power to
deal with the great corporations en-
| gagged in interstate commerce. and
above all, with the great interstate
common carriers Our people should
clearly recognize that while there
are difficulties in any course Of con
duct to be followed in dealing with
these great corporations these diff
iiculties must be faced and one OF
three courses followed
In regard to the financial condi-
ton of the country the president
| says:
I'VE have just passed through
two months OF acute financial stress.
AT any such time it is a sad fact
that entirely innocent people suffer
from no fault OF their own, and
every one must feel the keenest
sympathy for the large body Of hon
est men, OF honest investors. of hon
est wage workers, who suffer be-
cause involved in a crash for which
they are in no way responsible. Al
such time there is a natural ten
dency on the part OF many men TO
feel gloomy and frightened a. the
outlook, but there is no juetinca-
ton for this feeling. There is no ma
ton so absolutely sure of ultimate
success than ours. Of course We
shall succeed. Ours is a nation Of
mastcriul energy with a continent
Tor its domain. and IL feels within
its veins the thrill which comes TO
those who know that they possess
the future. We are not cast down
by the fear OF failure We arc nm
held by the confident hope of ulu-
mate triumph. The wrongs that ey-
ist are to be corrected; but they in
no way justify doubt as 10 the final
outcome, doubt as 10 the great ma
terial prosperity of the future. or
OF the lofty spiritual life which IS 10
be built upon that prosperity as
foundation. No misdeeds done ir
the present must be permitted TO
shroud from our eyes the glorious
future Of the nation; but becaus, II
this very fact It behooves us yer
to swerve from our resolute purpose
to cut out wrongdoing ana uphold
what is right.
Il do not for a moment believe
that the actions Of this administra-
ton have brought on business dis
tress; so far as this is due to local
and not world wide cause, and to IN
action Of any particular individuals
1t is due 10 the speculative folly and
fragrant dishonesty of few men
of great wealth who seek to shield
themselves from the effects Of their
own wrong doing by ascribng its
results to the action of those who
have sought 70 put a stop to the
wrong doing But n 30 were true
that to cut out rottenness from the
body polite meant momentary
check TO an unhealthy seeming pros
| perliy. ] should not for one moment
hesitate TO put the knife to the cor
ruption. on behalf OF all our peo-
Iple, ON behalf no less OF the honest
man Of means than OF the honest
man who earns each days liyllhood
by that days sweat Of his brow. fl
/ Is necessary TO insist upon honesty
! To business and polite alike I'm all
walks of life. in big things and in
! little things and upon just and fair
dealing between man and man.
! Those who demand this are striving
for the right in the spirit OF Abra-
ham Lincoln, when he said.
| .rr.....rf.. IL