Milford chronicle., 1908-02-07
ROOSEVELT RAPS
RICH MEMS PLOT
Says Wealthy Criminals Conspire to
Discredit His Policies.
URGES MORE RIGID LAWS

Washington, Feb. with sledge-
hammer force and in passionate Ian
guage, President Roosevelt. in a spe-
ciai message to congress, read before
that body. drives home his charge OF
the existence Of a vast conspiracy OF
wealth to discredit the policies OF the
administration.
The president again urges federal
control of railroads, the supervision
to be of wider scope than he has here
tofOre advocated. He wants the gov
enment empowered TO make physical
valuation Of railroads. to supervise in
some way their financial operations
and to exercise whatever control may
be found necessary over their physi.
cal operation.
Mr. Roosevelt, however, makes it
plain that the administration policies
are not directed against law-abiding
corporations. but that it is the desire
TO protect the property Of every hon
est man and to prevent wrong-doing.
Certain representatives OF preda-
tory wealth, says the president,
shave banded together to overthrow
and discredit all who honestly admin
ister the law, to prevent legislation
which would restrain them. to secure
freedom from all restraint which
would permit every unscrupulous
wrongdoer to do what he wished un-
checked. providing he has the money" "
In plain words. Mr.. Roosevelt says
the protestations Of the Standard Oil
trust and Santa Fe railroad that no
rebates were given or accepted are
false. Attacks on the administration,
he declares positively, are made espe-
oialiy In the interest of the Standard
Oil trust and of certain notorious
railroad combinations.
With regard to the Standard Oil
company, he says:
"The methods by which the Stand
ard Oil people and those engaged in
the other combinations of which !
have spoken above have achieved
great fortunes can only be justified
by the advocacy of a system Of moral. +.
ity which would also justify every
form of criminality on the part of
labor union. and every form Of VIC
Ience, corruption and fraud, from mur
der TO bribery and ballot-box stufTins
in politics"
He sees in these attacks the terror
which "our public actions have caused
the corrupt men of vast wealth in the
very marrow of their being"
The president charges that a sys. .
tematic campaign has been conducted
by the forces inimical to the admins
tration; that periodicals and publica-
tions of various sorts have been sub /
sidized to make insidious attacks upon
the governments policies and to give
] false Impression concerning the law
defyLng corporations.
In q forceful manner Mr. Roosevelt ]
responsibility for the finan-
,iaI depression. He says:
Il do not for a moment believe that |
he actions of the administration |
have brought on business distress. Sc
ar as this is due to local and not
worldwide causes, 1t is due to the
;pecuIative folly and fiagrant dishon-
,sty OF a few men of great wealth who
;eek to shield themselves from the
effects OF their wrong-doing by ascrib-
ng its results to the actions Of those
Who have sought to put stop to the
nBut IL It we're true that to cut out
,ottenness from the body polite
neaut A momentary check to our un
lealthy seeming prosperity, I should
lot for one moment hesitate to put
he knife to the corruption"
While the president expresses re
ret that stockholders may suffer from
'usettIed business conditions, he holds
hat they are in a measure responsi-
III for the conditions by permitting
iebonest officers to manage the busi-
less.
se movement for honesty, Mr.. Roose
oIt asserts. is the business which IN
be long run it pays the country TO
ave hurt.
The administration purpose, Mr..
.oosevelt says, IS to make property
ossers realize that prosperity has its
rites no less than its rights. It is the
ssire to prevent stock gambling. cor
srsno of the market and to abolish /
= bucket shop. He suggests that this
jeft be accomplished by prohibiting
u nse Of the mails. the telegraph and |