The Monticellonian., 1908-02-06

justice may continue h he. what if nov Is, in very fact the department of Jus tice. where so fer as our ability per mits justice is meted out with an even hand to great and small. rich and poor. weak and strong. Moreover. there should be no delay in supplementing tine laws now on the statute books by the enactment of further legislation as outlined in the messag ge l sent to the congress on its assembling. Under the eNlstlng laws much. very much, has been actually accomplished during the past six years. and it has been shown by actual experience that they can be enforced against the wealthiest cor poration and the richest and most DOW erfuI manager or manipulator of that 1 iloii, tS l5oi oletS anu Igst ll1Sss ly as against the humblest offender. Above all. they have been enforced against the very wrongdoers and agents of wronedoers who have for flouted the laws wiih impunity. against great law-defying corpora within the last half dozen years have treated themselves and have expected others to treat them as being beyonl and above all possible check from law. It is especially necessary to secure t5 the representatives of the national gov ernment full power to deal with the great corporations engaged in inter. state eemeree and above all with the great interstate common carriers. our people should clearly recognize that while there are difficulties in any course of conduct to be followed in dealing with these great corDoratiOns. these difficulties must be faced. and one of three courses followed The 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 init a return to the utter lack of con trol which would obtain if they Were left to the common law. I do not for one moment believe that our people would tolerate this position. The eX- traordinary growth of modern indus trtalism has rendered the common law, ed to deal with totally different condi- ttons, in many respects inadequate to deal with the new conditions. These new conditions make it necessary to shackle cunning as in the past We have shacl<led force. The vast individual and corporate fortunes. the vast com binations of capital. which have marked the development of our 1nduStrlai sSs- tenn. create new conditions, and neces- sitate q 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 be adequately protected. and that at the same time those who hold it may be prevented from wrongdoing.
 Talks of Financial Stress.
 "We have just passed through two months of acute financial stress. At any such time 1t is sad fact that en- tirelY innocent people suffer from no fault of their own; and every one must feel the keenest sympathy for the large body of honest business men. of honest investors, of honest wa ge work CTS. who suffer because involved in crash fur which they are in no Way responsible. At sueh q time there is a natural tendency on the part of many men to feel gloomy and frightened at the outlook; but there is no justifiea- tion for this feeling There is no na- ton so absolutely sure of ultimate sue cess as ours. Of course we shall sue ceed. Ours is a nation of masterful energy. with a continent for it's domain
 T fgassAsr f1rf# Hs.fF HsFH1 which comes to those who know that they possess the future. We are not cast down by the fear of failure. We are upheld by the confident hope of al- timate triumph. The wrongs that ex- ist are to be corrected; but they in n way justify doubt as to the final out come. doubt as to the great material prosperity of the future. or of the lofty spiritual life which is to be built upon that prosperity as d foundation. No misdeedS done in the present must he permitted to shroud from our eyes the glorious future of the nation: but be- cause of this very fact it behooVes u4 never to swerVe from our resolute pur- pose to cut out wrongdoing and uphold what is right. l do not for a moment believe that the actions of this admin istratton have brought on business dis tress; so far this is due to local an. not worldwide causes. and to the ac- tions Of any particular individuals. 1t is due to the speculative folly and fla grant dishonesty of q few men of great wealth. who seek to shield themselves rum ttft ctttttS OE ttfCif oWH NfOIt9- doing by ascribing it's results to the actions of those who have sought to put a stop to the wrongdoing. But if 1t were true that to cut out rottenuess from the body polite meant a mo- mentary check to unhealthy seeming prosperity. I 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, it 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