, 1908-07-28

ening among them that boded we'll fos
the future OF the country.
What Roosevelt Has Done.
The men who formulated the ex.
preston Of the popular conscience ans
who led the movement for practical
reform was Theodore Roosevelt. lie
laid down the doctrine that the rich
violater Of the law should be q
amendable to restraint and punishment
as the offender without wealth and
he proceeded by recommending legfs
lation and directing executive action
to make that principle good in actual
performance. He secured the pas
sage of the so-calied rate bill designed
more effectively to restrain excessive
and fix reasonable rates, and to punish
secret rebates and discrimination
which had been general in the prac
tice OF the railroads, and which had
done much to enable unlawful trusts
to drive out of business their competi
tors. 1t secured much closer supervi
sion of railway transactions and
brought within the operation Of the
same statute, express companies
sleeping a companies, fast freight
and refrigerator lines, terminal rail
roads and pipe lines and forbade In
future the combination of the trans.
portation and shipping business under
one control in order to avoid undue
discrimination.
Directed Bringing Of Suits.
President Roosevelt directed suits
to be brought and prosecutions to be
instituted under the antitrust law, to
enforce its provisions against the most
powerful Of the industrial corporations
He pressed to passage the pure food
law and the meat inspection law in the
interest of the health of the public,
clean business methods and great ulti.
mate benefit to the trades themselves.
Approved by Republicans.
He recommended the passage of a
law, which the republican convention
has since specifically approved, re
~stricting the future issue of stocks AMI
bonds by interstate railroads to such
as may be authorized by federal autho.
rity. He demonstrated to the people
by what he said, by what he recon-
mended to congress, and by what he
did, the sincerity of his efforts to COM
mand respect for the law, 10 secure
equality of all before the law and to
save the country from the dangers Of
a p~lutocratic government. toward
which we. we're fast tending
Supported by the Par:...
In this work Mr.. Roosevelt. has had
the support and sympathy of tina re-
publican party. and its chie' hore OF
success In the present controversy
must rest on the confidence which he
people of the country have in the sin.
cerity Of the party's declaration in its
platform, that 1t intends to continue
the policies.
Permanently Securing Progress Made.
Mr.. Roosevelt has set high the stand
ard Of business morality and obedience
to law. The railroad rate bill was
moFe useful possibly In the immediate
moral effect OF Its passage than even
.ins the 1ex8isefect of-ftAs svesysuaaft1
pfOvfMoMsFfusu ~ ennctnsentru1fes
the voluntary abandonment Of the prnc
tice OF rebates and determinations by
the railroads and the return by their
managers to obedience to law In the
fixing Of tarifs.
Good Moral Effect.
The pure food and meat inspection
laws and the prosecutions directed by
the president under the antitrust law
have had a similar moral effect In the
general business community and have
made ii now the eoTiIfS0fi practice for
the great industrial corporations to
consult the law with q view to keeping
within its provisions. 1t has also had
the effect Of protecting and encourag-
ing smaller competitive companies so
that they have been enabled to do a
profitable business.
cupidity Works Adversely.
But We should be blind to the ordi-
nary working of human nature If we
did not recognize that the moral stand-
ards set by President Roosevelt will
not continue to be observed by those
whom cupidsty and a desire for finan-
cial power may tempt, unless the re-
quisite machinery is introduced into
the law which shall in its practica.
operation maintain these standards
and ecure the country against a de-
parture from them.
Function Of Next Administration.
The chief function of the next admin
istration, in my judgn,en'. is distinct
from, and a progress,v., development
of, that which has besl performed by
President Roosevelt. Til, chief func'
ton Of the next administration Is to
complete and perfect the machinery by
which these standards lat; be main
tanned, by which the l~awbreakers may
be promptly restrained and punished,
but which shall operate with sufficient
accuracy ard dispatch / interfere
with legitimate business as little as
possible. Such machiLrty Is not NV
adequate.
A Heavy Burden.
Under the present rate bill, and
under all its amendments, the burden
of the interstate commerce commission
in supervising and regulating the oper-
alton Of the railroads of this country
has grown SO heavy that it Is utterly
impossible for that tribunal to hear
and dispose, in any reasonable time, OF
the many complaints, queries and Is
sues hal are brought before it for de
cision.
Not Executive Body.
It ought to be relieved of 1t jurisdic
ton as an executive, directing body
and its functions should be limited t.
the q~uasi-judicial investigation o.
complaints by individuals and by a de
partment OF the government CHARGE
with the executive business Of super
visiRg the operation of railways.
Classifying Corporations.
There should bo a classification o.
that very small percentage Of indus