The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-02-19
The New President Outlines
HIS Policies
CONTINUE ROOSEVELT REFORMS
Will Call an Extra Session of Con-
gress to Consider Tariff Revision
Deals at Length With the South
and the Negro Desires Forest Con-
servation.
Ny Fellow Citizens:

ANY one VINO taxes tue odbH
have just taken must feel heavy
weight Of responsibility. If not, he
has no conception Of the powers and
duties of the Office upon which he is
about to enter, or he is lacking in q
proper sense of the obligation which
the oath imposes.
I Should be untrue to myself,
to- my promises and to the declara-
tions of the party platform upon
which / was elected to office, and
to. m y distinguished predecessor
whose reforms are conspicuous II l
did not make the maintenance and en-
forcement OF those reforms a most
important feature Of my administra-
ton. They were directed to the sup
preston of the lawlessness and
abuses of power of the great COM
binations of capital invested in rail-
roads and in industrial enterprises
carrying on interstate commerce. The
steps which my predecessor took and
the legislation passed on his recon-
mendation have accomplished much,
have caused general halt in the
vicious policies which created pop
ular alarm, and have brought about
in the business affected, much high
er regard for existing law.
To render the reforms lasting,
however, and to secure at the same
time freedom from alarm on the part
Of those pursuing proper and pro-
gressive business methods, further
legislative and executive action are
needed. Relief Of the railroads from
certain restrictions Of the antitrust
law have been urged by my predeces-
sor and will be urged by me. On
the other hand, the administration is
pledged to legislation looking to a
proper federal supervision and re-
striction to prevent excessive issues
Of bonds and stocks by companies
owning and operating interstate COM
merce railroads.
Then, too, reorganization of the
Department of Justice, of the Blu
reau Of Corporations lin the Depart
ment Of Commerce and Labor and
of the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion looking to effective cooperation
of these agencies, is needed to secure
a more rapid and certain enforce
lnent Of the laws affecting interstate
railroads and industrial combina-
tons.
hope to be able to submit, at the
first regular session of the incoming
Congress, in December next, definite
suggestions in respect to the needed
amendments to the antitrust and the
interstate commerce law, and the
changes required in the executive de-
partments concerned in their enforce
ment.
Such plans must be formulated as
will include the right Of the people to
avail themselves of those methods of
combining capital and effort deemed
necessary to reach the highest de-
gree of economic efficiency, at the
same time differentiating between
combinations based upon legitimate
economic reasons and those formed
with the intent of creating monopo-
hes and artifcially controlling prices
The work Of formulating into prac-
tical shape such changes in creative
work of the highest order, re-
quires all the deliberation possible
in the interval / believe that the
amendments to be proposed are just
as necessary in the protection of
legitimate business as in the clinch-
ing of the reforms which properly
bear the name Of my predecessor.
Revision of the Tariff.
A matter Of most pressing impor-
lance is the Fevision of the tariff. In
accordance with the promise of the
platform upon which / was elected,
shall call Congress into extra ses-
sion, to meet on the 18th day of
March, in order that consideration
may be at once given to bill re-
vising the Dingley Act This should
secure an adequate revenue and adj
just the duties in such manner as
" @A0AA W AdUoA anu 70 all luuuS-
tries IN this country, whether of the
farm, mine on factory, protection by
tariff equal to the difference between
the cost of production abroad and
the cost Of production here, and have
a provision which shall put in force
upon executive determination of GER
tain facts, higher or maximum
tariff against those countries whose
trade policy toward us equitably re-
quires such discrimination. II is
thought that the tariff above stated
win permit the reduction Of rates in