The Washington times., 1909-06-17
Message to People Regarded
as Suggestion to His
Successor.
WRITES WITH ALL
OF WONTED VIGOR
Declares Temporary Injury to
Business Should Not Check
Efforts to Reform.

NEW YORK. June 17.-From the wilds
Of far-om Africa former President
Roosevelt has sent another appeal TO
tbs American people Ito, wrest the CON
'troi of the Government out of the hands
of rich men who use il for unhealthy
purposes
Under the caption. ''The Thraldom Of
Names" Mr.. Roosevelt writes in the
current Outlook, with customary vigor,
OF the necessity of continuing the fight
against crooked business. and declares
that IF business is hurt by the stern
exposure of 'crookedness- and the result
of efforts to punish the crooked man,
then business must be hurt. even
though good men are involved in the
hurting"
The article viii probably be regarded
By many as suggestion from the
former President to his successor IN
office, though It reads throughout as
direct appeal to the American people.
What Roosevelt Says.
Mr. Roozevelt's article. which is copy
r3sht. 1853, by the Outlook Company, in
part IS as follows:
III behooves our people never TO faH
under the thraldpm OF names, and least
Of all, to be misled by designing people,
Who appeal TO the reverence for or an
tipathy toward a given name In order
to achieve some alien purpose. OF
course, such misuse of names is as old
as the history Of what we understand
when we speak. of civilized mankind
The rule of mob may be every whit
as tvrannical and oppressive as the rule
OF a single Individual. whether or not
called a dictator; and the rule of an
odgarchy is a plutocracy or a bureau
csaey. or any other small set OF power
ful men. may IN its turn be Just as
sordid and just as blood thirsty as that
Of a mob.
ssFirsf and foremost. we must stand
firmly on a basis OF good sound ethics.
We intend to do what Is right for the
ample and sufficient reason that II is
right If business IS hurt by the stern
exposure OF crookedness and the result
OF efforts 10 punish the crooked men,
then business must be hurt. even though
good men are involved IN the hurting
until il so adjusts t%seh that ii Is posi-
BILE to prosecute wrong doing without
stampedfhZ the business community into
a terror-stricken defense of the wrong
doers and an angry assault upon those
who have exposed them.
Warns Against Fanatics.
"on the other hand we must be aware
of al things. * being misled by wicked
icide and violence. and apologize for the
dynamiter and the assassin because.
forsooth, they choose TO take the ground
that crime is no crime II the wicked
man happens also to have been a shift
less and unthrifty or lazy man who has
never auaassed properly. It IS essen
tial that we should wrest the control
Of the Government out Of the hands of
rich men who use it for unhealthy pur-
poses and shoyId keep it out Of their
hands and 10 this end the first reoui-
site is 10 provide means adequately to
deal with corporations which are essen
tial 10 modern business, but which.
uEoer the decisions or the courts, and
because OF shOrt-sightedness of the pub
Tic, have became the chief factors IN
political and business debasement
The sinister AID adroit reaCtionary
the Sirlstef and violent radical, are alike
IN this, that each works in the end
for the destruction OF the cause that
he profeSsedly champions
If the one is left to his own devices.
Re VIII utterly discredit the entire svs-
tern OF government by individual inifia-
i've, ana u me other Is allowed to
work his viii. he, in his turn. will
make men so lOathe Interference and
control bY the state that any abuses
connected with the untrammeIed con-
troll Of an business Icy private indlvid-
1ALs VIII seem small by comparison.
Power of Wealth.
Moreover. where there is absolute
lawlessness, absolute failure by the
state TO control or supervise these. great
corporations. the inevitable result Is 10
favor, among those very able men OF
business the man who is unscrupuIous
and cunning The unscrupuIous big
man Who gets complete control Of
given forest tract. OF OF a network OF
railways which alone give access TO q
certain region, or who. in com bfnation
with his Fellows, acquires control of a
certain industry, may crush out, IN the
great mass Of citizens affected. all in
diyidual Initiative quite a much as il
would be crushed out by state con-
troll. The very reason why we object
state C~nership that IL puts a stop 10
individual initiative and to the healthy
development of personal responsibilities.
IS the reason why we object TO an un-
trol 10 private hands.
We urge control and supervision by
the nation as an antidote TO the move
ment for state socialism. Those who
advocate total lack OF regulation. those
who advocate 'awlessness in the busi-
ness world. themselves give the strong
est impulse 10 what I believe would be
NsAciaIism.
Courts Not Administrators.
Taere must be law to control the big
men and therefor @specially the big
corporations tn the industrial world. in
the interest of our Industrial democ-
rscy Of teday This Law must be eff
eient and therefore II must be admin
istered by executive. officers. ana not
By lawsuits in the courts
Yet another thing No movement
ever has done or ever viii do goud
in this country where assault is made
not upon evil wherever found but SIM
ply upon an evil as it happens 70 be
found fu q particular class
The big newspaper owned or con-
tr0lled Ia Wall Street, which Is ever
lastingly preaching about the iniquity
Of labOrlng men, which Is quite willing
- hound politicians for their misdeed Is.
but ~hlcs with raging fury defends all
the malefactOrs Of great wealth. stands
or an exact level with. and neither
above or below. the other newspaper
whose whole aftack Is mon man OF