Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-03-28

Chicago, March 27.-"Big business" |
and the control of corporations were
discussed by Colonel Roosevelt in a
speech which he delivered here last
night. He said that the governments
trust prosecutions in the oil and to
bacco cases had accomplished nothing
Of real worth.
Our present policy OF chaos cannot
permanently continue" said Colonel
Roosevelt He asserted that there
should be absolute clearness OF law"
and spoke in favor of "a competent ad-
ministrative body, an interstate indus
trial commission or something Of the
kind. which would do for the world OF
Industrial production what the inter
state commerce commission Is doing
for the world of industrial transporta-
ton"
Colonel Roosevelt's speech follows:
In my speech at Columbus tried
to develop two main lines of thought.
FIRST, that the people have the right
10 rule, and that through the exercise
of this right we must obtain social and
Industrial justice, and, second, that
our aim must be TO control business
not TO strange II.
1.-The three great classes of the
American community are the farmers,
the wageworkers and the business men,
big and little, wholesale and retail. 1t
is essential that all three shall prosper
II is essential that there shall be a
more equitable division Of prosperity
than has been the case in the past
This prosperity can only be lasting II
Il is based on justice, and it cannot be
based on justice unless the small man
the farmer. the mechanic, the wage
worker generally. the clerk on a sal
airy. the small business man, the retail
dealer, have their rights guaranteed
II these men have their rights guaran
teed, then they shall prosper, and the
prosperity will extend 10 the big man
Fundamentally, our opponents who say
they are for prosperity differ from us
In wishing to see the prosperity come
TO the big man first and then driT
down through TO the little man. Now
/ am just as anxious 10 see the bis
man prosper as they are, but do no
believe that he can prosper in an!
really enduring manner unless undel
conditions which ensure TO the small
men their fair chance In short, al
regards prosperity, there are tive
things to remember. first that Their
must be a division of prosperity 81
that all shall benefit, and second tina
there can be no such division of pros
perity unless the prosperity is Their
10 divide.
1T is curious TO see how often tn,
extremists on both sides combin,
against the sane and moderate mel
who are striving TO fight real battl
for justice. | use the word moderate
Rdvisedly for the violent self-style,
conservative is just as wild an extren
ist as the most violent OF the sell
styled extreme radicals. At the pre-,
mt day the reactionary who wishe
that the great corporations shall rs
main absolutely unbridled finds hi
most effective ally in the make believ
extremists who desires to pose as tn
ultra-enemy OF the trusts The sma
business man and the honest big bus
ness men are alike interested in secul
ing a definite settled and clearly d.
fined governmental policy about bus
ness. The great lawbre aking trust. o
the other hand. objects much NOR
TO a definite and clearly-settled polio
VI governmental control than he doe
20 the policy of make-believe extin
ton; and therefore he halls with sa
donic pleasure the attitude of the e,
tremist who is always declaimin
about his intention of killing all tn
trusts; for the trust magnate know
hat this particular kind OF agitatC
will not kill the trusts at all and wi
as matter Of fact accomplish nothin
whatever except TO divert attentio
from the real remedies which woul
cure the evil.
"Our present policy OF chaos cannt
permanently continue. II hurts us
home, and II impairs our chance to z,
our proper share of foreign commerce
We are giving about 75 per cent OF oil
time TO fighting among ourselves, ar
only about 25 per cent to promotir