The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1912-02-26
Mr.. aoosevELr's VIEWS
Important Address BY Him Before
Ohio Convention

italistic interests of the big cities to
distort every issue and point in order !
to do injury to the ex-president, the
address that he delivered before the
constitutional convention Of Ohio on
wednesday, is OF special interest. The
Banner has net ths space 70 si7s the
address entire but reprints aons por'
lions OF it.
OF Big Business, Col Roosevelt
said:
The antitrust law does good In SO
far as 1t can be invoked against COM
binations which really are monopolies
or which restrict production or which
artihcially raise prices. But In so far
as it's workings are uncertain or as 1t
threatens corporations which have
not been guilty of anti-soclal conduct
il does harm. There should be fix
ed government policy which shall
clearly define and punish wrongdolng
and give in advance full information
to any man as to just what he can
and just what he cannot legally and
properly do"
AS to the fitness of the American
people for self government, Mr. Roose
welt said:
MANY eminent lawyers believe
| that the American people are not MT
ted for popular government and that
it is necessary to keep the judiciary
independent of the majority of the
people | take absolute issue with
all those who hold such position
OF the recall Of judges, he said
"The question is one of expediency
merely. Each community has the
right to try the experiment for itself
in whatever shape it pleases. ! do
not believe in adopting the recall
save as last resort when 1t has
become clearly evident that no other
course will achieve the desired re-
suit"
Senator La Toilette was mentioned
but once, as follows:
Following Senator La Toilette, a
number of practical workers and
thinkers in Wisconsin, have turned
that state into an experimental labor
atory of wise governmental action in
aid of social and industrial justice.
, They have initiated that kind of pro
gressive government which means
not only the preservation Of true dem
ocracy, but the extension of the prin-
ciple of true democracy into industri.
alism as well as into politics"
Continuing, Col. Roosevelt said
81 hold that he is the real progress
, sive, that he is the genuine champion
Of the people. who endeavors to shape
the policy alike Of the nation and OF
the several states so as to encourage
} legitimate and honest business at the
} same time that he wars against all
Y crookedness and injustice and unfair
> ness and tyranny in the business
! world.
r This is the reason why l have fol
many years insisted as regards oul
! national government that ii is both
a futile and mischievous TO endeavoi
, to correct the evils of big business by
{ an attempt to restore business condi
Y tons as they were in the middle Of
3 last century. before railways and tel
r egraphs had rendered larger business
organizations both inevitable and de
8 sirable.
a what is needed is, first the recog
D milton that modern business condit
! ions have come to stay, in so far al
least as these conditions mean thai
I business must be done in larger units
a and then the cool-headed and Tesolutt
determination to introduce an effec
n live method Of regulating big corpor
3 ations so as to help legitimate bust
0 ness as an incident to thoroughly AND
y completely safeguarding the interests
y Of the people as a whole.
g 1T Is absurd and wicked to treat
r the deliberate lawbreaker as on an
Q exact par with the man eager to obey
[ the law whose only desire is to find
S out from some competent government
/ tai authority what the law is anC
then live up to II. It is absurd e
S endeayor to regulate business I'm tho
r interest of the public by means Of
1 long-drawn law suits without any &C
compartment Of administrative con
troll and regulation. and without any
attempt to discriminate between tn,
, honest man who has succeeded IL
. business because of rendering a ser
! vice to the public and the dishones
, man who has succeeded in business
! by cheating the public.
1T is imperative TO exercise ovel
big business a control and supervis
ion which is unnecessary as regards
small business. do not believe II
: making mere size. Of and by itself
criminal. The mere act of size, how
: ever, does unquestionably carry IN,
potentially of such grave wrong do
ing that there should be by law pro
. vision made for the strict supervision
and regulation of these great indus
trial concerns doing an interstat,
business, much as we now regulat,
, the transportation agencies which ar,
engaged in Interstate business.
"OLr demand is that big business
give the people square deal, anC
that the people give a square deal L
any man engaged In big business
who honestly endeavors to do what Il
! right and proper. On the other hant
2 any corporation. big or little, which
has gained its position by unfair
I methods and by interference with tn,
rights OF others, which has raised pri
(, ces or limited output In improper
! fashion and been guilty of demorallz
! ing and corrupt practices, should moi
only be broken up. but IL should be
made the business Of some competent
governmental body by constant sup
ervisiQn to see that II does not come
together again, save under such strict
control as to insure the community
against all danger of repetition OF
the bad conduct
THE chief trouble with big bust
ness has arisen from the fact that
big business has so often refused to
abide by the principle OF the square
deal. the oDnOsftion which I norson