The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-02-21
Roosevelt
CONTINUED from page one.)

an effective method of regulating
big corporations SO as to help legit-
innate business as an incident to
thoroughly and completely safe
guarding the interests of the peo-
pie as a whole.
ct is imperative to exercise over
big business control and super.
vison which is unnecessary as re.
CARDS small business. do not be-
lieve in making mere size of and by
itself criminal. The mere fact OF
size, however, does unquestionably
carry the potentiality of such grave
wrong-doing that there should be
by law provision made for the strict
supervision and regulation of these
great Industrial concerns doing an
Interstate business much as we now
regulate the transportation agencies
which are engaged in Interstate
business.
1.-THE antitrust law does good In
sofar as it can be invoked against
combinations which really are mo-
nopolies or which restrict produc-
tion or which artifcially raise prices.
But insofar as its workings are UNI
certain, or as 1T threatens corpora
lions which have not been guilty OF
anti-social conduct, it does harm.
Moreover, 1t can not by itself ac-
complish more than trifing part
of the governmental regulation Of
big Business which Is needed. The
nation and the state must cooper
ate in this matter.
"iAll business into which the ele-
ment of monopoly in any way or de-
gree enters, and wehre 1t proves in
practice impossible totally to elimi-
nate this element of monopoly
should be carefully supervised, reg
rulated and controlled by govern
mental authority, and such control
should be exercised by administra-
tive, rather than by judicial officers.
No effort should be made to destroy
a big corporation merely because 1t
is big, merely because it has shown
itself a peculiarly efficient business
instrument.
"The legislature should make 1t
more clear exactly what methods
are illegal, and then the judiciary
will be in better position to pun
ish adequately and relentlessly
those who insist on defying the clear
legislative DEGREES. Il do not believe
any absolute private monopoly is
justified, but If our great combina-
lions are properly supervised, so
that immoral practices are pre-
vented, absolute monopoly VIII not
come to pass, as the laws OF compe- |
tition and efficiency are against it.
81 believe in the short ballot.
You can not get good service from
the public servant If you can not
see him, and there is no more eff
fective way of hiding him than BY
him up with multitude of
others so that they are none of them
important enough to catch the eye
of the average, workaday citizen.
The crooks in public life are not or
dinarily the men whom the people
themselves elect directly to a high
ly important and responsible posi-
ton. The professional politician
and the professional lobbyist thrive
most rankly under a system which
provides multitude of elective Of
icers, of such divided responsibility
and of such obscurity that the pub
lie knows, and can know, but little
as to their duties and the way they
perform them.
81 believe in providing for direct
by the people, includ-
ing therein direct preferential pri-
maries for the election OF Delegate