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About Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1907)
THE MORNING OREGOXIAN. WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 21, 1907. $10,000 Be Given or Mor way to TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO SAVE A boy with a bank account, and that bank account drawing interest and getting bigger all of the time, feels more like a man than the boy who spends, every nickel he gets as soon as it comes to him. The boy who can save his money when other boys are spending theirs in strength ening that will power which will en able him as a man to be a sober, steady business man while others become drunkards and spendthrifts. Here Is an Effort Which the GERMAN-AMERICAN BANK OF PORTLAND - Is making to advertise itself and at the same time stimulate habits of thrift and economy among the people of Portland and vicinity Your kilted son aspires to trousers. Your trousered son as pires to manhood. Your manly son aspires to wealth. Layvthe foundation for it in the kilted youngster. Open a bank account for him and urge him to add to it. There's more than wealth to be gained by it. very Man, Woman Participate Full Page Announcement of Plan in Sunday Oregonian, August 25 ANSWERS WALL STREET'S HOWL (Continued from First Pare.) does It honestly and fairly. If he gets It ac the result of special skill and, enterprise, as a reward of ample service actually ren dered But there is a growing determina tion that no man shall amass a great for tune by special privilege, by chicanery and wrongdoing, so far as it is in the power of legislation to prevent; and that the for tune when amassed shall not have a busi ness use that Is anti-social. Moat large cor porations do a business that la not confined to any one state. Experience has shown that the effort to control these ccrporatlons by mere state action cannot produce -wholesome results. In most cases such effort fails to correct the real abuses of which the corporation is or may be guilty; while In other cases the effort Is apt to cause either hardship to the corporation itelf, or else hardship to neighboring states which have not tried to grapple with the problem in the came man lier , and of course we must be as scrupu lous to safeguard the rights of the cor porations as to exact from them In return It full measure of justice to the public- Favors National Incorporation Lav. I believe in a National Incorporation law for corporations engaged In Interstate busi ness. I believe, furthermore, that the need for action Is most pressing ae regards those corporations which, because they are com mon carriers, exercise a quasi-public func tion, and which can be completely con trolled, in all respects by the Federal Gov ernment, by the exercise of the power con ferred under the interstate commerce clause, and. If necessary, under the post-road clause, of the Constitution. During the last few years we hare taken marked strides in advance along the road of proper rgula- i tlon of these railroad corporations; but we must not stop in the work. The National Government should exercise over them a similar supervision and control to that I which It exercises over National banks. We i can do this only by proceeding farther along I the lines marked out by the recent National legislation. J In dealing with any totally new eet of conditions there must at the, outset be hes itation and experiment. Such has been our experience in dealing with the enormous concentration of capita employed In inter state business. Not only the legislatures hut the courts and the people need gradu ally to be educated so that they may see what the real wrongs are and what the real remedies. Almost every big business concern is en gaged in interstate commerce, and such a concern must not be allowed by a dexterous Fh if ting of position, as has been too often the case in the past, to escape thereby all responsibility either to state or to nation. The American people became firmly con vinced of the heed of control over these great aggregations of capital, especially where they had a monopolistic tendency, before tliev became quite clear as to the proper way of achieving the control. Trusts' TVhlrh Are Legitimate. Through their representatives In Congress they tried two remedies, which were to a large degree, at least as Interpreted by the court, contradictory. On tne one hand, under the anti-trust law. the effort was made to prohibit all combination, whether It was or was not hurtful or beneficial to the public. On the other hand, through the Interstate commerce law, a beginning was made in exercising such supervision and control over combinations as to prevent their doing anything harmful to the body politic. The first law, the so-called Sher man law. has filled a useful place, for It bridges over the transition period until the American people shall definitely make up its mind that it will exercise over the great corporations that thoroughgoing and radical control which it is certain ulti mately to find necessary. The principle of the Sherman law eo far as it prohibits combinations which, whether because of their extent or of their character, are harmful to the public, must always be pre served, intimately, and I hope with rea sonable speed, the National Government must pass laws which, while Increasing the supervisory and regulatory power of the Government, also permits such useful com binations as are made with absolute open ness and as the representatives of the Gov ernment may previouly approve. But It will not be possible to permit each com binations save as the second stage In a course of proceedings of which the first stage must be the exercise of a far more complete control by the National Govern ment. In dealing with those who offend against 1 the anti-trust and Interstate commerce laws the Department of Justice has to encounter many and great difficulties. Often men who have been guilty of violating these laws have really acted In criminal fashion, and if possible should be proceeded against criminally ; and therefore it is advisable that there should be a clause In these laws providing for such criminal action, and for punishment by imprisonment as well as by fine. But. as Is well known, in a criminal action the law is strictly construed In fa vor of the defendant, and in our country, at least, both judge and Jury are far more inclined to consider his rights than they are the Interests of the general public; while In addition it is always true that a man's general practices may be so bad that a civil action will He when it may not be possible to convict him of any one criminal act. Hard to Reach Real Culprits. There Is. unfortunately, a certain number of our fellow-countrymen who seem to ac cept the view that unleag a man can be proved guilty of some particular crime he Khali be counted a good citizen, no matter how Infamous the Ufa he has led, no mat ter how pernicious his doctrines or his practices. This ie the view announced from time to time with clamorous Insistence, now by ft group of predatory capitalists, now by a group of sinister anarchistic lead ers and agitators, whenever a special cham pion of either class, no matter how evil his general life. Is acquitted of some one tpecihe crime. Such ft view is wicked whether applied to capitalist or labor lead er, to rich man or poor man. and all that I've said as to desirable and undesirable citizens remains true. But we have to take this feeling Into account when we are debating whether It is possible to get a conviction In a criminal proceeding against some rich trust magnate, many of whose actions are severely to be condemned from "the moral and social standpoint, but no one of whose actions seems clearly to establish such technical guilt as will In sure ft conviction. as ft mttor of expediency In enforcing the law against a great corporation, we have continually to weigh the arguments pro and con as to whether ft prosecution can successfully be entered Into, and as to whether we can be successful In a criminal action against the chief Individuals In the corporation, and If not, whether w can at least be successful In a civil action against the corporation Itself. Any effective ac tion on the part of the Government is al ways objected to, as a matter of course, by the wrongdoers, by the beneficiaries of the wrongdoers and by their champions; and often one of the most effective ways of at tacking the action of the Government is by objecting to practical action upon the ground that it does not go far enough. One of the favorite devices of those who are really striving to prevent the enforce ment of these laws Is to clamor for action of such severity that it cannot be under taken because it will be certain to fall If tried. Juries Are Too Sentimental. An Instance of this i the demand often made for criminal prosecutions where such prosecutions would be certain to fall. We have found by actual experience that a jury which will gladly punish a corporation by fine, for instance, will acquit the individual members of that corporation If we proceed a gal net them criminally, because of those very things which the corporation which they direct and control has done. In a recent case against the Licorice Trust we indicted and tried the two cor porations and their respective presidents. The contracts and other transactions es tablishing the guilt of the corporations were made through, and so far as they were in writing were signed by, the two presidents. Yet the Jury convicted the two corpora tions and acquitted the two men. Both verdicts could not possibly have been, cor rect; but apparently the average juryman wishes to see trusts broken up, and Is quite ready to fine the corporation Itself; but is very reluctant to find the facts "proven beyond a reasonable doubt" when It comes to sending to jail a reputable member of the business community for doing what the business community has unhappily grown to recognize as well-nigh normal in busi ness. Moreover, under the necessary tech nicalities of criminal proceedings, often the only man who can he reached criminally will be some subordinate who is not the real guilty party at all. Many men of large wealth have been guilty of conduct which from the moral standpoint Is criminal, and their misdeeds are to ft peculiar degree reprehensible, be cause those committing them have no ex cuse of want, poverty, of weakness and ig norancs to offer as partial atonement. When in addition to moral responsibility these men have a legal responsibility which can be proved so as to impress a judge and Jury, then the Department will strain every nerve to reach them criminally. Where this is impossible, then it will take what ever action will be most effective under the actual conditions. In the last six years we have shown that there is no individual and no corporation so powerful that he or It stands above the pos sibility of punishment under the law. During the present' trouble with the stocX market, I, of course, received countless re quests and suggestions that I should do something to ease the situation. There is a worldwide financial disturbance. It is felt In the bourses In Paris and Berlin, and British consols are lower. Our New York SOME SOCIAL AND ECONOMICAL VIEWS PRESSED BY ROOSEVELT EX- i ' The man is 1ut a poor father who teaches his sons that ease and pleasure should toe their chief objects in life; the woman who Is a mere petted toy, incapable of serious purpose, shrinking: from effort and duty, is more pitiable than the veriest overworked drudge. Our ideals should be high, and yet they should be capable of achievement in practical fashion. Such questions as National sovereignty and state's rigrhts need to be treated not empirically or academically, but from the standpoint of the interests of the people as a whole. When the Constitution was created none of the conditions of mod ern business existed. I "believe in a National incorporation law for corporations engaged in interstate business. Ultimately, and I hope with reasonable speed, the National Govern ment must pass laws which, while increasing the supervisory and regulatory power of the Government, also permits such useful combi nations as are made with absolute openness and as the representa tives of the Government may previously approve. It Is advisable that there should be a clause In these (anti-trust) laws providing for criminal action, and for punishment by imprison ment as well as by fine. When In addition to moral responsibility these (rich violators of the law) men have a legal responsibility which can toe proved so as to Impress a judge and Jury, then the department will strain every nerve to reach them criminally. I very earnestly hope that the legislation which deals with the regulation of corporations engaged In interstate business will also deal with the rights and interest of the wageworkers employed by those corporations. I also hope that there will be legislation increasing the power of the National Government to deal with certain matters concerning the health of our people everywhere; the Federal authorities, for in stance, should join with all the state authorities in warring against the dreadfuJ scourge of tuberculosis. There Is, unfortunately, a certain number of our tellowcounr trymen who seem to accept the view that unless a man can be proved guilty of some particular crime he shall be counted a good citizen, no matter how infamous the life he has led, no matter how pernicious his doctrines or-his practices. This is the view announced from time to time with clamorous insistence, now by a group of predarory cap italists, now toy a group of sinister anarchistic leaders and agitators. Such a view is wicked when applied to capitalist or labor leader, to rich man or poor man, and all that I've said as to desirable and undesirable citizens remains true. During the present trouble with the stock market, I, of course, re ceived countless requests and suggestions that I should do something to ease the situation. It may all toe that the Government's determ ination to punish certain malefactors of great wealth, has been re sponsible for something of the troutoles; at least to the extent of having caused these men to combine to bring about as much financial stress as they possibly can, in order to discredit the Government's policy, and thereby secure a reversal of that policy so that they may enjoy the fruits of their evildolngs. If so, I am sorry, but It will not alter my attitude. Once, for all time, let me say, so far as I am concerned, for the 18 months of my administration that remain, there will be no changes in the policy we have steadily pursued, nor let-up in our ef forts to secure an honest observance of the law, for I regard this contest as one to determine who shall rule this Government the peo ple or a few ruthless, determined men whose wealth makes them particularly formidable, toecause they are behind the breastworks or corporate organization. But I desire no less emphatically to have it understood that we have undertaken and will undertake no action of vindictive type and, above all, none which shall inflict great or unmerited suffering upon innocent stockholders and upon the putolic as a whole. It will toe highly disastrous if we permit ourselves to be misled by the pleas of those who see in an unrestricted individualism the all-sufficient panacea for 'social evils; but it will toe, even more disastrous to adopt the- opposite panacea of any socialistic system which would destroy all individualism, which would root out the fiber of our whole citizenship But while we can accomplish something by legislation, legislation can never toe more than a part, and often no more than a small part. In the general scheme of moral progress. . . . Such betterment can come only toy the slow, steady growth of the spirit which metes a generous tout not a sentimental Justice to each man on his merits as a man, and which recognizes the fact that the highest and deepest happiness for the individual lies not in selfishness tout in service. Stock Exchange disturbance has been par ticularly severe, but It Is believed to be due to matters not " particularly confined to the United States and to matters wholly uncon nected with any Governmental action. It may all be that the Governmenfsdeter mlnatlon, in which, gentlemen, it will not wavfer, to punish certain malefactors of great wealth, has been responsible for some thing of the troubles; at least to the extent of having caused these men to combine to bring about as much financial stress as they possibly can, in order to discredit the Oovernment'a policy, and thereby secure -a reversal of that policy so that they may enjoy the fruits of their evildolngs- That they have misled a great many people into believing there should be such a reversal is possible. If so, I am sorry, but it will not alter my attitude. Once, for all time, let me say, so far as I am concerned, for the 18 months of my administration that re main, there will be no changes In the policy we hae steadily pursued, nor let-up In our efforts to secure an honest observance of the law. for I regard this contest as one to determine who shall rule this Govern ment the people- through their Govern mental agents or a few ruthless, determined men whose wealth makes them particularly formidable, because they are behind the breastworks of corporate organisation. I wish there to be no mistake on this point. It is idle to ask me not to prosecute criminals, rich or poor. But I desire no less emphatically to have it understood that we have undertaken and will undertake no action of vindictive type and, above all, none which shall Inflict great or unmerited suffering upon Innocent stockholders ana upon the public as a whole. Our purpose Is to act with a minimum of harshness compatible with obtaining our ends. In the man of great wealth who earned his money honestly we recognize a citizen worthy of all praise and respect. Business can. only be done, under modern conditions, through corporations and our purpose is heartily to favor corporation that do well. The administration appre ciates that liberal but honest profit for legi timate promoters ana generous dividends for capital employed either In founding or con tinuing an honest business venture are the factors necessary for succesful corporate activity and, therefore, for generally pros perous business conditions. All these are compatible with fair deal ing as between man and man and rigid obedience to th law. Our aim Is to help every honest man, every honest corporation and our policy means in its ultimate analysts a healthy, prosperous expansion of the busi ness activities of honest business men and honest corporations. o Mercy for lawbreaker. I very earnestly hope that the lec-Uln-Mon which deals with the regulation of corpora tions engaged in Interstate business will also deal with the rights and interests of the wageworkers employed by those corpora tions. Action was taxen by the Congress last year limiting the number of hours that railway employes should be employed. The iaw is gooa one, dui it in practice it proves necessary to strengthen It, It must be strengthened. We have now secured a National employers' liability law: but ulti mately 'a more far-reaching and thorough going law must be passed. It Is monstrous that a man or woman who Is crippled in an industry, even as the result of taking wnat are tne necessary risks of the occu pation, should be required to bear the whole burden of the loss. That burden should be distributed and not placed solely upon the weakest Individual, the one least able to carry it. By making the employer liable the loss will ultimately be distrib uted among all the beneficiaries of the business. T alpo "hope that there wilt be legislation Increasing the power of the National Gov ernment to deal with certain matters con cerning the health of odr people every where; the Federal authorities, for instance, should join with all the state authorities in warring against the dreadful scourge of tuberculosis. Your own state government, here in Massachusetts, deserves high praise for the action it has taken in these public health matters during the last few years; and In this, as in some other matters, I hope to see the National Government stand abreast of the foremost state governments. I have spoken of but one or two laws which. In my Judgment, It Is advisable to enact as part of the general scheme for making the interference of the National Government more effective in securing jue tic and fair dealing as . between man and man hers in the United States. Let me add, however, that while it is necessary to have legislation when conditions arise where we can only cope with evils through the Joint action of all of us, yet that we can never afford to forget that in the last analysis the all-important factor for each of us must be his own Individual character. It ts a necessary thing to have good laws, good institutions: but the most necessary of all things is to have a high quality of Individual citizenship. This does not mean that we can afford to neglect legislation. Ieat the Radicals Sway Us. It A'lll bo highly disastrous if we permit ourselves to be misled by the pleas of those who see In an unrestricted individualism the all-sufficient panacea for social evils; but It will be even more disastrous to adopt the opposite panacea of any socialis tic system which would destroy all Indi vidualism, which would root out the fiber of our whole citizenship. In any great movement, such as that in which we are engaged, nothing is more necessary than f sanity, than the refusal to be led Into ex- tremes by the advocates of the ultra course on either side. Those professed friends or liberty who champion license are the worst foes of liberty and tend by the reaction their violence causes to throw the Govern ment back Into the hands or the men who champion corruption and tyranny in the name of order. So It is with this move ment for securing Justice toward all men, and equality of opportunity so far as it can be secured by governmental action. The rich man who with hard arrogance de clines to consider the rights and the needs of those who are less well off, and the poor man who excites or Indulges in envy and hatred for those who are better off, are alike alien to the spirit or our National life. Each of them should learn to appre ciate the baseness and degradation of his point of view, as evil In the one case as In the other. There exists no more sordid and unlovely type of social development than a plutocracy, for there is a peculiar unwholesomeness in a social and govern mental ideal where wealth by and of Itself Is held up as the greatest good. The ma terialism of such a view, whether it finds Its expression in the llfs f a man who accumulates a vast fortune in ways that are repugnant to every instinct of gener osity and of fair dealing, or whether it finds its expression in the vapidly useless and self-indulgent life of the inheritor of that fortune. Is contemptible In the eyes of all men capable of a thrill of lofty feeling. Where the power of the law can be wisely used to prevent or to minimize the acquisition or business employment of such wealth and to make it pay by income or Inheritance tax Its proper share of the "The sports of children satisfy the child." But the wear and tear of the child's clothes don't always satisfy the mother. We make a special ef fort to satisfy her hy hav ing the strongest suits it's possible to get. No matter how small the suit or how small the price, the cloth must he good or we don't have it. Boys' Summer Clothing at Clearance Sale Prices. LION ClothingOo GtulKuhnProp 169 and 18 Third Mohawk ttaUdtns. burden of government, I would invoke that power without a moment's hesitation. Legislation Not All Sufficient. But while we can accomplish something by legislation, legislation can never be more than a part, and often no more than a small part, in the general scheme of moral progress; and crude or vindictive legisla tion may at any time bring such progress to a halt. Certain socialistic leaders pro pose to redistribute the world's goods by refusing to thrift and energy and industry their proper superiority over folly and idle ness and sullen envy. Such legislation would merely, in the words of the presi dent of Columbia University, "wreck the world's efficiency for the purpose of redis tributing the world's discontent." We should all of us work heart and soul for the real and permanent betterment which will lift our democratic civilization to a higher level of safety and usefulness, such betterment can come only by the slow, steady growth of the spirit which metes a generous but not a sentimental Justice to each man on his merits as a man. and which recognises the fact that the highest and deepest happiness for the Individual lies not in selfishness but in service. ISLAND YET ABOVE WATER Report of Disappearance of La) Ban Disproved. HONOLULU. Aug. 20. The island of Laysan has not disappeared, as was re ported recently by the captain of th schooner Olsen. The island was visited on the 15th ot this month by the United States Government tug IroquoiF, which was returning here from Guam. Perfect Womanhood The greatest menace to woman's permanent happiness in life is the suffering that comes from some de rangement of the feminine organs. Many thousands of women have realized this too late to save their health, barely in time to save their lives. To be a successful wife, to retain the love and admiration of her hus band, should be a woman's constant study. If a woman finds that her ener gies are flagging, that she gets easily tired, dark shadows appear under her eyes, she has backache, head ache, bearing-down sensations, ner vousness, irregularities or the "blues," she should start at once to build up her system by a tonic with specific powers, such as Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound the great woman's remedy for woman's ills, made only of roots and herbs. It cures Female Complaints, such as Dragging Sensations, Weak Back, Falling and Displacements, Inflammation, and Ulceration, and all Organic Diseases, and is invaluable in tne Change oi L.ire. it dissolves g and Expels Tumors at an early stage. Subdues Faintness, Nervous g Prostration, Exhaustion, and strengthens and tones the Stomach. Cures p Headache,' General Debility, indigestion, ana invigorates tne wnoie female sysem. It is an excellent remedy for derangements of the Kidneys in either sex. n 4.- -2jjr Silk m I '. ' uununniiniiiiiftinmnM CIGARETTES & Their quality is equaled only in cigarettes 8k j costing twice as much. rag u It's only because of their sales the largest in k ? the world that such high qual- K m Can e so JpS 10c for 10 M
