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The Commoner.
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& & The Weekly Press on the President's Message & &
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I
Itasca (Tex.) Item: The president
appears to favor the subsidizing of the
American merchant' marine, and hia
attitude is calculated to render him
unpopular with ' the masses of the
people.
Adel (Ga.) News: The message was
loQked for with a good deal of ex
pectancy and although an able state
paper, there is not that strong indi
viduality about it. that was generally
.expected.
Temple (Tex.) Times: When the
article is finished it leaves an impres
sion very similar to a school girl's
essay on the duties of. parents. It reads
very well, but it never strikes the nail
a home stroke.
Elkton (Ky.) Times: President
Roosevelt wants to bo cautious In
dealing with the trusts. To use a moss
covered expression, he "knows which
side his bread is buttered on' and,
well he likes butter.
Hastings (Neb.) Democrat: If thero
is such a thing as a trust in the coun
"try he thinks "publicity" will settle
it. Think of that! The republican
president has doubts whether there h
such a thing as trusts.
, Spartanburg (S. C.) Free Lance: It
,is a typical republican message, deal
ing with governmental abuses that are
tho subject of popular discontent in
such a manner as to pull the wool over
tho cye9 of those who complain and
yet retain the friendship and support
"of the beneficiaries of those abuses.
, , New Castle XVa.) Record: Of our
-merohanfc marine lie urges that' some
thing should be done to remedy the
. inequalities existing, between Ameri
can built ships and the subsidized ships
of foreign countries; he does not men
tion subsidy as a remedy, but such an
implication is easily seen..
Ithaca (N. Y.) Democrat: The docu
ment gives assurances to the trusts
and monopolies that they can depend
upon Roosevelt as implicitly as they
can upon Attorney General Knox, of
the steel trust, and shows that the
common people have no ground to
hope for any protection from the ag
gressions of predatory wealth, through
the influence of the president.
Hutchinson (Minn.) Leader: It was
unlike Roosevelt in that it lacked sen
sational features and it betrays a con
servatism that few suspected him to
possess. While on minor matters of
'patronage the president may break
away from established precedents, it
is evident that on questions of party
policy, he has come to a fairly good
unHerstanding with the party leaders.
Portsmouth (0.) Times: On two of
the vital questions of the day it is
vague, uncertain and non-commlttai.
In the matter of the encroachment and
menace of trusts, there is nothing to
alarm the cormorants and nothing to
satisfy the people. The president's
claim that publicity will be a remedy
for the rapacity of monopolies is really
pitiful, and that is all he has to say
against them.
Gainesville (Fla.) Sun: His sug
gestion for dealing with trusts are di
rected on the line of publicity by gov
ernmental inspection and semi-supervision
of their acts. Like all republi
can presidents he pleads the inability
of the national government to protect
the "people against the greed of com
bined monopoly because of the rights
which individual states have in the,
premises. He goes a little further on
" than his predecessor and even suggests
the advisability of an amendment to
the constitution.
Versailles (Mo.) Democrat: Tho
country had been warned of his oppo
sition to trusts and combines, but on
this subject the message is mild and
suggests no remedy. The situation
with regard to our colonial policy and
possessions remains unchanged and we
are still in the dark in the matter of
tho future policy to bo pursued in
Hawaii, Porto Rico and tho Philip
pines. Boulder (Colo. ) Representative: Our
president is opposed to the trusts, but
only suggests that laws be so framed
as to permit of legal inquiry into the
operations of these modern inven
tions of ingenious Yankees. Congress
is safely republican and many were
elected by the aid of these trusts so
there is no danger that the trusts are
to be disturbed in their methods of op
presHion to business and the public.
Georgetown (Del.) Democrat: While
a good message from a republican
point of view, it is not, of course, in
accordance with democratic opinion
and many of Its suggestions -will meet
with strong opposition throughout the
country. It looks likely, too, that
the tariff portion will encounter oppo
sition from western members of his
own party, though not to an extent
that will endanger the policy.
Luray (Va.) News: It was looked
forward to with much interest as it
was expected to outline policies great
ly at variance with those favored by
many of the most influential leaders
of the republican party, especially in
the matter of trade reciprocity. Thess
expectations were by no means real
ized, as President Roosevelt's radical
views are greatly toned down in his
message.
Columbia (Mo.) Herald: In one re
spect it has fulfilled expectation. There
is an originality, a lack of perfune
toriness about it not usual in presi
dential messages. But in the promul
gation of any new or startling poli
cies it is disappointing, hile it
takes somewhat higher grounds upon
the standard of the civil service it is
not otherwise specially different from
the message of the ordinary republican
president.
Memphis (Tenn.) Herald: President
Roosevelt's message is a disannoint-
ment to many, as It was expected to
be a characteristic document. It is
said that he listened to advice and
toned it down. Whether or not this
Is the case, it does not differ much
from the sesame verbiage used in
former messages, and there is nothing
to 'distinguish it from what other
presidents have done.
Augusta (Me.) New Age: This Is
the position of President Roosevelt
and the republican leaders in con
gress: "Reciprocity is a beautiful
theory. We have promised it in our
platforms and our speeches, but we
fear it can never become an accom
plished fact. Let us talk and let us
agitate, but, for the peace, security and
prosperity of tho country, as well as
for our own political hides, let us not
enact."
Staunton (Va.) News: We do not
accept tho president's theories on pro
tection, but we beartily commend any
step that may be taken toward estab
lishing reciprocity. We are only afraid
that the restriction he places on Its
extension will prevent its adqption in
any case where it would prove of
value to consumers. Protected inter
ests will always cry out against any
course that affects them. They have
done so already, and have defeated the
very excellent reciprocity treaties ne
gotiated by Mr. McKInley.
Hackensack (N. J.) Democrat: Rec
iprocity and tho tariff, of course, he
treats from a republican standpoint
and believes that the present tariff
laws are responsible for the general
prosperity of tho country. "Reciproc
ity," he claims, ought to bo treated as
tho "handmaiden" of protection. If
Koosoveit is to follow in McKinley's
footsteps, as he has promised, ho must
givo reciprocity a fair opportunity of
being tested.
Ithica (Mich.) News: Tho message
does not come up to tho expectations
of tho president's most "strenuoua"
friends. The president's ideas seem to
meander, along about on tho middle
ground of republican sentiment, and
are neither very hot nor very cold,
the intention apparently being to fol
low the average of party views, aiming
to shoot, according to the old saying,
so as "to hit tho game if it is a deer
and miss it if it happens to bo a calf."
Hudson (Wis.) True Republican:
Some time ago Bourko Cockran de
clared that tho way to fight trusts was
by publicity. Tho president takes the
same ground, only a little weaker, by
advising an inquiry into tho social
conditions, and then if anything Is
found wrong publish it. That sounds
very well, but if a grizzly were close
after his coat tail he would not be apt
to say, "I'll investigate this and if I
find you are wrong I'll put your name
in the paper."
Garnett (Kas.) Agitator: Many peo
ple believed that tho president would
jump onto the trusts with both feet,
and thero seemed to bo somo reason
for this belief, but the trusts have
"read- between tho lines" that portion
of his message relating to trusts, and
they are not the least bit disturbed.
Indeed, he favors tho trusts in a left
handed manner. The protectionists
and the trusts are losing no sleep over
tho matter. They are safe, so far as
Roosevelt, is concerned.
Solon (la.) Economy: With tho
general tenor and recommendations of
the president's message we have no
fault to find, though we would not
vouch for tho wisdom of several of the
matters recommended. Upon the
whole, the message has more of the
vigor of Rehoboam than of tho wis
dom of David or of Solomon. But
this we may expect as well from tho
present condition of the nation as from
the previous life and training of Col
onel Roosevelt. Neither a David nor
a Solomon could well fill President
Roosevelt's place at this time.
Bel Ayr (Md.) Democrat: President
Roosevelt sent his first message to
congress on Tuesday. The president
having a reputation for the spectac
ular, not a few expected in the message
a few bolts and flashes that would
Etartle his party associates. And there
is internal evidence that they were in
the message as originally penned and
subsequently removed after consulta
tion with leading senators, to whom
the document was submitted before
committed to the hands of the printer.
As pruned it Is the work of an artiit
with a second term as background. It
mildly suggests remedies for public
evils, but fails to press them with
the usual Roosevelt strenuosity as
much as to say to party leaders, not my
will, but thine be done.
Owensboro (Ky.) Messenger: Presi
dent Roosevelt discusses the trust
question in a manner to which these
interests can find no objection. He
urges publicity as the "only sure rem
edy which we can now invoke." But
publicity, as he urges it, is for the pur
pose, not of crushing the power of in
dustrial combinations to prey upon the
producor, tho consumer and tho wagc
carnor, but to protect tho confiding
capitalists who put their money In
stocks and bonds. Tho only real "evil"
that ho points out is over-capitalization,
although ho admits that there
aro other "real and grave evils." Tho
president, in fact, bogins his discus
sion of tho trust question with an argu
ment to show that they aro tho legiti
mate outgrowth of natural conditions.
Berlin (Md.) Herald: "While we
will do everything in our power for tho
Filipino who is peaceful," he says, "wo
will take tho stornest measure with
the Filipinos who follow tho path oZ
tho insurrecto and tho ladrono." Even
to the extent of concentration an-I
starvation of women and children, Mr.
President? What more could Spain
have said with respect to tho peoplo
of these same Philippine islands whn
thoy were her unwilling subjects, be
foro they had been purchased by this
wuhlij, m, u price OE $ZU,UUU,U0O la
money and oceans of trouble?
Shenandoah (la.) World: There
seems to bo a tone all the way through
it that Indicates that tho president Is
influenced by tho republican leaders,
shown more, perhaps, by tho things
that aro left unsaid than by the things
actually said. For instance, his utter
ances on the matter of reciprocity will
not, wo believe, satisfy tho American
people; nor do wo believo they aro
nearly so strong as would have been
Mr. McKinley's had ho lived. And tho
things he does say about this, even,
aro so hedged about with warnings not
to unduly disturb the tariff that they,
lose their effectiveness.
Rochester (Pa.) Chronicle: We fear
his message was written with an eyo
single to tho welfare of the privileged
classes. From the four corners of his
message thero comes tho inuendo that
fundamentally our political and so
cial Etructmo is as perfect as human
brains can conceive; that fundamental
ly everything Is Tight. Yet everyone
who ha given the subject any thought
whatever, realizes that our entire jo
cial and industrial fabric Is based on
privilege a fact that portends evil
for popular government. Every re-pul-lic
of history has given way to 'the
disintegrating influences of privilege.
Hastings (Mich.) Herald,: There are
certain parts of the message in which
the president's political bias is strong
ly and vigorously brought out, argu
ments and recommendations which
will not meet with the approval of
democrats. Ho champions the present
tariff law and strongly opposes any;
tinkering with it, but be favors recip
rocity which he calls the "handmaid
of protection." He urges that congress
do something to build up our merchant
marine, but does not specify in what
way. If he favors the subsidy scheme
he is not bold enough to say so and
in this respect ho shows an unex
pected weakness.
Dayton (Tenn.) Herald: The trust
princes are chuckling in their sleeve,
for says the president, "It would bo
most unwise to cramp or fetter ths
strength of our youthful industries in
the strife for commercial supremacy
among the nations of the world." He
Is thoroughly convinced that the pub
lic is being abused somewhere or
somehow by this great amassing of
wealth and controlling of industries
and labor, but where it is, what it is
and how it is he doesn't know, but
recommends that these things be found
out. To sum up, "pursue the even
tenor of your way, Mr. Morgan, mean
while we will discuss tho question as
to where the people art being hit at"
I.
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