And State Papers 147 



I am glad to have the chance of saying a few 

 words here in this great industrial centre in one of 

 those regions which have felt to a notable degree 

 the effects of the period of prosperity through 

 which we are now passing. Probably never before 

 in our history has the country been more prosperous 

 than it is at this moment; and it is a prosperity 

 which has come alike to the tillers of the soil and 

 to those connected with our great industrial enter 

 prises. 



Every period has its own troubles and difficulties. 

 A period of adversity, of course, troubles us all ; but 

 there are troubles in connection with a period of 

 prosperity also. When all things flourish it means 

 that there is a good chance for things that we don't 

 like to flourish also, just exactly as things that we 

 do like. A period of great national material well- 

 being is inevitably one in which men's minds are 

 turned to the way in which those flourish who are 

 interested in the management of the gigantic cap 

 italistic corporations, whose growth has been so 

 noted a feature of the last half century the cor 

 porations which we have grown to speak of rather 

 loosely as trusts accepting the word in its usual 

 and common significance as a big corporation usu 

 ally doing business in several States at least, besides 

 the State in which it is incorporated, and often, 

 though not always, with some element of monopoly 

 in it. 



It seems to me that in dealing with this problem 

 of the trusts perhaps it would be more accurate 



