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Show ROOSEVELT SEEKS 10 PMKMS President Signs a Resolution Calling for Investigation of Monopolies. ASKS CONGRESS TO DIRECT COMMISSION THOROUGHLY Suggests That Money Be Given Interstate Commerce Body to Defray Costs. "WASHINGTON, March S. President Rcoscvclt today sent a message to Congress Con-gress announcing his signature to tho Joint resolution recently passed Instructing Instruct-ing tho Interstate Commerce commission to make examination into the subject of railroad discriminations and monopolies In coal and oil. He says frankly that he has igned It with hesitation because It may achieve little or nothing. He Indicates, too, that It the Investigation proposed by tho resolution reso-lution Is not conducted thoroughh' it will result In giving Immunity from criminal prosecution to all persons who are called and sworn na witnesses. In the opinion of the President, the direction di-rection contained in tho resolution will fa,n , "'KCtlcally Inoperative unless -M0y Provided to carry on the In-NC-Mlgatlon, and the commission be authorized au-thorized to take testimony under its pro-Melons. pro-Melons. Ho suggests, therefore, that Congress Con-gress give serious consideration to Just what It desires the Intertato Commerce commlsion to do and that S5O.0CO bo placed at the disposal of the commission to dc-ir&y dc-ir&y tho expenses of the proposed Investigation. Investi-gation. The President's Message. tl,c 1Io"bo and Senate: o..1 ..nvo s'gnod the Jol,lt resolution 'Instructing 'In-structing tho Interstate Commerce commission com-mission to make examinations Into tho subject of railroad discriminations and monopolies In coal and oil, and report on tho sajrio from time to time.' I havo signed It with hesitation because In the form in which it was passed It accomplishes accom-plishes very little and may accomplish nothing, and It is highly undesirable that a. resolution of this kind shall becamo law n such form as to give the Impression of Insincerity; that Is. of pretending to do 60'ethlng which Is really not done. But, after hesitation, I concluded to sign the resolution becauso Its defects can bo remedied by legislation which I hereby here-by ask for, and It must bo understood mat unless this subsequent legislation Is granted the present icsolutlon must bo inalnly. and. may be entirely, Inoperative. Before specifying whnt this legislation Is, I wish to call attention to One or two preliminary facts. The Coal Inquiry. "In the llrst place, a part of tho Investigation Investi-gation required by the House of Representatives Repre-sentatives In the resolution adopted February Feb-ruary 15, 1005, relating to tho oil Inquiry, and a further part having to do with tho anthracite coal Inquiry, has been for some time under investigation by the Department Depart-ment of Commerce and Labor. Thcso Investigations, In-vestigations, I am Informed, are approaching approach-ing completion, and before Congress adjourns ad-journs I shall submit to you the preliminary prelimi-nary reports of these Investigations. Until Un-til these reports are completed the Interstate Inter-state Commerce commission could not endeavor en-deavor to carry out so much of the resolution reso-lution of Congress as rofcrs to the ground thus already covered without running tho risk of seeing the two Investigations conflict, con-flict, and therefore render each other moro or less negatory. "In the seconJ place, I call your attention atten-tion to the fact that if an Investigation of the naturo proposed In the Joint resolution reso-lution la thoroughly and effectively conducted con-ducted It will result In giving Immunity from crlmlral prosecution to all persons who are called, sworn and constrained by compulsory processes of law to testify as witnesses; though, of course, such Immunity Im-munity from prosecution Is not glvon to thoso from whom statements or Information Informa-tion merely, in contradistinction to sworn testimony Is obtained. Virtue of Publicity. "This is not at all to say that Buch Investigations In-vestigations should not be undertaken Vubllclty can by Itself often accomplish extraordinary results for good; and tho court of public Judgment mav secure such results where courts of law are powerless There are many cases where an Investigation Investi-gation securing complete publicity about abuses and giving Congress tho material nn which to proceed In the enactment of laws Is more useful than a criminal prosecution prose-cution can possibly be. "But It should not be provided for by law without a clear understanding that It may be an alternathc Instead of an additional ad-ditional remedy, that Is. that to carrv on the Investigation may serve as a ba"r to the successful prosecution of the oftonses disclosed. The olllcl.il body directed by Congress to make tho Investigation must, of course, carry out Its directions, and thercforo tho direction should not bo given without full appreciation of what It means. Compel Witness to Attend. "But the direction contained in the Joint resolution which I have signed will remain re-main almost Inoperative unless monoy be provided to carry out tho Investigations Investiga-tions In question, nnd unless the commission. com-mission. In carrying tliem out. Is authorized to administer oaths and compel com-pel the attendance of witnesses. As tho resolution now Is. tho commission, whloh Is very busy with its legltlmato work, and which has no extra monoy at Its disposal, dis-posal, would b able to make the Investigation Investi-gation only In the most partial and unsatisfactory manner; and. moreover. It Is questionable whether It could, under this resolution, administer oaths at all or compel thi attendance o"f witnesses. If this power wero disputed by the partlea Investigated, the Investigation would bo hold up for a year or two, until the courts nassed upon It. In which cao. during tho period of waiting, the commission could onlv Investigate to the extent and In the manner already prescribed under its organic law, so that the passage of tho resolution would have achieved no good result whatever. 'I accordingly recommend to Congicsa tbe serious consideration of Just whnt t i-v wish the commission to do, and how for they wish to go. having In view the rwviHiblc Incompatibility of conducting nn invPKtlKatlon llko this, nnd also proccod-Hl' proccod-Hl' criminally In a court of law nnd furthermore, that a sutllclenl sum, say rvifioo bo added to the current approprla-TiA',, approprla-TiA',, for the commission, co as to enablo hen to direct the work In uthor-n.inYi uthor-n.inYi and concise manner; while at ne same time the power ,B : explicitly Vnnferrvd upon them to ndmlnlstor oaths n?l -compel tho attendance of witnesses it, making the Investigation In question, which coverod work quite nparl from tiipir usual duties- I seema unwise to require nn lnvestl-11 lnvestl-11 ion b" a commission nnd then not to SrriHh either the legal power or money, both of which arc necessary to render tho resolutlonfieffecmvoRB R00SBVELT.. ' |