, 1874-02-05
oaae would nuthorize tho Legislature to fix

cha6 HDulu huLuOTlZo TUG AoB1aiRtur0 TO u4
maximum rate Of w.gea for steol.hoatera,
though It could not compel thorn to work ut all
ii thoy did not want to. Tloro are very few
cnployments which aro not called monopolies
by somebody fret or last, and, whom
tho definition Of a monopoly becomes
lodged in tho General Assembly, md hcnoo in
tic CAUCUS, with tho consequent power to limit
It's rato Of compensation, all priyato rights will
bo at tho moroy Of oaprioiouB and ovor-ohang-
ing majority.
Tho oxlesonco Of this power to regulate tho
compongation Of individuals ia supposed to find
ite analogy In tho naury laws,- laws regulating
tho ratio Of interest. "Tho uao Of money!" eays
Judge Drooso. "iB nattor Of the greatoat pub
lio oonoorn, aud TINT 1t may bo> regulated by law
has novor boon authorltatlyoly loniod." This
means, of courao, tho londing Of money. Tho
"uao " Of money has mover boon regulated by
law, and That is tho reason why those relics Of
superstition and barbarism, the usury laws, lavo
novor been productive Of any othor harm than
that of preventing moody borrowers from got~
ting money at MI in times whom 1t is worth moro
than tho legal rato. A man who has money
can uso 1t In thousand ways beside
lending It. When 1t Is ,oo,th moro than tho
legal rato ho wilt always find way to get more.
The Legislature can undoubtedly paHB d law, as
Judge BreoBo Says, fixing the rato Of interest at4
per cont, but It cAnnot enable anybody to borrow
ut TINT ratio. An argument baBod upon those
old and exploded relics Of tho Levitical Law,
Which. although oxisting on our etatuto.book,
aro OF no avail to anybody when money ID worth
moro ll,an 10 por cont-of no avail except when
they aro not ncodod-is rather far-fotohod.
Tho trouble with the warehouses. and tho
warehouse busineas, Ia not found In the rates
charged for storage, but in tho methods Of
handling grim. Tho prices charged by the ware-
housemen aro not essentially different from
those fixed by tho 1aw. They cannot charge
more, bccaueo tho competition Of rival
cities will not permit But they can,
under present conditions, perpetrate frauds Like
those exposed in tho recent invoBtigation made
by tic Board of Trade, It is entirely competent
for tho Legislature to romedy theso abuses.
Nor will any legislation on the subject Of maxi
mum charges, howeyor strictly enforced, anvil
to protect tho producers and shippers Of grain
until tho door Ia shut against those abusos. We
havo noycr boon able to 500 tho wisdom Of that
part of tho Warehouse law which requires ware
housemon to take out license. ALL tho OBJ
jects sought to DO accomplished by the license
can be accomplished as well without it, while
tho requirement itself Is cloar invasion Of pri-
yatc rights. It creatos unusual pcnalties, and
unusual modes Of enforcing them. Any man,
however honest and howovor reasonable in his
charges, would be bound to resist it to the
extent of Ills ability; and thua tho real
point in tho controversy becomes OBJ
acurcd, tho warohousomen aud the public
arc sot by tho ca,s on an abstraction, and tho
battlo is fought On side-issuo. Who cares
whether Mum d Scott tako out d license or not,
provided they do1iyer the Rame amount and
quality Of grain Tint they rcceive, and provided
their receipts are duly registered and Cancelled
Thnk IN nil t11ere In of It.