Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1898-08-26
SEN DAVIS TEEN # AND NOW

SEN DAVIS THEN AND now. "a
The ochester Post 81 Aug.
1873, contained the following:
B From the Blue Earth City Post::
Some time in May last, having de-
termined to support Hon. G. Is.
Davis for harepublican nomination
for governor, we addressed a letter
to him suggesting that it would
pc rhaps advance his interests if he
would in some way state publicly his
Views as set forth in his lecture on
Modern Feudalism" on questions
uppermost in the public mind. In
reply we.received' the letter published
below, which it will be seen we were
not permitted to publish at the time,
Mr.. Davis having been nominated,
we take the liberty of giving his letter
to the public.
st. Paul, Mimi, Aug. 2, l873.-W.
W. Williams, Esq.-Dear Sir: lam
in receipt OF your esteemed favor OF
May 80. Ny lecture on "Modern
Feudalism' does not profess to
touch the question of remedy. 1t
was written three years ago-before
the question had begun to receive
any political agitation, and was de-
signed to call attention to the tend
ency of the modern corporation to
subordinate the government itself
to the function OF the private mon
opoly.
Many predictions made in that
lecture seemed audacious when they
were written, but events have moved
SO rapidly that within three years
years the things which to predict
seemed venturesome have become
the stalest kind of history.
lam satisfied that the great polit-
ical struggle of twenty years 70 come
will be fought on the question OF cor
porations. The Dartmouth college
case, which was decided by the SUI.
preme court of the United States
years before a single rail was laid in
this country, is the really great
difficulty in the way of legislative
regulation of corporations. That
decision, however, merely affected a
private corporation. 1t does not
profess to touch those bodies which,
like railroads, are public in their ma
ture, and to which certain elements
of sovereignty (such as the power to
condemn property are delegated
Whether the courts will draw the
distinction is yet to be seen. My
own idea is that the state cannot
contract away single attribute OF
sovereignty, and that when the pub.
lie nature of theseinstitutions is con-
coded, the right to control them fol-
lows logically.
Dc not think congress has any
power which will effectually remedy
the evils. The power to regulate
commerce between the different
states unquestionably gives that
body the right to regulate through
freights, but it has no existence in
regard to freights say between Man.
kato and Winona.
In regard to the power of the state,
the converse OF the above paragraph
is true. That is, while the state may
possibly regulate from Mankato to
Winona, it has no power to do so
from Winona to Lacrosse.
My own idea OF the practical solu-
ton OF this question is almost as
universal as was the idea of eman-
cipation. 1t is that the federal gov
eminent should, under the power of
eminent domain, condemn at least
two through lines from the seaboard
to the West, keep them in repair just
as the state keeps it's wagon roads
up, and suffer every one who has
locomotive or car to run over them
under such regulations only as will
insure safety.
Before this can be done there will
be struggle to which that regard
ing slavery in the territories was
mere baby play. It may be that
the railroad men will be wiser than
the slave holders-their prototypes
and when they know what is CON-
ing will make satisfactory conces-
sions. \ n n Yours, C. K. DAVIS,