Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1901-12-05

nave the right TO inspect and examine the
in interstate business. Publicity is the only
sure remedy which we can now invoke What
further remedies are needed in the way Of
governmental regulation, or taxation, can
only be determined after publicity has been
obtained, by process OF law. and in the course
knowledge, full and complete-knowledge
which may be made public to the world.
Artificial bodies, such as corporations and
Joint stock or other associations, depending
upon any statutory law for their existence or
privileges, should be subject to proper gov
ornamental supervision. and full and accurate
information as to their operations should be
made public regularly at reasonable intervals.
The large corporations, commonly called
trusts, though organized in one state, always
do business in many states, often doing very
little business in the state where they are
Incorporated. There is utter lack OF Uniform
ity in the state laws about them. and as
state has any exclusive interest in or power
over their acts. il has in practice proved i'm
possible to get ADEQUATE regulation through
state action. Therefore, in the interest OF the
whole people. the Nation should, without in
terfering with the power of the states in the
VISION and regulation over all corporations
doing an interstate business This is espe-
cially true where the corporation derives
portion OF its wealth from the existence OF
some monopolstic element tendency in its
business There would be no hardship in
such supervision banks are subject to it. and
in their case it is now accepted a simple
matter OF course. Indeed II is probable that
supervision Of corporations by the National
ueeQ not go SO Tar as Is now the
case with the supervision exercised over them
by SO conservative a state Massachusetts,,
in order to produce excellent results.
believe that law can be framed which
will enable the National government to exer-
else control along the lines above indicated:
prohting by the experience gained through
state-Commerce Act. II, however. the judg
ment of the Congress is that II lacks the
fSen Power to pass such an ae
submitted TO confer the power
There should be created Cabinet officer.
to be known as Secretary of Commerce and
Industries, provided in the bill introduced
at the last session of the Congress 1t should
be his province to deal with commerce in its
things whatever concerns labor and all mat
tiers affecting the great business corporations
and our merchant marine.
Restriction on Immigration.
with the sole exception of the farming
interest, no one matter is of such vital mo-
ment to our whole people as the welfare Of
the wage-workers. II the farmer and the
wage worker are well off, it is absolutely
certain that all others will be well of, too.
1t is therefore a matter for hearty congratu-
lation that on the whole wages are higher
to-day in the United States than ever before
in our history. and far higher than in any
other country. The standard of living is also
higher than ever before. Every effort of leg
islator and administrator should be bent 20
things and its improvement wherever posi-
Bile. Not only must our labor be protected
by the tarlu, Dut II SnOulQ also be protected
so far as it is possible from the presence in
this country Of any laborers brought over by
contract, or of those who. coming freely,
yet represent standard of living de-
pressed that they can underseIl our men in
the labor market and drag them to lower
level. regard it as necessary, with this
end in view, to re-enact Immediately the law
excluding Chinese laborers and to strength
en- it wherever necessary in order to make
its enforcement entirely effective.
so far as practica BILE under the conditions
of government work, provision should be
made to render the enforcement of the eight
hour law easy and certain. In all indus
United States government women and chill
dren should be protected from excessive
hours of labor, from night work, and from
work under unsanitary conditions.
THE most vital problem with which this
country, and for that matter the whole civ
which has for one side the betterment of So
cial conditions, moral and physical, in large
cities, and for another side the effort to deal
with the tangle of far-reaching questions
which we group together when we speak of
labor Very great good has been and will
be accomplished by associations or unions Of
wage-workers, when managed with fore
thought, and when they combine insistence
upon their own rights with law-abiding re-
spect for the rights of others. The display of
these qualities in such bodies is a duty to the
Nation less than to the associations them
selves. Finally, there must also in many
to safeguard the rights and interests of all.
Under our Constitution there is much more
scope for such action by the state and the
than by the Nation. But on
points such as those touched on above the
National government can act;
"Our present immigration laws are unsa,
isfactory. We need every honest and eff
C ent immigrant fitted TO become an Ameri
can citizen. every imni grant who comes here
stout heart good head, and resolute pur-
pose to do his duty well in every way and 10
bring up his children as law-abiding and
members of the community. But
there should be comprehensive law enact
ed with the object Of working a threefold i'm
provement over our present system. First.
we should aim to exclude absolutely not only
all persons who are known to be believers in
anarchistic principles or members of an
archistic societies. but also all persons who
are of a low moral tendency or of unsavory
This means that We should re-
quire a more thorough system OF inspection
abroad and a more rigid system of examina-
ton at our immigration ports the former be-
ing especially necessary:
1.-The second object of a proper immigra-
ton law ought to be to secure by a careful
and not merely perfunctory educational test
some intelligent capacity to appreciate Amer
can citizens. This would not keep out all
anarchists, for many of them belong to the
intelligent criminal class. But it would do
W.. t is also in point, that is, tend to de-
crease the sum of ignorance, potent in
the envy, suspicion. malignant
passion. and hatred of order, out of which
Finally. all persons should be excluded who
are below a certain standard of economic fit
ness to enter cur industrial Held COM
petitors with American labor. There should
be proper proof of personal capacity to earn
an American living and enough money to in
sure a decent start under American condi
tons. This would stop the influx OF cheap
labor, and the resulting competition which
gives rise to so much of bitterness in Ameri-
can Industrial life; and it would dry up the
springs of the pestilential social conditions
in our great cities, where anarchistic organ
zations have their greatest possibility of
growth.
Question of Reciprocity.
There is general acQuiesence In our pres
emit tariff system as a national policy. The
first requisite to our prosperity is the con-
tinuity and stability of this economic policy
turb the business interests of the country by
any general tariff change at this time. Doubt
uncertainty are exactly what
we wish to avoid in the interest of our COM
mercial and material well-being. Our expert
ence in the past has shown that sweeping
revisions of the tariff are apt to produce
business world. Yet it is not only possible
but emnently desirable, to combine with the
nentary system of reciprocal benefit and obi
cation with other nations. Such reciprocity
Is an incident and result of the firm estab-
ishment and preservation of our present
policy. 1t was specially provided
for in the present tariff law.
Our first duty is to see that the protection
granted by the tariff in every case where il
IS needed is maintained. and that reciprocity
be sought for SO far as it can safely be done
how far this is must be determined accord
ing to the individual case, remembering al
ways that every application Of our tariff pol
icy to meet our shifting national needs must
be conditioned upon the cardinal fact that the
duties must never be reduced below the point
that will cover the difference between the
labor cost here and abroad. The well-being
Of the wage-worker is a prime consideration
Of our entire policy of economic legislation.
Subject to this proviso of the proper pro-
lection necessary to our industrial well-being
At home, the principle OF reciprocity must
our hearty support The pheno-
nenal growth of our export trade emphasizes
the urgency of the need for wider markets
and for a liberal policy in dealing with for
eign nations. Whatever is merely petty and
vexatious in the way of trade restrictions
should be avoided The customers to whom
we dispose of our surplus products in the
long run, directly or indirectly, purchase
those surplus products by giving US some
thing in return. Their ability to purchase
our products should as far as possible be
secured by so arranging our tariff as to en-
able us to take from them those products
which can without harm to our own