Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-12-06

and with sober self-restraint. Much of the
! legislation directed at the trusts would have
been exceedingly mischievous had i not also
been entirely Ineffective. In dealing with
| business interests, for the government to un-
| dertake by crude and ill-considered legisla
| ton to do what may turn out to be DAD
| would be to incur the risk Of such far-reach
| ing national disaster that II would be prefer
able to undertake nothing at all.
"All this Is true: and yet 1t Is also true
that there are real and grave evils one OF
| Of it's many baleful consequences; and reso-
| lutte and practical effort must be made to
| correct these evils.
Government Supervision.
at IL no limitation upon property rights
| or freedom of contract to require that when
doing business under corporate form. which
frees them from individual responsibility.
and enables them to call into their enterprises
the capital Of the public. they shall DO so 50
the value Of the property In which the CAPT,
tai 10 to DO invested. Corporations engaged
in interstate commerce should be regulated
Ing to the public injury. It should be as
much the aim Of those who seek for social
betterment to rid the business world OF
crimes Of cunning as to rid the entire BODY
lions exist only because they are created
and safeguarded by our institutions and It
is therefore our right and our duty to see
that they work in harmony with these insti-
tutions.
Publicity Remedy for Trusts.
'The nrst essential In determining how to
deal with the great Industrial combinations
is knowledge Of the facts-publcity. In the
interest OF the public. the government should
have tho 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
IN ss%aG si eSSsy Sas besn
obtained, by process Of law. and in the course
Of administration. The hrst requisite is
knowledge. full and complete-knowiedge
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.
information as to their operations should DO
made public regularly at reasonable Intervals;
THE largo 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 no
state has any exclusive interest In or power
over their acts. It 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
matter itself, also assume power OF super
vision and regulation over all corporations
doing an interstate business. This Is espe-
clally true where the corporation derives
portion Of its wealth from the existence or
some monopolistic element or tendency In It's
business. There would be no hardship In
such supervision banks are subject to It, ana
in their case 1t is now accepted as simple
matter OF course. Indeed, II is proDaDle tnat
supervision Of corporations by the National
government need not go so far as Is now tne
case with the supervision exercised over them
by so conservative a state as Massachusetts,
In order to produce excellent results.
81 believe that law can be framed which
will enable the National government 10 exe,
else control along the lines above indicated;
profiting by the experience gained through
the passage and administration OF the Inter
state Commerce Act II. however, the judg-
ment of the Congress is that II lacks the
constitutional power to pass such an act,
then a constitutional amendment should be
submitted to confer the power.
There should be created a Cabinet ofcer,
to be known as Secretary OF Commerce and
Industries, as provided In the bill introduced
at the last session Of the Congress. 1t should
be his province to deal with commerce in It's
broadcast sense including among many other
things whatever concerns labor and all maj
ters affecting the great business corporations
and our merchant marine.
Restriction on Immigration.
with the sole exception OF the farming
interest, one matter is OF such vital mo.
ment to our whole people as the welfare OF
wage worker are well of, 1t is absolutely
certain that all others will be well on, TOO.
1t is therefore a matter for hearty congratu-
lation that on the whole wages are hign"r
In our history, and far higher than In any
other country. The standard OF living Is also
higher than ever before Every e1ort OF leg
isiator and administrator should be bent IL
secure the permanency OF this condition OF
things and its improvement wherever posi-
BILE. Not only must our labor be protected
by the tariff but 1t should also be protected
SO far as 1t is possible from the presence In
this country OF any laborers brought over oy
contract, or OF those who, coming freely,
yet represent standard OF living so de-
the labor market and drag them to lower
level regard 1t necessary, with this
end in view, to re-enact Immediately the law
excluding Chinese laborers and to strength
en- it wherever necessary In order 10 make
its enforcement entirely effective.
80 far as practicable under the conditions
Of government work. provision should De
made to render the enforcement OF the eight
hour law easy and certain. In all indus
tries carried on directly or indirectly for the
United States government women ana emil
dren should be protected from excessive ssn
hours Of labor. from night work, ana from
work under unsantary conditions ,
1.-The most vital problem with which TINS
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-reachng questions
which we group together when we speak OF
labor Very great good has been and VIII
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 duty to the
Nation no less than to the associations them
selves Finally, there must also In many
cases be action by the government In order
to safeguard the rights and interests OF ALL
Under our Constitution there is much more
municipality 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 ana EN-
Gent Immigrant fitted to become an Ameri-
can citizen every immigrant who comes here
to stay who brings here a strong BODY, a
stout heart, good head. and resolute pur-
pose to do his duty well in every way and TO
God fearing members Of the community. But
there should be comprehensive law enact
ed with the object of working threefold I'M
proyement over our present system flrst,
we should aim to exclude absolutely not only
all persons who are known to be believers In
anarchistic principles or members or an
archistic societies. but also all persons VINO
are of low moral tendency or OF unsaVory
reputation This means that we should re-
o,iire a more thorough system Of inspection
abroad and a more rigid system or examina-
ton at our immigration ports the former De-
ing especially necessary.
1.-THE second object OF proper immigra.
ton law ought to be to secure by careful
and not merely perfunctory educational test