Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-12-05

| upon sincere conviction that combination
and concentration should be not prohibit
| ed, but supervised and within reasonable
1 limits controlled. and in my Judgment this
'conviction is right.
! 1t is no limitation upon property rights
! or freedom of contract to require that
/ when men receive from government the
| privilege of doing business under corpo-
rate form which frees them from individ-
ual responsibility and enables them to call
/ into their enterprises the capital of the
public they shall do SO upon absolutely
1 truthful representations as to the value OF
! the property in which the capital is to be
| invested. Corporations engaged in inter
! state commerce should be regulated if
they are found to exercise a license work
| ing to the public injury. 1t 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 polite of crimes of violence. Great
| corporations exist only because they are
created and safeguarded by our institu-
! tons, and it is therefore our right and
our duty TO see that they work in hurmo-
| ny with these Institutions
Publicity Needed.
The first essential in determining how to
| deal with the great Industrial combina-
tons is knowledge of the facts-publicity.
| In the interest of the public the govern
ment should have the right to inspect and
! examine the workings of the great corpo-
rations engaged in interstate business.
| Publicity is the only sure remedy which
| we can now invoke What further rene
dies are needed in the way Of govern
mental regulation or taxation can only be
| determined after publicity has been OBJ
| tanned by process of law and in the course
| of administration. The first requisite is
| knowledge full and complete-knowledg
which may be made public to the world.
| Artificial bodies, such as corporations
and joint stock or other associations de-
/ pending upon any statutory law for their
existence or privileges, should be subject
| to proper governmental supervision, and
| full and accurate information TO their
operations should be made public regular,
1 ly at reasonable intervals.
! The large corporations, commonly called
/ trusts, though organized in one state al
| ways do business in many states, often
| doing very little business in the state
! where they are incorporated. There is
utter lack of uniformity in the state laws
| about them. and as no state has any ex-
| elusive interest in or power over their
| acts it has in practice proved impossible
! to get adequate regulation through state
action. Therefore in the interest of the
| whole people the nation should, without
I interfering with the power of the states
! in the matter itself, also assume power of
| supervision and regulation over all corpo-
! rations doing an interstate business. This
| is especially true where the corporation
derives a portion of its wealth from the
existence of some monopolistic element or
4 tendency in it's business There would be
no hardship in such supervision. Banks
are subject to it, and in their case it is
now accepted as simple matter Of
course. Indeed it is probable that super
vision of corporations by the national gov
eminent need no 80 so far as is now the
case with the supervision exercised over
them by SO conservative a state as Mas
sachusetts in order to produce excellent
results.
Would Frame a Federal Inv.
When the constitution was adopted. at
the end of the eighteenth century, no hui
man wisdom could foretell the sweeping
changes, alike in industrial and political
conditions, which were to take place by
the beginning of the twentieth century.
At that time it was accepted as u matter
of course that the several states were the
proper authorities to regulate so far as
was then necessary the comparatively in
significant and strictly localized corporate
bodies of the day. The conditions are now
wholly different, and wholly different ac-
ton is called for. / believe that a law
can be framed which will enable the ma
tional government to exercise control
along the lines above indicated, profiting
by the experience gained through the pas
commerce act. II, however, the Judgment
of the congress is that it lacks the consti-
tutional power to pass such an act, then
constitutional amendment should be
submitted to confer the power.
There should be created a cabinet Off
Ger, to be known as secretary of com
merce 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 broadest sense,
including, among many other things,
whatever concerns labor, and all matters
affecting the great business corporations
and our merchant marine.
The course proposed is one phase OF
what should be a comprehensive and far
reaching scheme of constructive states
manship for the purpose of broadening
our markets. securing our business inter
ests on safe basis and making firm our
new position in the international indus
trial world. while scrupulously safeguard
ing the rights of wageworker and capt.
talist, of investor and private citizen, so
as to secure equity as between man and
man in this republic.
Chinese Exclusion.
With the sole exception of the farming
interest. no one matter is of such vital
moment to our whole people as the well
fare of the wageworkers. If the farmer
and the wageworller are well off, it is abb
solutely certain that all others will be
well off too. 1t is therefore matter for
hearty congratulation that on the whole
| wages are higher today 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 legislator
and administrator should be bent to Sc
cure the permanency of this condition Of
things and its improvement wherever pos
sible. Not only must our labor be protect
ed by the tariff but it should also be pro-
tected 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 a standard
of living so depressed that they can un-
dersell our men in the labor market and
drag them to lower level. regard 1t as
necessary, with this end in view, to re-
enact Immediately the law excluding Chi
nese laborerS and to strengthen it
wherever necessary in order to make it's
I enforcement entirely effective.
The national government should demand
the highest quality of service from its
| employees a~d in return it should be
good employer. If possible, legislation
should be passed in connection with the
| interstate commerce law which will rem
der effective the efforts of different states
to do away with the competition of con-
! Wet contract labor in the open labor mar