The age-herald., 1901-12-04

things be done. It is based upon sincere | conviction that combination and concen- tration should be, not prohibited, but su- pervised and within reasonable limits controlled, and in my Judgment this con viction is right.
 It is no limitation upon property rights or freedom of contract to ssquire that when men receive from government the privilege of doing business under corpo- rate form. which frees them from indi- | vidual responsibility and enables them to call into their enterprises the capital of the public, they shall do so upon abso- lutely truthful representations as to the value of the property in which the capital | is to be invested. Corporations engaged | in interstate commerce should be regu- lated If they are found to exercise a H. | cense working to the public injury It | should be as much the aim of those who l seek for social betterment to rid the busi- ness world of crimes of cunning as to rid the entire body polite of scrimes of violence. Great corporations exist only | because they are created and safeguarded l by our institutions. and 1t is therefore our right and our duty to see that they | work in harmony with these institutions
 The first essential in determining how to deal with the great industrial combi- nations is knowledge of the facts publicity. In the interest of the public l the government should have the right to inspect and examine the workings of the great corporations engaged in interstate business. Publicity is the only sure rem | edy which we can now invoke. What fur ther 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 fin the course of administration. The first requisite Is knowledge, full and complete knowledge 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 as to their operations should be made public regu- larly 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 an ex- elusive interest in or power over their acts, it has in practice proved impossible | to get adequate legislation through state | action. Therefore, in the interest of the whole people, the nation should, without interfering with the power of the states in the matter itself, also assume power of l porations doing an interstate business. | This is especially true where the corpora | tion derives a portion of its wealth from the existence of some monopolistic ele- ment or tendency in its business There would be no hardship in such super vision. Banks are subject to 1t. and in | their case 1t is now accepted as a simple matter of course. Indeed 1t Is probable that supervision of corporations by the national government need not go so far as is now the case with the supervision exercised over them by so conservative a state as Massachusetts in order to pro- l duce excellent results.
 1 When the constitution was adopted, at | the end of the eighteenth century, no hu- man wisdom could foretell the sweeping l 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 a matter | of course that the several states were the proper authorities to regulate, so far as was then necessary, the comparatively insignificant and strictly localized corpo- rate bodies of the day. The conditions | are now wholly different, and wholly diff ferent action is called for believe that a law can be framed which will enable the national government to exercise con- trol along the lines above indicated, prof iting by the experience gained through the passage and administration of the interstate commerce act. If, however, the judgment of the Congress is that 1t lacks the constitutional power to pass such an act then constitutional amendment should be submitted to confer the power.
 A New Department.
 There should be created a cabinet off, cer, to be known as Secretary of Com merce and Industries, as provided in the bill introduced at the last session of the Congress. It should be his province to deal with commerce in its 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 comprehensive and far reaching scheme of constructive states manship for the purpose Of broadening our markets securing our business int er- ests on safe basis and making firm our new position in the international indus trial world while scrupuously safeguard ing the rights of wage earner and capi- talist, of investor and private citizen. so as to secure equality as between man and man in this republic.
 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 wage earners. If the farmer and the wage earner are we'll off it Is ab- solutely certain that all others will be well off. too, It is therefore a 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 legis- lator and administrator should be bent to secure the permanency of this condi- tion of things and its improvement wher- ever possible, Not only must our labor be protected by the tariff. but it should also be protected, as 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 undersell 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 ex- cluding Chinese laborers and to strength en 1t wherever necessary in order to make its enforcement entirely effective
 The national government should de- mand the highest quality of service from its employees, and in return it should be a 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- vtct contract labor in the open labor market. So far as practicable under the | conditions of government work, provision should be made to render the enforce ment of the eight-hour law easy and cer- tain. In all industries carried on directly or indirectly for the United States gov ernment women and children should be