Gloucester County Democrat., 1901-12-05

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 as a simple matter of
course. Indeed 1t is probable that super
vision Of corporations by the national gov-
ernment need not go so far as is now the
case with the supervision exercised over
them by so conservative state as Mas
sachusetts in order to produce excellent
results.
Would Frame a Federal Law.
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 1t was accepted as 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-
tion 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
sage and administration of the interstate
commerce act. If, however, the judgment
of the congress is that it lacks the consti-
tutional power to pass such an act, then
q constitutional amendment should be
submitted to confer the power.
There should be created 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 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 inter
estS on a safe basis and making firm our
new position in the international indus
trial world. while scrupulously safeguard
ing the rights of wageworker and capi-
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 wageworker are well off. it is abb
solutey 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 standard
of living so depressed that they can un-
dersell our men in the labor market and
drag them to a 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
enforcement entirely effective.
The national government should demand
the highest quality of service from its
employees and in return 1t should be a
good employer II 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-
vict contract labor in the open labor mar
ket. So far as practicable under the con-
ditions of government work provision
of the eight hour law easy and certain
In all industries carried on directly or in
directly for the United States government
women and children should be protected
from excessive hours of labor. from night
work and from work under unsanitary
conditions The government should pro-
vide in its contracts that all work should
be done under fair conditions and, in
addition to setting high standard should
uphold it by proper inspection. extending
If necessary to the subcontractors. The
government should forbid all night work
for women and children as well as exces-
sive overtime For the District of Column
bia a good factory law should be passed.
and, as a powerful indirect aid to such
laws, provision should be made to turn
the inhabited alleys, the existence of
which is a reproach to our Capital City
into minor streets, where the inhabitants
can live under conditions favorable to
health and morals
American wageworkers work with their
heads as well as their hands. Moreover,
they take a keen pride in what they are
doing, SO that, Independent of the reward,
they wish to turn out perfect job This
is the great secret of our success in con-
petition with the labor of foreign coun-
tries.
Labor.
The most vital problem with which this
country, and for that matter the whole
civilized world, has to deal is the prob
lem which has for one side the betterment
of social conditions, moral and physical,
In large cities and for another side the eff
fort to deal with that tangle of farreach-
ing questions which we group together
when we speak of labor" The chief
factor in the success of each man-wage-
worker, farmer and capitalist alke-must
ever be the sum total of his own individ-
ual qualities and abilities. Second only to
this comes the power of acting in COM
bination or association with others. Very
great good has been and will be accom-
plished by associations or unions of wage
workers when managed with forethought
and when they combine insistence upon
their own rights with law abiding respect
for the rights of others The display of
these qualities in such bodies is a duty
to the nation no less than to the associa-
tions themselves Finally there must also
in many cases be action by the govern
ment in order to safeguard the rights and
interests of all. Under our constitution
there is much more scope for such action
by the state and the municipality than by
the nation. But on points such as those
touched on above the national govern
ment can act.
When all is said and done. the rule of
brotherhood remains as the indispensable
prerequisite to success in the kind of ma
tional life for which we strive. Each man
must work for himself, and unless he SO
works no outside help can avail him. But
each man must remember also that he Is
indeed his brothers keeper, and that while
no man who refuses to walk can be car
ried with advantage to himself or any one
else, yet that each at times stumbles or
halts, that each at times needs to have
the helping hand outstretched to him. To
be permanently effective aid must always
take the form of helping a man to help
himself, and we can all best help our
selves by joining together in the work
that is of common interest to all
Immigration.
Our present immigration laws are un-
satisfactory. We need every honest and
efficient immigrant fitted to become an
American citizen every immigrant who
comes here to stay. who brings here a
strong body, stout heart good head
and resolute purpose to do his duty well
in every way and to bring up his children
as law abiding and God fearing members
of the community. But there should be a
comprehensive law enacted with the OBJ
ject of working threefold improvement
over our present system First we should
aim to exclude absolutely not only all per-
sons who are known to be believers in an
archiStic principles or members of anarch-
istic societies, but also all persons who
are of low moral tendency or of unsa-
worry reputation. This means that we
should require more thorough system of
inspection abroad and more rigid sys-
tenn of examination at our immigration
ports, the former being especially neces-
sary.
The sacond object of a DroDer irnunigra-