The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1901-12-06

dcrtakc by crude and ill-consIdered lcglsla-
ton TO do what may turn out to be bad,
would be to incur the risk Of such far-roach-
| ing national disaster that II would be prefer
| able 10 undertake nothing at all.
| IAN this il true; and yet II is also true
! that there are real and grave evils, one OF
! the chief being over capitalization because
! of It's many baloful consequences; and reso-
! lutte and practical effort must be made to
| correct these evils.
Government Supervision.
at is no limitation upon property rights
! or freedom OF contract to REQUIRE that when
men receive from government the privilege OF
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
upon absolutely truthful representations as TO
the value of the property In which the capt.
tai is to be invested. Corporations engaged
in interstate commerce should be regulated
II they are found to exercise II license work
ing to the public injury. IL should be MS
much the aim OF those who seek for social
betterment to rid the business world Of
crimes OF cunning MS to rid the entire body
polite OF crimes of violence. Great corpora
lions exist only because they are created
and safeguarded by our institutions and It
is therefore our right SD our duty to see
that they work in harmony with these insti-
tutons
Publicity Remedy for Trusts.
The first essential in determining how 10
deal with the great industrial combinations
is knowledge of the facts-publicity. In the
interest of the public. 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 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
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, 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 dong 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
tcrferng 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- |
cially true where the corporation derives a
portion Of its wealth from the existence OF
some monopolstic element or tendency IN It's
business. There would be no hardship III
such supervision banks are subject to it, and
in their case it is now accepted as simple
matter of course. Indeed, il is probable that
supervision OF corporations by the National
government need not go so far as is now the
rase 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 Whlch
will enable the National government TO exer-
Use control along the lines above Indicated
lrofting by the experience gained through
he passage and administration of the Inter
state Commerce Act. IT, however, the 1uds-
nent of the Congress is that 1t lacks the
constitutional power TO pass such an act
hen n constitutional amendment should DO
submitted to confer the power
There should be created Cabinet ofncer;
o be known as Secretary OF Commerce and
It the last session of the Congress. IL should
,e his province to deal with commerce IN It's
,roadest sense including among many other
hings whatever concerns labor and all maj
crs affecting the great business corporations
nd our merchant marine.
y.u,o.,o 81, rn,m;cr,tion.
- 49, ,,,,,,,,.
with the sole exception OF the farming
interest, no one matter is OF such vital mo.
nent to our whole people as the welfare Oh
he wage workers. II the farmer ana the
wage worker are well on, 1t Is aosoiuteiy
ertan that all others VIII be well on ZOO
t is therefore a matter for hearty congratu-
alton that on the whole wages are hlgh"r
o day in the United States than ever Detore
n our history, and far higher than in any
ther country. The standard OF living IS also
gher than ever before. Every effort or leg
slator and administrator should be Dent 10
ecure the permanency or TINS conditioh OF
hings and its improvement wherever posi-
lie. Not only must our labor be protected
y the tariff, but it should also be protected
o far as 1t is possible from the presence IN
his country of any laborers brought over by
ontract. or of those who, coming freely,
ct represent Il standard of living so de
ressed that they can undersell our men Ill
he labor market and drag them to a lower | I
avel. / regard il as necessary, with thls
nd in view. to re-enact Immediately the law
xcuding Chinese laborers and to strength
II it wherever necessary in order TO make
IS enforcement entirely effective.
80 far as practicable under the conditions
government work, provision should be
lade to render the enforcement of the eight
our law easy and certain. In all lndus-
ries carried on directly or indirectly for the
'nited States government women and chill
rem should be protected from excessive
ours of labor from night work, and from
FORK under unsanitary conditions
THE most vital problem with which this
ountry and for that matter the whole civ
lied world has to deal, is the problem ,
which has for one side the betterment OF So
ial conditions, moral and physical in large
tiles and for another side the effort to deal
nth the tangle of far-reaching questions
,hich we group together when we speak of
labor Very great good has been and will
@ accomplished by associations or unions OF
rage workers when managed with fore
bought and when they combine insistence
non their own rights with law abiding re
pect for the rights of others. The display of
hese qualities in such bodies is a duty to the
;ation no less than to the associations them