The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-12-06

inevitably endangerS the interests of ALL
The fundamental rule in our national life,
herule which underlies all others, is that
on the whole and in the long run we shall
go up or down together. There are excep-
lions, and in times of prosperity some VIII
prosper far more and in times OF adVersl-
ty some will suffer far more than others;
but, speaking generally, period of good
times means that all share more or less
in them, and in period of hard times all
feel the stress to a greater or less degree.
He points to the fact that in the past
1.-The ignorant or reckless agitator has
been the really effective friend of the
evils which he has been nominally oppos-
ing In dealing with business interests
for the government to undertake by
crude and ill-considered legislation to do
what may turn out to be bad would be
tional disaster that it would be prefer
able to undertake nothing at all. The
men who demand the impossible or the
undesirable serve as the allies of the
forces with which they are nominally at
war, for they hamper those who would
endeavor to find out in rational fashion
what the wrongs really are and to what
extent and in what manner it is prac-
ticable to apply remedies"
Remedies for the Trust Evil.
yet sees many evils for which there should
be remedies provided. OF these evils the
chief is over capitalization, because o.
its many baleful consequences. lie says:
that the great corporations, known as
trusts, are in certain of their features and
tendencies hurtful to the general welfare,
is based upon sincere conviction that COM
bination and concentration should be not
prohibited, but supervised and within
reasonable limits controlled, and in my
As remedy for these evils he says:
1.-The first essential in determining how
to deal with the great industrial COM
binations is knowledge of the facts
Nv In fy,tn Of fho xN,,h1 Ito
the government should have the right to
inspect and examine the workings of
the, great corporations engaged in inter-
state 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 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-
larry i.lS, at reasonable intervals"
THE large corporations, commonly
called trusts, though organized in one
state, always do business in many states,
often doing very little business in the
is utter lack of uniformity in the state
laws about them, and as no state has
any exclusive. interest in or power over
their acts 1t has in practice proved i'm
through state action. Therefore in the
interest of the whole people the nation
should, without interfering with the pow
er of the states in the matter itself, also
assume power of supervision and regula-
ton over all corporations doing an inter-
state business. This is especially true
where the corporation derives a portion
of its wealth from the existence of some
monopolistic element or tendency in it's
business. There would be no hardship in
such supervision. Banks are subject to
as a simple matter of course. Indeed it
is probable that supervision of corpora
lions by the national government need
not go SO far as is now the case with the
supervision exercised over them by so
conservative state as Massachusetts in
order to produce excellent results"
The president believes that it will be
possible to secure the needed remedies
for the trust evil under the constitution
as 1t now exists, but if congress thinks
otherwise he recommends that constitll-
a,onai ameDdment be subm TIED that will
cor fer the DO We, necessary.
In connection with the trusts he rec
ommends legislation creating cabinet of
ncer to be Known IS secretary OF :nm-
with all on ;SIions concern'jg comuerca
l&tCr and the merchant marine
Would Exclude the Chinese.
The message contains strong rcc,m
riendation for tie reenactment at once
of the present Chinese exclusion act. in
which connection he says:
Wages are higher to-day in the Unified
States than ever before in our history
and far higher than in any other coun
try. The standard Of living is also higher
than ever before. Every. effort of ,egis-
lator and administrator should be bent to
secure the permanency of this condition
of things and its improvement wherever
possible. Not only must our labor be
be protected so far as it is possible from
the presence in this country of any Ia
borers 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 a lower level
l regard 1t as necessary, with this end
in view, to reenact Immediately the law
excluding Chinese laborers and to
strengthen 1t wherever necessary in or
der to make its enforcement entirely ef-
fective."
He also recommends such legislation NV
an amendment to the interstate commerce
law, as will protect the labor of one state
from competing with the prison labor of
ment cease being party to this COMPETE
ton by not purchasing goods made either
by convict labor or that in which women
and children are caused to work excessive
In the labor unions of the present he sees
much that is good, in which connection he
says:
Very great good has been and will be
accomplished by associations or unions
of wageworkers when managed with
forethought and when they combine in
sistence 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 associations themselves.
Finally there must also in many cases he
action by the government in order to
safeguard the rights ard interests of ali
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 government 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 carried with advantage to
himself or anyone else, yet that each at
times stumbles or halts that each at