The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-04

only be determined after publicity has
been obtained by process of law ana IN
the course of administration The first
requisite is knowledge, full and complete
knowledge which may be made pubic
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 call
ed trusts, though organized in one state,
always 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
exclusive 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
interfering with the power of the state
in the matter itself. also assume power of
supervision and regulation over all cor
perations doing an interstate business.
This is especially true where the corpora
ton derives portion of Its wealth.
from the existence of some monopolistic
element or tendency ia 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 mat
supervision of corpora tons by the nation
al government need not go SO far as is
now the case with the supervision eXer-
cised over them by so conservative a
state as Massa chusetts in order to pro-
duce 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 cen
| fury. At that time it was accepted as
| matter of course that the several states
were the proper authorities to regulate
| so far as was then necessary the COM
| parative insignificant and strictly local
] lied corporate bodies of the day. The
| conditions are now wholly different and
| wholly different action is called for.
| believe that law can be framed which
will enable the national government to
exercise control along the lines above
| indicated. profiting by the experience
| gained through the passage and admins
| tration of the interstate commerce act.
! If, however, the judgment of the con-
| greSs is that it lacks the constitutional
| power to pass such an act, then con-
/ stitutional amendment should be submit
! ted to confer the power.
t 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 broadcast 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 q 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 wage workers and capt.
talists, 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 vita
moment to our whole people as the wei
fare of the wageworkers If the farmer
and the wageworker are we'll off it is alb
4 solutelv certain that all others will be
well off too. It is therefore a matter fol
| 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 thar
] 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
| possible. Not only must our labor be
| pIOlSclSQ ny the OUT 1t 4SnOulQ also
be protected so far as it is possible from
! the presence IN this country of any labor
erS brought over by contract or of those
who. coming freely. yet represent 8
/ standard of living SO depressed that they
can undersell cur men in the labor mar
| ket and drag them to q lower level. re-
gard 1t as necessary, with this end in
| view, to re-enact Immediately the law eX-
! Guiding Chinese la,borers and to strength.
! en- it wherever necessary in order to make
it's enforcement entirely effective.
LABOR.
The most vital problem with which tfi
! country, and for that matter the whole
| civilized world, has to deal IS the prob
lem which has for one side the bettermen
of social conditions, neral and physical
in large cities and for another side the eff
fort to deal with that tangle of far
reaching questions which we group to
| Sether when we speak of labor Th
chief factor in the success of each man
wageworker, farmer and capitalist alike
| must ever be the sum total of his owl
individual qualities and abilities. Secont
| only to this comes the power of actins
in combination or association with others
accomplished by associations OR union
of wageworl1ers when managed wifi
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 sue
bodies is duty to the nation no les
than to the associations themselves Fl
nally there must also in many cases b
action by the government in order l.
| safeguard the rights and interests of all
Under our constitution there is mucl
more scope for such action by the stat
and the municipality than by the nation
But on points such as those touched OF
above the national government can act.
TNfMIGRATIoN.
Our present immigration laws are I'M
satisfactory. We need every honest ant
efficient immigrant fitted 10 become al
american c1tizen5 every immigrant wht
comes mere to stay, who brings here
strong body. stout heart, good heas
and resoiute purpose to do his dut,
wei IN every way and to bring UP hi
children as law abiding and God fearin.
members of the community. But Their
| should be comprehensive law enacted
with the object Of working threefolt
Improvement over our present system
First We should aim to exclude abso
lutely not only all persons who ar
known to be believers in anarchist
principles or members of anarchist
societies, but also all persons who are o
low moral tendency or of unsavory rep
utation. This means that we should re
quire more thorough system of in
spection abroad and a more rigid system
OF examination at our immigration ports
the former being especially necessary
The second object of proper immigra
ton law ought to be to secure by
careful and not merely perfunctory edu
CdIoildl test some intelligent scapacit'
to appreciate American institutions am
act sanely as American citizens. Thi
, would not keep out all anarchists fo
many of them belong to the inteIligen
criminal class, but it would do what i
also In point-that is, tend to deereas
the sum or ignorance so potent in pro
ducing the envy, suspicion, maIignan
PASSION and hatred Of order out of Whic
anarchistic sentiment Inevitably springs
Finally all persons should be EXCLUDES
, VINO are below certain standard q
economic fitness to enter our industria
! field as competitors with America,
labor
Both the educational and economi
, tests IN wise immigration law shout
. be designed to protect and elevate tn
general body Dolitic ana social "A - -