Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1902-12-04

/ government the necessary SUPERVISOR
| cannot be obtained by State action. II
must therefore be achieved by National
action. Our aim Is not TO do away
with corporations; on the contrary.
these big aggregations are an inevitable
development Of the modern industrialism
and the effort to destroy them would be
futile unless accomplished in ways that
world work the utmost mischief To the
entire BODY polite. We can do nothing
Of good in the way of regulating and
supervising these corporations until We
fin clearly in our minds that we are not
attacking the corporations, but endeayor-
ing 70 do away with any evil in them.
We are not hostile to them: we are
merely determined that they shall De so
handled as TO subserve the public good
We draw the line against misconduct,
not against wealth The capitalist who
alone or in conjunction with his fellows
performs some great industrial feat by
which he wins money is weil-doer, not
- wrong-doer. provided only he works
in proper and legitimate lines. we
wish TO favor such man when he does
well We wish to supervise his actions
only 10 prevent him from doing Ill.
Publicity can do no harm to the honest
CORPORATION: and we need not be over
tender about sparing the dishonest cor
poration-
In curbing and regulating the combi-
nations Of capital which are or may be-
come injurious to the public we IN ust
be careful not TO stop the great enter
prises which have legitimately reduced
the cost Of production, not TO abandon
the place which our country has won IN
the leadership of the international IN
dnstrial world, not to strike down
wealth with the result OF closing rae
tories and mines, Of turning the wage
worker idle in the streets and leaving
the farmer without a market Tor what
be grows. Insistence upon the impos-
sible means delay in achieving the pos
sible, exactly as. on the other nand' the
srubl,orn defense alike of what is good
and what Is bad in the existing system
tha resolute effort to obstruct any at
tempt at betterment. betrays biinoness
10 the historic truth that wise evolution
il the sure safeguard against revolutloh-
No more important subject can come
before the Confress than this of the reg
ulation of interstate business IEls
country cannot afford to sit supine on
the plea that under our peculiar system
presence of the new conditions, and I'M
able 10 grapple with them or to cut out
whatever of evil has arisen in connec-
ton with them. The power of the Con
zress TO regulate interstate commerce is
au absolute and unqualified grant. and
without limitations other than those
prescribed by the Constitution. The
Congress has constitutional authority
-. L. al Ia
for executing this power, and | am sat
isfied that this power has not been ex-
hansted by any legislation now on the
statute books. 1t is evident. therefore,
that evils restrictive of commercial free
dom and entailing restraint upon Ma
tional commerce fall within the regula-
tive power of the Congress, and that a
wise and reasonable law would be a
necessary and proper exercise OF Con
gressional authority to the end that
such evils should be eradicated.
/ believe that monopolies. unjust dis
examinations, which prevent or cripple
competition. fraudulent overcapitaliza-
ton and other evils in trust organiZa-
tions and practices. which lnJurlously
affect interstate trade can be prevented
under the ;Jower Of the Congress to
regulate commerce with foreign ma
tons and among the several States
through regulations and requirements
operating directly upon such commerce,
the instrumentalities thereof, and those
engaged therein
/ earnestly recommend this subject TO
the consideration of the Congress with
. view to the passage of a law reasona-
ble in irs provisions and effective in its
operations, upon which the questions
can be finally adjudicated that now
raise doubt as TO the necessity of con
stitutional amendment If II proves
impossible to accomplish the purposes
above set fourth by such law, then,
assuredly, we should not shrink from
amending the Constitution so as To Sc
cure beyond preadventure the power
sought
The Congress has not heretofore made
any appropriation for the better en-
forcement of the anti-trus law a. 1T
now stands Very much has been done
by the Department of Justice in secur-
ing the enforcement Of this law, but
much more could be done if Congress
would make a special appropriation for
this purpose 10 be expended under the
direction Of the Attorney General
One proposition advocated has been
the reduction of the tariff as means OF
reaching the evils of the trusts which
fall within the category / have describ-
ed. Not merely would this be wholly
ineffective. but the diversion of our eff
forts in such direction would mean
the abandonment of all intelligent at
tempt TO do away with these evils.
Many of the largest corporations, many
of those which certainly should be in
cluded in any proper scheme of regula-
ton. would NOT be affected in the slight
est degree by change in the tariff. save
as such change interfered with the gen
eral prosperity of the country. The
only relation of the tariff to big corpor-
ations a. a whole Is that the tariff
makes manufactures profitable, and
the tariff remedy proposed would be in
effect simply to make manufactures un-
profitable To remove the tariff as
punitive measure directed against
trusts would inevitably result in ruin to
the weaker competitors who are strug-
Cling against them. Our aim should
be not by unwise tariff changes TO give
foreign products, the advantage over
domestic products but by proper regula-
ton TO give domestic competition fair
chance: and this end cannot be reached
bv any tariff changes which would af-
feet unfavorably all domestic competi-
tors. good and bad alike. The question
of regulation of the trusts stands apart
from the question Of tariff revision.