Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1902-09-06

trite even to state 1t, and yet If we are to
judge from some of the arguments advanced
against, and attacks made upon wealth as
such, 1t Is fact worth keeping In mind.
Proper Use of Wealth.
A great fortune, If not used Alright, makes
It's posseSsor In q peculiar sense q men
ace to the community as q whole, just as a
great intellect does II it is not accompanied
BY developed conscience by character; But But
condemning wealth than 1t does for con-
demning intellect. Every man Of power,
by the very fact Of that power, is capable
can not afford to discourage the develop
ment Of such men merely because 1t is
possible they may use their power to wrong
ends. If we did we should leave our
history a blank, for we should have no
great statesmen, soldiers or merchants, no
great men of arts, orators or of science.
Doubtless, on the average, the most useful
to his fellow citizens is apt to be he
whom 1t has been given what the psalmlst
prayed for, neither poverty nor riches, but
the great captain of industry, the man OF
wealth, who alone or In combination with
his fellows drives through our great bus
mess enterprises is factor without which
this country could not possibly maintain
it's present industrial position in the world.
Good, not harm, normally comes from the
piling up of wealth through business enter
prises. Probably the most serious harm
resulting TO us, the people VI uOuSIdlS
means, Is when we harm ourselves by let
ting the dark and evil vices of envy and
hatred towards our fellows eat into our
natures.
Control of the Trusts.
Still there is other harm Of a more evil
dent kind, and such harm 1t Is our clear
duty to try to eradicate if possible, and,
in any event, to minimize. The corpora
lions, and therefore those great corpora
tons containing some tendency to monop.
1ly 1f1h RI
rather loosely as trusts, are the creatures OF
the State, and the State not only has the
right to control them but is In duty bound
to control them whenever the need for such
control is shown. There is clearly a need
of supervision-need to exercise the power
of regulation on the part of the representa-
tives Of the public wherever, as In our
country at the present time, business cor
pOratiOns become so very strong both for
benefcent work and for work that Is not
always benefcent. It Is idle to say that
sufficient warrant for it is to be found
over and over again in any Of the various
evils resulting from the present system, or,
rather lack of system.
fculty In the way of exercising such super
vision and control because OF the pecu-
liar division Of governmental power. When
the industrial conditions were simple very
little control was needed, and no trouble
was caused by the doubt as to where power
was lodged under the Constitution. Now
find it difficult to frame national legisla-
ton which shall be adequate; while, as a
matter of practical experience, State action
has proved entirely insufficient, and In all
human probability can not or Will not be
made sufficient to meet the needs of the
case. Some of our States have excellent
Iaws-laws which it would be we'll, indeed,
to have enacted by the national legislature.
But the wide differences in these laws,
even between adjacent States, and the uncer-
tainty Of the power OF enforcement, result
practically in altogether insufficient con-
troll. l believe that the Nation must as
sumo this power of control by legislation,
and if it becomes evident that the the Gonst1
tuition will not permit needea giSia'ion'
Duty of the Government.
The immediate need in dealing with trusts
Is to place them under the real, not nom
inal control of some sovereign to when,
as its creature, the trusts shall owe allie
glance, and in whose courts the sovereign
orders may with certainty be enforced
This is not the case with the ordinary So
called trust to-day, for the trust IS
large State corporation, generally doing
business In other States also, ana often Win
an artificial creature, not wholly respon-
sible to or controllable by any legislature,
nor wholly subject to the jurisdiction OF
any one court. Some governmental sover-
eign must be given full power over these
artificial and very powerful corporation be
ings. In my Judgment TINS sovereign mus n
be the National Government. Nnen II mas
been given full power, then this full power
can be used to control any evil influence
exactly as the government Is now using the
power conferred upon it under the sherman
antitrust law. -,
conferred, it would be highly undesirable
to attempt too much or to begln oy sIrl1-
gent legislation. The mechanism OF mo on,
ern business is as delicate and complicated
as it is vast, and nothing could be more
productive of evil to all of u.s., and espe-
cialIy to those least we'll Off In this Worla
goods, than ignorant modelling with TINS
mechanism, and, above all, IT the meddIlng
was done in spirit of class or sectlonal
rancor. 1t is desirable that this power
should be possessed by the Nation, but 1t IS
also quite as desirable that the power
should be exercised with moderation and
Tha frst exercise of that power should
he the securing of publicity among all
great corporations doing an Interstate bus
iness. The publicity, though non-inquisii,,
torial, should be real and thorough as TO an
has concern The full light of day Is
great discourager of evil. Such publicity
would, by itself, tend to correct the evils
the alleged evils are imaginary 1t would
tend to show that such was the case. When
publicity is attained it would then be pos
sible to see what further snouiu De oohe
in the way of regulation.
Above all, it behooves us to rememDer
that not only ought we to try to DO what
we can but that our success IN DONG IL
depends very much upon our neither at
tempting nor expecting the impossible Dis
trust the man who offers patent cure
o1I for the evils of the body polite, just as
Won would distrust him who tries TO sell
Won n medicine to cure all the diseases OF
YOUR corporal bodies.
Monkind has moved slowly upward
through the ages. sometimes a little faster,
sometimes q little slower, but rarely IN
decd nv leaps and bounds. At times great
crisis comes in which great people, per
chance led by a great man, can at Wnlte
haef strike some mighty blow for the right
make some long stride in advance along
the path of orderly liberty and justice But
normally we must be content II each OF
M can do something-by no means all that
we wish, but still something-for the ad-
yancement of those principles OF righteous
ness which.u nderlies all real national great
| ness. all real civilization.
Laws Will Be Enforced.
sec no promise of a complete solution
| for all the problems we group together When
| we speak of the trust question. but we
| can make beginning in solving these prop
| lens, and q good beginning If only we ap.
preach the subject with sufhciency OF