Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1902-08-26
THERE ARE EVILS
IN THE TRUSTS.

control of the corporations. They
were easy to control. Now, however,
he exact reverse is the case, and re-
member l say Corporations" | do
not say merely trusts, merely com
blnations of corporations or corpora
tions under certain peculiar condl-
lions. For instance, some time ago
ile attorney general took action
against a certain trust. There has
been considerable discussion as to
whether the trust aimed at would not
seek to get out from under the law by
becoming a single corporation.
Want Laws That Can't be EVaded.
Il want laws to enable us to deal
with it no matter what shape it takes
| want to see the government able to
get at it definitely, so that the action
of the government cannot be evaded
rv any turning, within or without fed
cral or other statutes. At present we
lave really no efficient control over
a big corporation which does business
in more than one state. frequently
che corporation has nothing whatever
to do with the state In which 1t Is in
corporated, except to get incorporated,
and its actions may be taken in en-
tiray different communication.
muAities which may object very much
tc the methods of incorporation in the
state named. l do n1t think you can
get action by any state, action by all
the states, that will give us satisfac'
tory control of the trusts or big cor
Ior htions, and the result is at pres
ED that we have great, powerful,
artificial creation which has no ere
atof to which it is responsible.
"pf cotSse, it is a mere truism that
:het tcorporation is the creature Of the
state; that the state is sovereign.
AT present if we pass laws nobody
can, tell whether they will amount to
anything. Now that has two bad ef.
fscts. In the first place the corpora
on becomes Indifferent to the law.
making body, and in the next place.
gentlemen, the law-making body gets
into that most pernicious custom OF
passing a law, not with reference to
what will be done under it, but with
reference to its effect on the opinions
Of the voters. That is a bad thing
When any body of lawmakers passes
Il law not solely with reference to
whether that law will do good or ILL.,
but with the knowledge that moi
much will come Of it and yet that
perhaps, the people, as a whole, will
likely think it was good, it does not
sLeak well for the lawmakers and
il does not speak very well for the
people either. What hope to see is
power given to the national legisla
ture which shall make the control
real. 1t would be an excellent thing
if we could have all the states act
on somewhat similar lines, so that ii
would be unnecessary for the national
government to act, but all of you know
Lerfectly we'll the states will not act
en- somewhat similar lines.
Likes Massachusetts Laws.
Nothing has been done in the di
rection Of intelligent dealing by the
states as a collective body with these
great corporations. Here in Massa
chusetts you have what | regard as
cn the whole, excellent corporation
laws. l think that most Of our diff
culties-here again remember | am
not promising the millenium-it is
not in my power to promise it-would
Oe in a fair way OF solution if We had
the power to put on the national stat
ute books and did put on them, laws
FOR the nation much like those you
nave, here, on the subject Of corpor
ations in Massachusetts.
$50 you can see, gentlemen, l am
rot advocating anything very revolu
;ionary. am advocating action &c
prevent anything revolutionary. Now
if we car get adequ2te control by the
nation Of these corporations, then W:
can pass legislation which will give
rs the power C regulation and supe:
rici1n over them. = the nation he's