The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-08-23
DANGER OF MONEY AND POWER

A great fortune II not used Alright.
makes Its possessor In a peculiar sense
a menace 20 the community as whole.
Just as a great intellect does II II is un-
accompanied by developed conscience, by
character. But obviously this no moro
affords grounds for conforming wealth
than II does for oondemning intellect.
Every man OF power by the very fact
of that power is capable of doing damage
to his neighbors. but we cannot AFFORD to
discourage the development OF such men
merely because II In possible they may
use their power TO wrong ends. IL We
did 90 wo should leave our history a
blank, for we should have no great states
men, soldiers or merchants; no great men
of arts, Of letters or Of science.
fai man TO his Fellow Citizens Is apt to
he e whom has been gwen wnat nos os
| fiohes but the great captain OF industry.
the man OF wealth: who alone or !p com
our great business enterprises. Is a factor
without which this country could not pos
normally comes from the pinng up OF
wealth through business enterprises.
VICES OF ENVY AND HATRED.
Probably the most serious harm result
ing to u.s. the people OF moderate means.
Is when we harm ourselves by letting the
| dark and evil vices OF envy and hatred
towards our fellows eat into our natures.
''Stll1, there is other harm OF a more
evident kind and much harm II Il our
clear duty to try to eradicate II possible
and In any event to minimize. The cor
porations and therefore those great cor
porations containing some tendency to
| monopoly which we have grown to speak
| Of rather too severely as trusts are the
| creatures OF the state and the state not
| only has the right to control them but
| is I'm duty bound TO control them wher-
| ever 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 representatives Of the
public wherever In our own country at
| the present time, business corporations
| become 90 very strong both for benef1cent
| work and work that is not always bene-
| flcent. II Is idle TO say that there is no
need for such supervision.
| A sufficient warrant for II Is to be
| found over and over again In any of the
| various evils resulting from the present
| system or rather lack OF system
DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY.
There is in our country peculiar diff
| Guilty I'm the way OF exercising such su-
! pervision and control because OF the pc
| culiar division Of governmental power,
I When the industrial conditions were sim
| pie, very little control was needed. and
| no trouble was caused by the doubt as to
where power was lodged under the con-
stitution. Now the conditions are oompli-
Gated and we hnd Il difficult TO frame ma
tional legislation which shall be adequate.
| while as n matter OF practical experience
state action has proved entirely INSULT
cient, to meet the needs OF the case.
Some of our states have excellent
| laws-laws which II would be we'll, in
deed. to have enacted by the national
! legislature, but the wide differences In
these laws, even between adjacent states
and the uncertainty OF the power of en-
forcement result practically In altogether
| insufficient control. l believe that the
nation must assume this power OF control
by legislation. and II IL becomes evident
| that the constitution will not permit
needed legislation then by constitutional
amendment.
| HOW TO DEAL WITH TRUSTS.
The immediate need in dealing with
| trusts is TO place them under the real.
not nominal control OF some sovereign
| 10 which as It's creature. the trusts shall
| owe allegiance and In whose courts the
| sovereigns orders may with certainty be
| enforced.
This Is not the case with the ordi-
| nary so-called trust" today. for the
trust Is a large state corporation. gener-
ally doing business In other states also.
| and often with a tendency 10 monopoly.
Such a trust is an artificial creature not
| wholly responsible to or controllable by
! legislature. nor wholly subject TO the
| jurisdiction OF any one court
| such governmental sovereign must be
| given full power over these artificial and
| very powerful corporate beings. In my
judgment this sovereign must he the ma
tional government. When ~ has 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 II under the
| Shor,,ao antitrust law