Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-09-17

a resnt we have a system Of dividend con-
trol-where the nation has something 10 say
but IL is little difficult to know exactly
BOW much, and whore the different States
nave each something TO say but where there
Is no supreme power that can speak gith
authority
II Is, OF course, a mere trulsm 10 say that
every corporation the smallest MS well rs
the largest IS a creature OF the state. Where
the corporation Is small there Is little need
OF exercising much supervision over 1t; but
the stupend0us corporations Of The present
day certainty should DE under governmental
supervision and regulation,
Present Laws to he Enforced.
The first effort to make is TO give some
body the power TO exercise that supervision,
that regulation. We have already laws on
the statute books, Those laws VII lie en-
forced, aud sre being enforced with all the
power OF the national government and
wholly without regard 10 persons. But the
power Is limited
Now. l want you to take my words at
their eXac. value | think-I cannot say
ain sure because IL has often happened In
the past that Congress has passed. laws with
n given purpose In view and whom that law
has been judicially interpreted II has proved
that the purpose was not achieyed-hut l
think that by legislation additional power
in the way II regulation Of Mt least q num-
ferFed
But, gentlemen, / firmly believe that in
the end power mast be given. probably
through a constitutional amendment 10 the
national government to exercise in fun su-
perSiSion and regulation of those great en-
terprises
That is not new doctrine for me. That is
the doctrine that l advocated on the stump
two years age.
Some Of my ultra-conservative friends
nave protcssed to be greatly shocked at
my advocating governmental control of cor
poratOns. l would explain. 10 those gentle
men 0ncc for all thar they err whenever
they think thSt ] advocate on the stump any
| q aIfHr
election, Now the Point Is made that work
Ing along these lines will take tlm,. SO X
VIII. Let me go back to my Illustration OF
the Mississippi river, 1t took some tim to
build the evees but we built them. And II
we have the proper intelligence. the proper
resolution, and the proper self restraint, we
can work out the solution along the lines
TINT | have indicated
What we need first Is power. Having
gotten the power gentlemen, remember that
the work viii not be ended II will be only
fairly begun. And let me say again. and
again, and again. that You Will not get the
millennium. The millennium Is some way OFF
vet. But You Will be In position to make
long strides In the direction of securing
juSter and fairer. and more intelligent, and
more honest management Of those corpora
lions. both as regards the general public and
as regards their relationships among them
selves
When you have the power | should most
earnestly advocate that 1t be used with the
greatest wisdom and selfrestraint. The
first thing would be TO find ont the facts.
For that purpose am absolutely clear that
we need publicity, not as favor from any
one corporation, but as a matter of right
The mere fact of the publicity itself Will
tend TO stop many of the evils and 1t Will
show that some of the alleged evils are i'm
aginary.
We should have, under these circum-
stances, one sovereign to which the big cor
porations shonld be responsible-a sovereign
In whose courts the corporations could be
held accountable for any failure to comply
with the laws OF the legislature of that
pllsh tRat among the forty-glx soyereivns
Of the States. l think that II will have to
be through the national government.