The Topeka state journal., 1903-04-04

.
The evil has been partly the newt
able accompan Of the social
( changes, and where this Is the case II
can be cured neither by law nor by
the administration OF the law the only
/ remedy lying Ia the slow change Of
! character and Of economic environ
ment- But for a portion OF the evil at
l least. we think that remedies can be
{ found We know weil the danger Of
false remedies. and we are against all
violent. radical. and unwise change.
E But We believe that by proceeding slow
{ ~, yet resplutely, with good sense and
I moderation and also with 4 firm de-
{ termination not to be swerved from
our course either by foolish cIaTuor or
I by any base or sinister influence, we
can accomplish much for the better
I menL Of conditions
TWO YEARS AGO
Z Nearly two years age speaking at
the state fair in Minnesota I said-
1t is probably true that the large
majority Of the fortunes that sl0W exist
in this country have been amarsed. not
by injurlng our people, but as an Incl
dent TO the comforting of great benefits
upon the community. and his no mat
ter what may have been the conscious
purpose OF those amassinE them. There
+ is but the scantiesr justification for most
Of the 0utcry against the men Of wealth
IS such. and it ought to ba unnecessary
to state that any appeal which directly
or Indirectly leads 20 suspicion and
limit opportunity. and therefore to shut
the door of success against poor men
of talent. and finally, which entails the
posi- lDility OF 1aElessnesS and violence,
is an attack upon the fundamental prop
critics of Amerucan citizenship. Our In
teresrs are at bottom common in the
long run we go UP or down together
4 y ct more and more 1t Is evident that
the state. and il necessary the ration.
has got to possess the right of super
I vision and control as regards the great
+ corporations which are its creatures,
particularly as regards the great bus
mess combinations which derive a por-
ton OF their importance from the exist
ence of some mOnOpcEstic tendency The
right should be exercised with caution
and self-restraint. but it should exist,
so that it may be invoked if the need
arises
Last fall in speaking at Cincinnati.
I said:
The necessary supervision and con
troll in which I firmly believe as the
only method of eliminating the real
evils OF the trusts. must come through
wisely and cautiously framed legisla-
I Jion. which shall aim in the first place
I TO give definite control to some sover-
I eign over the great corporations and
which shall be followed. when once this
7 power has been conferred. by a system
giving 10 the government the full kn0Wl-
edge which is the essential for satIsfac-
. tory action Then. when this knowledge
one Of the essential features Of which
o.
f what further steps OF any kind are nee
i essary can be taken with the confidence
born Of the possession Of power 10 aeaI
with the subject and OF thorough
knowledge Of what should and can be
done in the matter We need additional
power, and we need knowledge.
Such legislation - whether obtain
able now or obtainable only after
f a constitutional ameudmeuE-should
provide for reasonable super
! vision the most prominent feature Of
which at first should be publicity. thar
/ is. the making public both to the gov
I ernmenJ authorities and TO the people
at large the essential facts in which the
public is concerned. This would give US
exact knowledge Of many paints which
are now not only in doubt. but the sub
I ject Of fierce controversy Moreover, the
mere fact of the publication would cure
some very grave evils. for the light Of
/ day is deterrent to WrongdOing- It
would doubtless disclose other evils with
I which. for the time being. we could de-
wise no way 10 grappie Finally, it
I would disclose others which could be
grappled with and cured by further leg
MESSAGE OF 1901.
In nay message to congress for 1901
I said:
In the interest of the whole people
the nation should. without interfering
with the power Of the states in the mat
ter. itself also assume power Of super
vision and regulation over all corpora
uons doing an interstate business
The views thus EXPRESSED have now
received effect By the wise. conservative
( and yet far-rea ching legislation enacted
by congress at its last session
In its wisdom congress enacted the
very important law providing Il de-
+ partment of commerce and labor, and
further providing therein under the
secretary of commerce and labor for
! commissioner of corporations charged
/ with the duty of supervision of and of
r-r.l
the organization and conduct of cor
poratlOus engaged IN interstate COM
merce- His powers to expose Illegal OF
hurtful practices and to obtain all in
formation needfuI for the purposes of
further intelligent legislation seem a5e-
quate, and the publicity Jusrifable
and proper for public purposes is salts
factorily guaranteed. The law was
passed at the very end Of the session
Of congress Owing TO the lateness of
its passage congress WIS not able 10
provide proper equipment for the new
department. and the first few months
must necessarily be spent in the work
OF orEaniza ton and the first investiga-
rions must necessarily be OF tenta-
tive character The satisfactory de-
velopment of such q system requires
tlmz and great labor
FAIRNESS AND JUSTICE
Those who are intrusred with the
administration Of the new law viii as
suredly administer 1T in a spirit Of ab-
solute fairness and justice and of en-
tire fearlessness, with the firm purpose
not TO hurt any corporation doing a
legitimate husiueSs-on the contrary to
help it-and ON the other hand. not TO
spare any corporation which may be
guilty eff Illegal practices or the meth
DDS OF which mag make 1T q menace to
the public welfare Some substantial
good Will be done IN the immediate fI-
tura. and as the department gets fair
Is TO work under the law an ever larger
vista fer good work viii be opened
along the lines indicated The enact
ment OF this law is one of the most
significant contributions which have
been made in our time toward the
E proper solution Of the problem of tire
relations to the people of the great cor
[ porations and corporate com biuations
But much though this is. It is only