Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-12-10
MESSAGE.
o.


sentatives;
The country is to be congratulated
on The amount OF substantial achieve
ment which has marked the past year
both as regards our foreign and as re
CARDS our domestic policy.
Corporations.
with nation as with n man the
most Important thing are those OF
the household. and therefore the coun-
try is especially 10 be congratulated
on what has been accomplished in tne
direction OF providing for tie exercise
oil supervision over the great corpora
tons and combinations OF corporations
engaged in Interstate commerce The
congress, has created the department
OF Commerce and Labor, including the
Bureau ul Corporations, with Tor the
first dme authority to secure proper
publicity OF such proceedings Of these
great corporations as the public has
the right to know. 1t has provided for
the eXpediiing OF suits for the enforce
nent OF the federal antitrust law; and
by another law il has secured equal
treatment TO all producers in the
transportation OF their goods. thus
taking long stride forward in making
eileetiye the work OF the interstate
commerce commission.
Department CT Commerce and Labor
The establishment OF the Depart
ment OF Commerce and Labor, with
the Bureau oil Corporations thereun-
der. marT5 A real advance in the di-
reCtiou Of doing al that is possible
for the solution OF the questions vital
ly Affecting capitalists and wase-earn
ers. The ACT creating The depart
ment was approved On February Ia
1903 and TWO days later the head oi
the department was nominated ana
confirmed by the senate. Since then
the work or organization has been
pushed as rapidly as Ghe Initial appro
priations permitted, and with due re
gard TO thuroughness and the broad
purposes which Lha department is de
signed to serve. After tic transfer
OF the various bureaus and branches to
the department q the beginning OF Che
current hscai year, as provided Tor in
the act, the personnel comprised 1883
employees in Washington and 1896 IN
the country at large. The scope OF
the department duty and authority
embraces the commercial and indus
trial interests OF the nation. II is moi
designed to restrict or control the fuli,
est liberty OF legitimate business ac
tion, but to secure exact and authent'
ic information which will aid the eX-
ecutive in enforcing existing laws, and
which viii enable the congress to en-
act additional legislation, ii any should
be found necessary, in order to pre-
vent the few from obtaining privileges
at The expense OF diminished oppor
tunities for the many.
Bureau Of Corporations.
The preliminary work OF the Bur
eau of Corporations in The depart
ment has shown the wisdom oil its
creation. Publicity in corporate al
fairs VIII tend to do away with ignor-
ance, and will afford facts upon which
Intelligent action may be taken. Sys-
tematic, intelligent investigation is al
ready developing facts the knowledge
OF which is essential to right under
st9nding OF the needs and duties oil the
business world. The corporation
which is honestly and fairly organiz-
ed whose managers in the conduct
OF its business recognize their obli-
gJgion 70 deal squarely with their
stockholders, their competitors. and
The public has nothing to fear from
such supervision The purpose OF this
bureau is not to embarrass or assam
legitimate business, but TO aid in bring
iag about 4 better industrial condi
tluu-a condition under which there
shall be obedience to law and recog
milton Of public obligation by all cor
porations, great or small The De
pariment OF Commerce and Labor will
be not only the clearing house tor in
formation regarding The bl5iue5s
transactions of the nation but The eN
ecitive arm OF the government to aid
in strengthening our domestic and for
.elgn markets, in perfecting our trans
portation facilities, in building up orr
merchant marine, in preventing the
entrance OF undesirable Immigrants
in improving commercial and indus
trial conditions, and in bringing to
gether on common ground those nee
essary partners in industrial progress
capital and labor. Commerce be-
tween The nations is steadily growing
in volume. and the tendency OF the
tines is toward closer trade relations
Constant watchfulness is needed to
secure to Americans the chance to
participate to the best advantage In
foreign trade; and we may confident
ly expect that the new department
will justify the expectation of its Gre
ators by The exercise Of this watch
fulnoss. as well as by the businesslike
administration of such laws relating
to orr internal affairs as are intrusted
to It's care.
In enacting the laws above enumer-
ated the congress proceeded on sane
and conservative lines. Nothing rev.
olutionary was attempted; bat com
nonsense and successful effort was
made in the direction of seeing that
corporations are so handled as to sub
serve the public good. The legsla-
ton was moderate. 1t was character
ized throughout by the idea that we
We're not attacking corporations, but