Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-12-06


 those congressman who reruse to give promises which they cannot in con- science give. The administration has taken steps to- prevent and punish abuses of this nature. but it will be wise for the congress to supplement this action by legislation.
 BUREAU OF LABOR
 Much can be done by the government in labor matters merely by giving pulp lieity to certain conditions. The bureau of labor has done excellent work of this kind in many different directions. shall shortly lay before you in spe- cial message the full report of the in vestigation of the bureau of labor into the Colorado mining strike, as this is a strike in which certain very evil forces, which are more or less at work every where under the conditions of modern industrialism, became startlingly prom inent. 1t is. greatly to be wished that the department of commerce and la Dor, through the labor bureau, should compile and arrange for the congress a list of the labor laws of the various states and should be given the means to investigate and report to the con gross upon the labor conditions in the manufacturing and mining regions throughout the country, both as to wages. as to hours of labor. as to the labor of women and children and as to the effect in the various labor centers of immigration from abroad. Tn this investigation especial attention should be paid to. the conditions of child labor and child labor legislation in the several states.
 CORPORATIONS.
 When we come to deal with great corporations tue need for the govern ment to act directly is far greater than in the case of labor, because great cor porations can become such only by en- gaging in interstate commerce, and in- terstate commerce is peculiarly the field of the general government. It is an absurdity to expect to eliminate the abuses in great corporations by state action It is difficult to be patient with an argument that such matters should be left to the states, because more than. one state pursues the policy of creat- ing on easy terms corporations which are never operated within that state at all, but in other states whose laws they ignore The national government alone can deal adequately with these great corporations. To try to deal with them in an intemperate, destruc- tive or demagogic spirit would in all probability mean that nothing what ever would be accomplished, and with absolute certainty that if anything were accomplished it would be of a harmful nature. The Aaerican peo- pie need to continue to sh, " the very qualities that they have shown that is, moderation, good sense, the earnest desire to avoid doing any damage and yet the quiet determination to proceed, step by step, without halt and without hurry, in eliminating or ait least in minimizing whatever of mischief or of evil there isl to interstate commerce in the conduct of great corp rporationS. They arc a6ting in no spirit of h6stiIifgy to wealth either individual or cor porate They are not against the rich man any more than against the poor man. On the contrary, they are friend Iy alike toward rich man and toward poor man, provided only that each acts in a spirit of justice and decency to- ward his fellows Great corporations are necessary, and only men of great and singular mental power can man. age such corporations successfully, and such men must have great re wards. But these corporations should be managed with due regard to. the! interest of the public as a whole. Where this can be done under the pres ent laws it must be done. Where these laws come short others should be enacted to supplement them.
 BUREAU or CORPORATIONS.
 The bureau of corporations has made careful preliminary investigation of many important corporations. It will make a special report on the beef in dustry.
 The policy of the bureau is to ac- complish the purposes of it's creation by cooperation, not antagonism: by making constructive legislation, not destructive prosecution, tile immediate object of it's inquiries: by conservative investigation of law and fact and by refusal to issue incomplete and hence necessarily inaccurate reports. Its pol icy being thus one of open inquiry into and not attack upon business, the bu- .reau has been able to gain not only the confidence, but, better still, the coop eration, of men engaged in legitimate business
 The bureau offers to the congress the means of getting at the cost of pro .fuction of our various great staples of commerce.
 Of necessity the careful investigation of special corporations will afford the commissioner Knowledge of certain business facts. the publication of which might be an improper infringement of private rights. The method of making public the results of these fnvestfga- tons affords, under the law, a means for the protection of private rights. The congress will have all facts except such as would give to another cor poration information which would in- jure the legitimate business of a com e1>,.