Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-12-08

right direction. all the time making progress
4 is the disposition with which l have com
among you. asking your good will and en-
couragement.
THE day has gone by when a corporation
can be handled successfully in defiance OF tn
public will. even though that will be unrea
sonable and wrong. public may be LED
but not driven, and l prefer to go with
and shape or modify in measure Its opin
ion, rather than be swept from my bearings
with loss to myself and the interests In m!
charge.
Violent prejudice exists toward corporate
! activity and capital today much OF 1t found
! ed In reason. more In apprehension. and
! large measure Is due to the personal traits
OF arbitrary unreasonable. incompetent aM
/ offensive men in positions of authority. The
accomplishment Of results by indirection, the
endeavor to thwart the intention. II not the
expressed letter OF the law (the VIII of the
people), disregard OF the rights OF others
disposition to withhold what Is due. te
force by main strength or inactivity result
not justified. depending upon the weakness
of the claimant and his indispostion to be-
come involved in litigation. has created
sentiment harmful in the extreme and dis
position to consider anything fair that gives
gain to the individual at the expense OF the
company.
"If corporations are to continue to do the
worlos work. as they are pest ntted TO-
these qualities in their representatives that
have resulted in the present prejudice
against them must be relegated to the back
ground. The corporations must come out
into the open and and be seen. They
must take the public into their confidence
and ask for what they want. and no moro.
and be prepared to explain satisfactorily
what advantage will accrue to the public
II they are given their desires: for they
are permitted to exist not that they may
make money solely, but that they may ef-
fectively serve those from whom they de-
rive their power.
D,,b1 cit wi wi hera
after, and laws be construed by their intent
and not by their letter otherwise public
utilities will be owned and operated by the
public which created them. though
the servicfe be less efficient and the result
less satisfactory from a financial stana-
point"
The Bureau of Corporations has made
careful preliminary investigation OF many
important corporations. 1t will make a spe-
cial report the beef industry.
The policy of the bureau is to accomplish
the purpose of It's creation by cooperation
not antagonism, by making constructive
legislation, not de-
BureaI of structive prosecution,
c.. the immediate object
Soipoia'Ions' of its inquiries; by
conservative nvestiga-
tion Of law and fact. and by refusal to is
sue incomplete and hence necessarily mac
curate reports. It's policy being thus one of
open INQUIRY into. and not attack upon,
business, the bureau has been able to gain
not only the confidence but, better still the
cooperation of men engaged in legitimate
business.
The bureau offers to the Congress the
means of getting al the cost of production
or our various great staples of commerce.
or necessity the careful investigation of
special corporations will afford the Commits
s1oner knowledge of certain business facts,
the publication of which might be an i'm
proper Infringement of private rights. The
method OF making public the results Of these
Investigations affords, under the law a
for protection of 0riy raht
The Congress will have all facts except such
as would give to another corporation in
formation which would injure the legitimate
business of a competitor and destroy the
incentive for individual superiority and
thrift
The bureau has also made exhaustive ex-
aminatons into the legal condition under
which corporate business is carried on In the
various states; into all judicial decisions on
the subject: and into the various systems
OF corporate taxation in use. 1 call special
attention to the report of the chief of the
bureau; and l earnestly ask that the Con-
gress carefully consider the report and
recommendations of the Commissioner on
this subject.
The business of insurance vitaly affects
the great mass of the people of the United
States and Is National and not local in its
application 1t involves
Insurance. multitude of trans
actions among the
people Of the different states and between
American companies and foreign govern
ments. l urge that the Congress carefully
consider whether the power of the Bureau
OF Corporations cannot constitutionally be
extended to cover interstate transactions in
insurance.
Above all else, must strive to keep the
highways Of commerce open to all equal
terms; and to do this it is necessary to put
a complete stop to all
Rebates. rebates. Whether the
shipper the railroad
Is to blame makes no differepce: the rebate
ha
car and private terminal-track and side
track systems must be stopped, and the legis- !
lation of the 5Sth Congress which declares
1t to be unlawful for any person or corpora
tion to offer, grant, give, solicit accept. or
receive any rebate. concession, discrimi
ma ton in respect of the transportation of any
property in interstate or foreign commerce |
whereby such property shall by any device |
whatever be transported at a less rate than
that named in the tariffs published by the |
carrier, must be enforced For some time |
after the enactment of the act to regulate |
1t remained a mooted question
whether that act conferred upon the Inter-
state Commerce Commission the power af- !
ter it had found challenged rate to be un-
reasonable. to declare what thereafter
should, prima facie be the reasonable maxi !
mum rate for the transportation in dispute
The Supreme Court finally resolved that
question in the negative, that as the law
1ow stands the commission simply possesses
he bare power to denounce a particular rate
as unreasonable. While | am of the opinion
hat at present 1t would be undesirable If .
t were not impracticable, finally to clothe
he Commission with general authority to fix
'ailrOad rates, | do believe that, as a fair
security to shippers, the Commission should
oe vested with the power. where given
ate has been challenged and after full hear
ng found to be unreasonable. to decide
subject to judicial review, what shall be a
rate to take its place; the ruling
# the Commission to take effect immedi-
itely, and to obtain unless and until It is
eversed by the court of review. The Govern
nent must in increasing degree supervise and
egulate the workings of the railways en-
ragged in interstate commerce; and such in
reased supervision is the only alternative
o an increase of the present evils on the one
land a still more radical policy on the
'ther In my judgment the most important
legislative act now needed as regards the I
equation of corpora tions is this act to con- !
er on the Interstate Commerce Commission
he power to revise rates and regulations the
evised rate to at once 60 into effect, and
o stay in effect unless and until the court !
# review reverses IT.
Steamship companies engaged in inter
tate commerce and protected in our coast
wise trade, should be held to a strict observ-
nee OF the interstate commerce act
In pursuing the set plan to make the City
f Washington an example to other American
several points should be kept
l,x- tlo Cie1o