Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-10
the personal traits
bHrary, unrea-
and cRa,,srro

the personal traits byfrary, unrea-
sonable. fnconpps and offensive
men In positions aority. The ac-
complishment OF BY indirection.
the endeavor &c IT, ne intention if
not the expressed + II the law (the
will of the people,. regard Of the
rights OF others, sitiou to with
mold what Is due orce by main
strength or inactivi result not ius-
titled, depending ne weakness of
the claimant an ndisposition to
become involved cation. has Gre
ated sentiment .ul In the ex-
IRENE ana dispo; oconsider any
thing fair that 81 In to the indi-
vidual at the exper the company.
IF corporations to continue to
do the worlds wo q they are host
fitted to. these au es In their rep
resentauveS that resulted in the
present prejudice .ainst them must
be relegated TO tb background. The
corporations nuf u1e out into the
open and see aao SEEN They must
take the public their confidence
and ask for wa ey want. and no
more, and be prs i 20 explain salts
factorily what adv age will accrue to
the pubic II theya wen their DESIRES
Tor they are permit TO exist not that
they may make n ey solely, but that
they may effectiy. y serve those from
whom they derive hesr power.
Publicity and D,t secrecy will win
hereafter and lar re construed by
their intent aud by their letter:
otherwise public ities will be own
ed and operated -he public which
created them, hy Ugh the service
be less efficient and result less sat.
isfactory from a financial standpoint"
Bureau of Corporations.
The bureau of corporations has made
careful preliminary Investigation of
many important corporations. 1t will
make special report on the beef in
dustry.
The policy Of the bureau is to ac-
complish the purposes of its creation
by cooperation, not antagonism; by
making constructive legislation, not
destructive prosecution, the immediate
object of its 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 bureau
has been able to gain not only the con-
fdence, but, better still, the cooperation,
of men engaged ia legitimate business.
The bureau offers TO the congress the
means of getting at the cost OF pro-
duction of our verious great staples of
commerce
OF necessity me careful inves tigat ton
of special corporations will afford the
commissioner knowledge of certain
business facts, disqualification of which,
might be an improper infringement of
private rights. The method of making
public the results of these investiga-
tons affords under the law means
for the protection of private rights.
The congress win have all facts ex-
cept such as voul' give to another
corporation inf alton which would
injure the Iegiainate business of a
competitor and destroy the incentive
for individual srneeiority and thrift.
The bureau BIZ ,iso made exhaustive
eScfni"ftoue 80 4'eenl t-cerdifio-
under which cor, sra q business is car.
ried on In tire various states. into all
judicial decisions on the subject and
into the various systems OF corporate
taxation in use ! call special atten-
ton to the report of the chief Of the
bureau. and ! earnestly ask that the
congress carefully consider the report
and recommendations OF the commits
sioner on this subject.
Insurance.
The business OF Insurance vitality nf-
focts the great mass OF the people of
the United States and is national and
not local IN its application II involves
multitude of transactions among the
people OF the different states ana be
tween American companies and foreign
governments. 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
Rebates.
Above all else we must strive to keen
the highways of commerce open To all
on equal terms, and TO DO this il Is nee
essary 10 put n complete stop to all re-
bates. Whether the shipper or the rail
road is TO blame makes no difference
The rebate must be stopped, the abuses
or the private car and private terminal
track and sidctrack systems must be
stopped, and the legislation OF the Eff
ty-eighth congress which declares il To
be unlawful for any person or corpora
ton 10 offer, grant, give, solicit accept
or receive any rebate. concession or
discrimination in respect of the trans
portation 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 commerce il remained Il moot
ed question whether that act conferred
upon the interstate commerce commits
sion the power after it had found u
challenged rate to be unreasonable to
declare what thereafter should prima
facie be the reasonable maximum rate