The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1904-12-10

1 WRlCh have come
coura9ement - - sfi - ana en- en-
The day has gone by when a corporation
n,,b,;o ma ,, successfully in defiance of the
l sorsnsr VIII, even though that will be unrea-
~. aole ana wrong. A public may be led,
/ 49, hot ariven and / prefer to 70 with 1t
ion r saps Of modify IN a measure its opin-
/ ,,ttL atheE than be swept from my bearings,
charge. '-t tAts AattsEe sass y ~ nay nay
Violent prejudice exists toward corporate
/ "a ~ ~ ana capital today, much OF It found
1 ~. IN reason, more in apprehension and q
stse measure is due to the personal traits
1 o ~ unreasonable. incompetent and
o men In positions Of authority. The
/ accompaniment OF results by tndirection the
enoeaVor to thwart the intention If nof the
| expressed letter of the law (the will OF the
peopie1, disregard Of the rights Of others,
Sor n.sp ~ to withhold what Is due. to
.olee py main strength or Inactivity q result
NOT Justined, depending upon the weakness
/ " the claimant and his indispositior to be-
come come involved in Mitigation. has created a
sentiment harmful in the extreme and dis
posluon TO consider anything fair that gives
| company &T5s,F - tsttt'S
IT corporations are to continue to do the
| worlds work. as they are best fitted to.
these Qualities in their Representatives that
nave resulted in the present prejudice
asahst them must be relegated to the back
| srouna The corporations must come out
/ into the open and see and be seen They
must take the public into their confidence
ana ask FOR what they want, and no more
ahu ne 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-
| rive their power.
Publicity, and not secrecy, will win here
| atteF' ana laws be construed by their intent
ana not by their letter. otherwise public
utilities will be owned and operated by the
public which created them even though
the seryicfe be less efficient and the result
Less satisfactory from financial stand
The Bureau Of Corporations has made
careful preliminary Investigation OF many
important corporations 1t will make a spe.
clai report on the beef industry.
The policy Of the bureau is to accomplish
| the purpose OF its creation by cooperation
not antagonism. by making constructive
| legislation, not de-
Bureal of structive prosecution,
Co-r,oro+,on the immediate object
| of Its Inquiries by
| .,ou :. conservative investiga-
ZION OF Jaw and fact, and by refusal to is,
sue incomplete and hence necessarily inac.
cuFate reports. Its policy being thus one OF
open inquiry into. and not attack upon
BUSINESS the bureau has been able to eair
tio' onty tne coincidence. but better STILL the
business. 49, NSSANAAA1A'S
The bureau offers to the Congress the
means OF getting at the cost of production
| VI necessity the careful Investigation OF
special corporations will afford the Commits
sioner knowledge of certain business facts
me oupileatlon OF which might be i'm,
proper infringement of private rights, The
method OF making public the results of thesf
Investigations affords. under the law. 6
means for the protection of private rights
me Congress will have all facts excent sucl
as would give to another CORPORATION in
formation which would injure the Legitimate
business OF competitor and destroy the
thrift
The bureau has also made exhaustive ex
aminations into the legal condition unde,
which corporate business is carried on in tn,
various states; into all judicial decisions OF
the subject: and into the various systems
or corporate taxation in use. I call specia
attention to the report of the chief of tn,
bureau and earnestly ask that the Con
gress carefully consider the, report and
recommendations of the Commissioner OF
| this subject.
/ The business Of insurance vitality affects
the great mass of the people of the United
states ana Is National and not local in 1T
I application. 1t involves
| mSuFance' a multitude Of trans
| actions among thu
people of the different states and between
American companies and foreign govern
ments. 1 urge that the Congress CAREFUL,
consider whether the power of the Bureau
OF Corporations cannot constitutionally b,
extended to cover interstate transactions il
insurance.
Above all else, we must strive to keep tn,
highways Of commerce open to all on euua
terms; and to do this it is necessary to pu
i a complete stop to al
REBATES. rebates Whether thu
shipper the railroad
is to blame makes no difference: the rebat,
must be stopped, the abuses of the private
car and private terminal-track and side
track systems must be stopped, and the legis
lation Of the 5Sth Congress which declare
1t to be unlawful for any person or corpora
tion to offer, grant, give. solicit, accept o.
receive any rebate, concession, or dtscrimi
nation In respect of the transportation of an,
property in interstate or foreign commerc
whereby such property shall by any device
whatever be transported at q less rate thai
that named in the tariffs published by tn,
carrier. must be enforced For some tim,
after the enactment Of the act to regulate
commerce it remained a mooted question
whether that act conferred upon the Inter
state Commerce Commission the power, at
ter it had found a 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 tina
question in the negative, that as the Law
now stands the commission simply possesse
the bare power to denounce particular rat
as unreasonable. While I am of the opinion
that at present 1t would be undesirable, i
1t were not impracticabe, finally to cloth,
the Commission with general authority to fl,
railroad rates, l do believe that, as a fai
security to shippers, the Commission SHOULD
4 be vested with the power. where a givel
rate has been challenged and after full hear
ing found to be unreasonable, to decide
subject to judicial review, what shall be ;
reasonable rate to take its place; the ruling
of the Commission to take effect immedi
ately, and to obtain unless and until it i
reversed by the court of review. The Govern
ment must in increasing degree supervise ant
regulate the workings of the railways en-
gagged In interstate commerce; and such in
creased supervision is the only ALTERNATIVE
to an increase of the present evils on the on
hand or a still more radical policy on thu
other. In my judgment. the most fmportan
legislative act needed as regards thu
regulation of corporations Is this act to con
fer on the Interstate Commerce Commission
the power to revise rates and regulations, tn
revised rate to at once 60 Into effect. anC
to stay in effect unless and until the cour
of review reverses 1t.
Steamship companies engaged in inter
state commerce and protected in coast
wise trade, should be held to a strict observ
ance of the Interstate commerce act.
In pursuing the set plan to make the Cit.
municipalities, several points should be KEEP
place. the people of this country should clear
ly understand that n
CITY of Washington. amount of industrial
prosperity, and abov
all no leadership in international industrial
sapping of the vitality of those who ar
The farmers, the mechanics, the skilled an,
l1IO ln glNNFalr