The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-12-05
RAT LEGISLAT TION
THE CHIEF Theme
Life Insurance, The Sources of Revenue, State
hood And Various Other Subjects Freely
Frankly And Fearlessly Discussed
ii is NOW ''UP TO" CONGRESS

therefore, the less fortunate man is
moved by envy Of his more fortunate
brother to strike at the conditions un-
der which they have both, though un-
equally, prospered, the result will as.
curedly be that while damage may
come to the one struck at, 1t will visit
with an ever heavier load the one who
strikes the blow. Taken as whole
we must all go up or go down together.
About Corporations,
| Yet, while not merely admitting, but
insisting upon this, 1t is also true that
where there is no governmental re-
straint or supervision some of the ex-
ceptional men use their energies not
in ways that are for the common good,
hut in ways which tell against this
common good The fortunes amassed
through corporate organization ara
now SO large, and vest such power in
those that WELD them, as to make it a
matter of necessity to give 10 the sov'
ereign-that is, to the Government,
which represents the people as
Wholesome effective power OF super.
vision over their corporate use. In or
der to insure healthy social and in
dustrial life, every big corporation
should be held responsible by, and be
accountable to, some sovereign strong
enough to control it's conduct, am
in no sense hostile to corporations.
This is an Gge of combination, and
any effort to prevent all combinations
will he not only useless, but in the end
vicious, because Of the contempt for
law which the failure to enforce law
Inevitably produces. We should,
moreover, recognize in cordial and
ample fashion the immense good ef-
fected by corporate agencies ina coun-
try such as ours, and the wealth of in
tellect, energy, and fidelity devoted to
their service, and therefore normally
10 the service Of the public, by their
officers anG directors. The corpora.
ton has come to stay, just as the trade
union has come to stay. Each can do
and has done great good. Each should
be favored so long as 1t does good.
But each should be sharply checked
where 1t acts against law and justice.
So long as tile finances Of the Ma
ton are kept upon an honest basis no
Other question of internal economy
with which the Congress has the
power to deal begins to approach i'll
Importance the matter of endeavor-
! ing to secure proper industrial con-
dtlons under which the individuals
and especially the great corpora
tions-doing an interstate business
are to act. The makers of our Ma
tional Constitution provided espe-
cally that the regulation of inter-
state commerce should come within
the sphere of the general government.
The arguments in favor of their tax
Ing the stand we're even then over
whelming. But they are far stronger
today, in view of the enormous de-
velopment of great business agencies,
usually corporate in form. Expert
ence has shown conclusively that 1t
Is useless to try to get any adequate
regulation and supervision of these
great corporations by State action.
Such regulation and supervision can
only be effectively exercised by a
sovereign whose jurisdiction is cock
tensive with the field of work Of the
corporations-that is, by the National
Government. believe that this reg.
uation and supervision can be OBJ
: talned by the enactment Of law by
the Congress. If this proves impossi'
Bile, it will be necessary ultimately to
confer in fullest form such power upon
1.-the National Government by proper
amendment Of the Constitution, 1t
I would obviously be unwise to en-
deavor to secure an amendment uD
til it is certain that the result can
not be obtained under the cobstitu-
4 ton as 1t now is The laws ot the
Congress and Of the several States
icantInuea j, FIfsh Paaal