Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1905-12-08
MATTERS IN NEED OF LEGIsLA-
TON BROUGHT TO ATTEN-
TON OF CONGRESS.
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE
ON SEVERAL SUBJECTS
Increased Power for Interstate Com
merce Favored as Cure for Rail-
road Rebate Evil-Insurance and
Labor Questions.

aage TO Congress-, the president brings sew
<ral matters to the attention of the ma
tiOn's lawmakers upon which, in his es-
Iimation, legislation is necessary. Recon-
snendations are made for new laws and
advised In statutes already enacted. made
necessary by changed conditions. The
complete message is "A document of almost
s2j,OU words, The only reference made to
sarn revision is in the paragraph devoted
40 national revenues. where he declared
chat unless our expenditures can be kept
within The revenues, our revenue laws must
Dc fcadjustcd. what form this readjust-
tnent should take. IL 1t Is needed, he de-
Clarcs Ii Is as yet too early to say.
Control of Corporations.
The president devotes considerable space
TO the discussion of tie great corporations
of the country, and particularly the rail-
soads. lie believes the time has come
when they should be placed under federal
control and recommends legislation look
tng to this end, The railroad rebate cvil
s. dcplored. and he advises action that
would abolish it. He believes the present
interstate Jaws are inadequate
and that If the commission were endowed
with more power it would aid greatly In
solving the vcNed problem. In this cCnnec-
tiCn he sdys:
"1t has been n misfortune that the ma
fonal laws on this subjcc; Law hitherto
bccn Of "A negative or prohibitivc rather
than an affirmative kind, and still more
Cha they have Ia par; sought to prohibit
what could not he effectively prohibited.
and have in part in their prohibitions cor
FOUNDED what should be allowed and what,
should not be allowed. 1t is generally use
less 10 try to prohibit all restraint on com
petition. whether this restraint be reason
nhlc OF unreasonable. and where 1t is no,
ase.ess it is generally hurtful. Events
t,.,y, tIauF,t tIn. II IL not, ,,gs,Ir. uI.
'%uualc,y 10 secure the enforcement Of any
iaw Of this Kind by inCesSant appeal to the
courts. III" department OF justice has for
'ihc last four years devoted more attention
40 the enforcement of tie antitrust lsgis,a.
tion than 10 anything else. Much has
been accomplished; particularly marked
has been tic moral effect Of the prosccu-
lions, but il Is Increasingly evident thar
dhcre will he "A very insufficient hcncii-
'Ial result In the way of economic chang"
Thc successful prosecution OF one device to
Gvade the law Immediately develops an
other device to p,ish the same pur-
a,oSc. what Is needed is not sweeping pro-
pbition Of every arrangement good or bad,
which may tend to restrict competition, but
such adequate supervision and regulation
ms will prevent any restriction Of compcti-
zion from being to the G"triInent Of the
s,ublic-as well AS such supervision and reg
hlation as VIII prevent other abuses In no
ava. ,np,,pt.J uith ,.y,,t,,,,, - ,.,,
aition. Of these abuses. perhaps the chief.
an,,afy,,i ..n.raIf, usn,,
" J,,au.n, ..,
,n,r,a,, .,,,,s :, ,,Inns To- -" ,,ntn.
ovcrcapitaliZation often means an imitation
that invites business panic; II always con
CealS the true relation Of the profit earned
20 the capital actually invested. and II
.,,,tnn, .,t ~"
90, T., ~. ,iuta,tan -,
liz .mam -,
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III "., w.
and az, anh uhtoh ', ., n 49,.
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~ 'mo" ,""" ""t ''"',Da' n''n'
.,n,,,ios ~ ,. d" ~ Wv
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n.ia ..t, '""' ""' 49,
yna ,,.i,,, ~, '"" "''
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.., .,nns ,.a,a aa,, -.
.n - r,vl.' w. '"e o'N
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o., M "a -
90 d,,I oJ,,,a.ni,, ,,n "'r",'''''
"'u
""iiio"o nate o~eb uiatIon.
lie strongly protests against radical or
baS'S action In stopping tn" rebate evil,
Ond then goes on to say; 81 DO not believe
IN the government interfering with priva,"
business more than Is necessary. ! do not
b"l'cNc In the government unGcrtakins
any work which can with prCpr.cty be left
in private hands. But neither do | believe
IN tie government fiinctiug from oversee
sing any work when 1t becomes evident that
s,husts are sure to obtain therein unless
thcrc Is governmental supervisors. II Is
not my province TO indicate the exact terms
81 the law which should be enacted: but /
call the attention Of the congress to GER
Gain existing conditions with which it is
desirable to deal. In my judgment the
most important provision which such law