Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1905-10-20
FOR STATE SENATOR.
EDWARD ECHOLS.
PATERNALISM RAMPANT.

The approaching session of Congress
will find the country wrestling with the
great problem of Capitalization. This
will not be the name under which the
proposed effort to centralize will be
attempted, but it will be attempted by
an effort to enact legislation which
necessarily centralizes governmental
power.
The two great centralizing influences
to be attempted are Railroad Rate
control, and the control of Insurance
companies.
1t will he hard for those opposed to
the government controlling the Rail
roads and the Insurance companies TO
argue the nconsJitutionality of such
legislation, because the government
now controls the banking system OF the
United States without constitutional
power to do so. There is no clause in
the constitution which really gives this
power but under Article l, Sec. VIII
(which reads as follows:
Congress shall have power to coin
money, regulate the value thereof, and
of foreign coin, and fix the standard OF
weights and measures" the govern
ment has assumed to control the entire
banking system of the United States
and establish by charter national
banks. This was a great step toward
Capitalization, and step toward gov
ernmental control of what should be
private affairs. which now stands di'
rectly in the way of opposition to con-
troll of most any other thing. To ICON
money! and regulate the value
thereof" never for a moment was
meant to give power to control those
who undertook to do a banking bust
ness, nor was 1t intended to give to any
other thing the right to make money
that is, issue bank notes as substitutes
for money. But this has been done.
Now comes demand for Railroad
Rate control. This right is said to
arise out of Article 1. Sec. VIII-3-of
the constitution which reads as follows:
Congress shall have power TO regulate
commerce with foreign nations, and
among the several States, and with
the Indian tribes"
Here is where, if at all, under the
constitution railroads will be CONTROL
ed, but just where insurance cOmpan-
les, any more than wagon factories,
fall under the sheltering arms of an
all wise government, we have been
unable to see.
If the Democratic party has not been
a party of liars, deceitful and desper-
atelY wicked, they have been opposed
to Capitalization since the foundation
of our government. If they recede
now it must be because they hope to
gain political advantage, and not be-
cause they have changed in principle.
1t is believed that the railroads being
in the hands Of those who have been all
along voting for and supporting by
their means the Republican party,
would find friends enough in that party
to make them secure against such Leg
lslatiOn. But the demand comes from
Republican sources stronger than from
Democratic. The Democrats see that
the tendency is to monarchy. The Re-
publlcans have all along fought not
for a monarchy in name, but in effect.
The Railroads. the Insurance compan-
les, in fact all the corporations great
and small have supported them In this,
some because they saw personal ad-
vantage here, and others there. Hav-
ing assisted this sentiment and kept in
power unbrOken because Cleveland
was of their choosing) men of those
proclivlties they have entwined about
them meshes which will be hard for
them to now break.
The railroads have not had sense
enough to see what they were doing
and correct evils before they led to
national complaint. All the time that
the plain people groaned over their
oppression the railroads were employ
ing the shrewdest men obtainable to
further gather here and there the hard
earned pennies of these poor. and at
the same time were pouring wealth into
The Golfers of the rich by rebates and
other preferential acts. They have
hrornh4 ahou4 thia aondit1on them.