Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1905-12-07
Would Materially Increase the
Powers of Interstate Com
merCe Commission.
LIFE INSURANCE QUESTION
Sees Good and Evil in Labor Unions
Asks for Immediate Appropri-
ations for Panama Canal, and
Promises Report of Board of En-
gineers and Recommendations
Later---other Matters.

Washington. Dee 5.-The annual mes
sage OF President Roosevelt was read IN
both houses of congress to-day. It's doc
umcut of some 24,0O0 words, and con-
tlins recommendations for much important
legislation.
The subject of federal supervision Of cor
r1rations. and especially railroad corpora
tons. is the first subject treated OF by the
president. and to it he gives the greatest
amount OF attention After speaking oil the
general prosperity of the country, and the
power of the corporations for good or eNh
in connection with the nation prosperity
he says:
So long as the finances of the nation
are kent upon an honest basis, no other
question Of internal economy with when
the congress has the power to deal begins
10 approach in importance the matter Oh
rndeaVOrng to secure proper lnduSlrlal
conditions under which the individuals-
and especially the great corporations
doing an interstate business are to act.
The makers of our national constitution
provided especially that the regulation
of interstate commerce should come with
In the sphere of the general government.
The arguments in favor of their taking
this stand were even then overwhelming
Bur they are far stronger to-day, in view
of the enormous development of great
business agencies, usually corporate in
form. Experience has shown conclusive
" 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 CoeXtcnsive with the
field Of work of the corporations-that is
by the national government. l believe
that this regulation and supervision can
be obtained by the enactment of law by
"a INN Gi
ii will certainly be necessary ultimately
10 confer in fullest form such power upon
the national government by a proper
amendment of the constitution. 1t would
obviously be unwise to cndeavor to secure
such an amendment until it is certain
that the result cannot be obtained under
the constitution as it now is. The laws
of the congress and of the several states
hitherto, as passed upon by the courts
have resulted more often in showing that
the states have no power in the matter
than that the national government has
power; so that there at present exists
a very unfortunate condition of things.
under which these great corporations do
ing an interstate business occupy the po-
sition of subjects without a sovereign
neither any state government nor the ma
tlonal government having effective con-
troll over them. Our steady aim should
be by legislation, cautiously and care
fully undertaken, but resolutely per-
severed in, to assert the sovereignty of
the national government by affirmative
action.
Present Laws Inadequate.
1t has been misfortune that the ma
tlonai laws on this subject have hitherto
been OF negative or prohibitive rather
than an affirmative kind, and still more
tnat they have in part sought to prohibit
what could not be effectively Drobihited
in h.fv
coniounded what should be allowed and
"hat should not be allowed 1t is gen
eraIly useless to try to prohibit all re-
slraint on competition, whether this re-
straInt be reasonable or unreasonable.
and whore it is not useless II IS gener-
ally hurttuL Events have shown that It
Is not possible adequately to secure the
enforcement of any law of this kind Inv
H'easdfi appeal to the courts The de-
partmeht Of justice has for the last ro,r
Iehfs devoted more attention to the en-
f""relnent of the antitrust IegisIa.fo,
t!@h 10 anything else. Much has been
accomplished; particularly marl.ad n.,s
heen the moral effect of the prosecuti,,,s.
but 1t Is increasingly evident thar tbore
vii. be a very insufficient beneficial re-
suit In the way Of economic change. The
successful prosecution of one device ia
.evade the law Immediately develops an
other device to accomplish the same pur-
pose. What Is needed is not sweeping
prohibition Of every arrangement, good
or bad, which may tend to restrict com
petition, but such adequate supervision
ana regulation as VIII prevent any re-
s'rietiOn OF competition from being "a
the dstrimcut OF the puDlic-aS well as
such supervision and regulation as win
prevent other abuses in no way connected
with restriction Of competition. OF these
abuses. perhaps the chief although by
no means the only one, l. oyerCa pltall2a-
tl1n-gcuerally itself the result of dlshon-
est observation-disclosures Of the myriad
ev.ls it brings In its train; for such over
capitalization often means an imitation
that invites business panic; II always con-
Ceals the true relation ~ the profit earned
TO the capital actually invested. and Il
creates "a burden OF interest payment.
which is a fertile cause of improper r..
durton I'm or limitation Of wages a.
damages the small investor, disCouragns
thrift and encourages gambling and
speculation. while perhaps worst of al
IS tho trickWrss and dishonesty which II
tWpi.c=-f.r harm 20 morals is worse than
any possible harm a. material interests
ana the d,nauur"rv OF politics and busi-
ness by great dishonest corporations g.
Tar worse Than amy actual material evi
they DO ih" public lnul the national
government obtains .u some manner
which the wisdom uI the congress mn,
suggest, proper control over the big cor,
pora'i1u- engaged lu Interstate commerce
That o.. over ilr great majority OF tl-
hE corporation. be- Will hr lmulss.bie ts
deal adequately with thus, evils.
Railroad Rate Regulation.
am well awur. "f tine dImrultic.
cs tHr Legislation tAat / am .ug-sast.