Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1905-12-07

| t1fty-ntnth Congress, congratulates
the people on the continued prosper
| ity of the nation. The close relation
ship and mutual dependence upon
each other of capital and labor are
| pointed out, and the message con-
| tinues:
Corporations.
Yet, While not merely admitting, but in
siSunB upon this, it is also true that
| where there is no governmental restraint
or supervision some of the exceptional
| m an use their energies not in ways that
are Tor the common good, but In ways
| Which tell against this common good.
! The fortunes amassed through corporate
[ organization are now SO large and vest
such power in those that WELD them, as
10 the SoVereign-that is, tC the Govern
ment, which represents the people as a
ion over their Corporate use. In order to
| insure a healthy social and industrial life.
| every big corporation should be held re-
| sponslble by, and be accountable to, some
| sovereign strong enough to control its
conduct 1 am in no sense hostile to cor
and any effort to prevent all combina-
ton VIII be not only useless. but in the
| law which the failure to enforce law in
| eVitabiy produces. We should. moreover,
recognize in cordial and ample fashion the
immense good effected by corporate
| agencies in a country such as ours, and
| the wealth of intellect energy, and fidel-
/
fore normally to the, service of the public.
| by their officers and directors. The cor
| trade union has come to stay. Each can
90 and has done great good. Each should
be favored SO long as it does good. But
| each should be sharply checked where it
| acts against law and Justice
The President shows the impossi-
bility OF the individual states deal
| ing successfully with corporation
greed, and the necessity of comforting
power upon the general government
even to the extent of proper amend
ment to the constitution. He says:
It has been misfortune that the
| national laws on this subject have hither-
| TO been of a negative or prohibitive rather
/ than an affirmative kind. and stiil more
hibit what could not be effectively pro-
hibited. and have in part In their pro-
/ allowed and what should not be allowed
| II Is generally useless to try to prohibit
all restraint on competition, whether this
restraint be reasonable or unreasona BILE:
ti1 M IN 5,,t II is not useless it is
secure the enforcement of any law of this
| !1IInd by incessant appeal to the courts.
me department OF Justice has for the
| last four years devoted more attention
/ to the enforcement of the anti-t trust iegis-
peen accomplished; particularly marked
| mas been the moral effect, of the prosecu-
nons; bit 1t is increasingly evident that
| there, will be u very insufficient beneficial
| result in the way of economic change.
me successful prosecution of one device
70 eNade the law Immediately develops
another device to accomplish the same
| purpose. What is needed is not sweeping
prohibition of every arrangement, good or
! bad. which may tend to restrict competi-
| ton, put such adequate supervision and
! resulatlon as viii prevent any restriction
OF conn etftion from being to the detri-
meht OF the public--as well as such
supervision and regulation as will pre-
| with restriction OF competition. OF these
| az uses, perhaps the CHIEF. although by
| lon-senerally itself the Jesuit of dis
i honest observation-disclosures of the myriad
! evlls u brings in its train; for such over
| crlt9 lza' ION often means an imitation
| that invites business panic; it always con-
ceaiS the true relation OF the profit earned
| to the actual capital invested and it
creates burden of interest payments
/ winch Is fertile cause of improper le-
| damages the small investor. discourages
| thrift. and encourages gambling and spec
| ulatlon; while perhaps worst of a / is the
| trlcklneSS and dishonesty which it implies
| for harm to morals and worse than any
| possible harm to material interests. and
| by great dishonest corporations is far
worse than any actual material evil they
| DO the public. Until the national govern
nlent OBTAINS, in some manner which the
| wisdom of the Congress may suggest
| proper control over the big corporations
| engaged in interstate commerce-that is,
| over the great majority of the big cor
| porations-it will be impossible to deal
adequately with these evils.
| am well aware of the difficulties of
| the leglSlat ton that / am suggesting. and
OF the need of temperate and cautious
ally protest against improper radical or
hasty action. The first thing to do is
gagged in the business of Interstate trans
portation; As l said in my message of
pressing need. so far as legislation is
| concerned, is the enactment into law of
| some scheme to secure to the agents of
me government such supervision and
| regulation of the rates charged by the
railroads Of the country engaged in inter:
state traffic shall summarily and
| effectively prevent the imposition of I'M
| Just or unreasonable rates. 1t must in
| clude putting complete stop to rebates
| regulate rates. like all similar powers
over the business world. should be exer-
| clsed with modera ton. caution, and self
! restraint; but it should exist, so that it
can be. effectively exercised when the
The first considera ton to be kept in
mind is that the power should be affirm
| alive and should be given to some ad-
| illustrative tody created by the Congress.
| If given TO the present Interstate Com
merce commission or to reorsanized
| Interstate Commerce commission. such
| commission should be made unequivocally
administrative, ] do not believe in the
| government interfering with private bust
| ness more than is necessary. l do not
believe in the government undertaking
left in private hands. But neither do /
believe in the government fiinching from
| overseeing any. work when it becomes
| evident that abuses are sure to obtain
| therein unless there is governmental
supervision. 1t is not my. province to
| indicate the exact terms of the law which
should be enacted; but call the attention
| of the Congress to certain existing con-
| iditions with which it is desirab to deal.
| vision which such law should contain
is that comforting upon some competent
administrative body the power to decide.
| upon the case being brought before it,,
| whether a given rate prescribed by a rail-
| road is reasonable and lust. and if it is
found to be unreasonable and unjust,
| then, after full investigation of the COM
| plant to prescribe the limit of rate
| the maximum reasonable rate, as it is
commonly calied-this decision to go into
| effect within a reasonable time and to
| obtain from thence onward, subject to
review by the courts. 1t sometimes hap
| high but that favored shipper is given
| too low n rate In such case the commits
already Established minimum rate as
the maximum and it would need
only, one or two such decisions
| panies of the practice of giving improper
| minimum rates 1 call your attention to
the fact that my proposal is not to give
| originate rates generally, but to regulate
roads upon complaint and after investi-
| cation. \ heavy penalty should he ex-
| acted from any corporation which falls
| to respect an order of the commission.
| regard this power to establish maximum
| rate as being essential to any scheme of
| real reform in the matter of railway
regulation. The first necessity is to Sc
| cure it: and unless it is granted TO the
commission there is little use in touch
| ing the subject at all.
Continuing, the President earnestly
disclaims any spirit of hostility to
the railroads, pointing out the bene-
fits to be derived by the fair-dealing
roads in the even-handed administra-
ton of justice. In this both the hon
est railroad man and the honest ship
per alike would be benefited. Ending
the subject, the President says: