The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-12-05
lca .nnea from DC one.l

r
represents the people as a whole
some effective power of supervisor
over their corporate use In order
z TO insure a healthy social and indus
tria life, every big corporation
should be held responsible by, and
be accountable to, come sovereigns
strong enough to control its con-
duct. am in no sense hostile to
corporations. This is an age of
combination, and any effort to pre-
vent all combination will be not
only useless, but in the end vicious
because Of the contempt for law
which the failure to enforce law in
eyitably produces. We should.
moreover, recognize in cordial and
ample fashion the immense good eff
fected by corporate agencies in a
country such as ours, and the wealth
OF. intellect, energy, and fidelity de-
voted to their service, and therefore
normally to the service of the pub
lie. by their officers and directors.
The corporation has come to stay,
Just as the trade union has come to
stay. Each can do and has done
great good. Each should be favor
ed so long as it does good. But
each should be sharply checked
where it acts against law and Justice.
So long as the finances of the Ma
ton are kept upon an honest basis
no other question of internal ecen-
.ornv with which the Congress has
the power TO Zeal begins to approach
in importance The matter of endeav-
.oring to secure proper industrial
conditions under which the indivld-
uaIs-and especially the great cor
porations-doing an interstate bust
ness are to act. The makers of our
National Constitution provided es-
pecially that the regulation of inter
state commerce should come within
the sphere of General Government
The arguments in favor of their
taking this stand were even then
Overwhelming. But they are far
stronger today, in view of the enor-
NOUS development of great business
agencies. usually corporate in form.
Experience has shown concluslvey
that it is useless to try to get any
adequate regulation and supervisor
of these great corporations by State
action. Such regulation and super
vision can only be effectively exercls-
cd by a sovereign whose jurisdiction
is coextensive with the field of work
of the corporations-tha Is, by the
National Government. believe
that this regulation and supervisor
can he obtained by the enactment OF
law bv the Congress. If this proves
impossible. it will certainly be neces'
sarv ultimately to confer in fullest
form such po--er 7pen the National
Government hv .. proper amendment
of the Constitution. 1t would Cd
viouslv be unwise to endeavor to Sc
cure such an amendment until 1t isl
certain that the result can not be Cd
tanned under the Constitution as IL
now is. The laws of the Congress
and of the several States hitherto, as
passed upon by the courts, have re-
suited more often in showing thai
the States have no power III thel
matter than that the National Gov
eminent has power: so that there az
present exists very unfortunate
condition of things, under when
these great corporations doing an IN
ferstate business occupy the position
of subjects without sovereign
neither any State government nor
The National Government having ell
fective control over them. Our
steady aim should be by legislation
cautiously and careful undertaken
hut resolutely persevered in, to as
SORT the sovcreis---' - of the National
Government by affirmative action
This is only in form an innova
ton. In substance it is merely a.
restoration; for from the earliest
time such regulation of industrial
activities has been recognized IN th'
action of the law-making bodies :;
and all that | prorose is to meet the
changed conditions in such man
ner as will prevent the Common
wealth abdicating the power it has
ALWAYS possessed. not only in tins
country but also in England before
and since this country became a
separate Nation.
1t has been a misfortune that the
national laws on this subject have
hitherto been of negative or pro-
hibitive rather than an affirmative
kind. and still more that they have
in part sought to prohibit what could
- ho effectively prohibited, and