Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, 1905-12-14

ont. But the underlying principles, tne
| root principles, in accordance with which
the problem must be solved are entirely
simple. We can get justice and right
dealing only IL we put as Of paramount
importance the principle Of treating man
on his worth as man rather than with
reference to his social position. his occu-
patton, or the class to which he belongs.
There are selfish and brutal men in all
ranks of life. If they are capitalists their
seIfshness and brutality may take the
form of hard Indifference to suffering,
greedy disregard of every moral restraint
which interferes with the accumulation OF
wealth. and cold blooded exploitation OF
the weak: or, if they are laborers, the form
of laZiness, of sullen envy of the more
fortunate, and of willingness to perform
deeds Of murderous violence. Such con-
duct is just reprehenSible in one case
as in the other, and all honest and far
seeing men should join in warning against
it wherever it becomes manifest 1ndivld-
| ual capitalist and individual wage worker,
corporation and union, are alike entitled
to the protection Of the law, and must
alike obey the law. Moreover in addition
to mere obedience to the law, each man,
if he be really good citizen, must show
broad sympathy for his neighbor and genu-
Inc desire to look at any question arising
between them from the standpoint of that
neighbor no less than from his own: and
| to this end it is essential that capitalist
and wage worker should consult freely one
| with the other, should each strive to bring
| closer the day when both shall realize that
| they are properly partners and not enc
mics.
| This government is not and never shall
| be government by a plutocracy. This gov
| ernment is not and never shall be govern
| ment by a mob 1t shall continue to be in
the future what it has been in the past, q
government based on the theory that each
man, rich or poor, is to be treated simply
! and solely on his worth as a man, that all
| his personal and property rights are to be
Safeguarded. and that he is neither to
| h
erS
| Need of Insurance Reform.
The great insurance companies afford
| striking examples of corporations whose
| business has extended so far beyond the
| jurisdiction of the States which created
| them as to preclude strict enforcement Of
supervision and regulation by the parent
| States. In my last annual message / recon-
| mended that the Congress carefully con-
slider whether the power of the bureau of
| corporations can not cOnstitutionally be eX-
| tended to cover interstate transactions in
| insurance" Recent events have emphasized
| the importance of an early and exhaustive
| consideration Of this question: to see wheth-
| err it is not possible to furnish better safe
| guards than the several States have been
| able to furnish against corruption of the
| fragrant kind which has been exposed. 1t
| has been only too clearly shown that GER
| tain of the men at the head of these large
| corporations take but small note of the
| ethical distinction between honesty and dis
honesty; they draw the line only this side
| of what may be called law-honesty, the
| kind of honesty necessary in order to avoid
| falling into the clutches of the law. Of
| course the only complete remedy for this
condition must be found in an aroused pub
| lie conscience, higher sense of ethical con-
duct in the community at large, and espe-
| cially among business men and in the great
profession of the law, and in the growth Of
spirit which condemns all dishonesty
| whether in rich man or in poor man, wheth-
er it takes the shape of bribery or Of black
mail. But much can be done by legislation
which is not only drastic but practical
| There is need Of a far stricter and more
| uniform regulation of the vast insurance
| interests of this country. The United
States should in this respect follow the
policy of other nations by providing ade-
quate national supervision of commercial
| interests which are clearly national in char
| acter.
Revenues and Expenditures.
There is more need of stability than Of
the attempt to attain an ideal perfection in
| the methods of raising revenue; and the
| shock and strain to the business world GER
tain to attend any serious change in these
! methods render such change inadvisable I'M
| less for grave reason. There must be
something like a general agreement among
| the citizens of the several States, as rep
resented in the Congress. that the change
is needed and desired in the interest of the
people as 4 whole: and there should then
be a sincere. intelligent and disinterested
effort to make it in such shape as will com
| bne so far possible, the maximum of
good to the people at large with the mini
| mum of necessary disregard for the special
| interests of localities classes. Unless
our expenditures can he kept within the
| revenues then our revenue laws must be re-
| adjusted.
it should be considered whether it is not
desirable that the tariff laws should pro-
| vide for applying as against or in favor of
| any other nation maximum and minimum
tariff rates established by the Congress. so
| a 70 n in Of
ment between other nations and ourselves
Our Currency System.
Every consideration Of prudence de-
| mands the addition of the element of elias
| ITCHY to our currency system. The evil
does not consist in an inadequate volume
of money, but in the ridigity of this vol
| ume, which does not respond as it should
to the varying needs of communities and
CT seasons. Initiation must be avoided; but
some provision should be made that will
| insure a larger volume of money during
the fall and winter months than in the
less active seasons of the year; so that the
| currency will contract against speculation,
and will expand for the needs of legiti-
mate business.
Purity of Federal Elections.
The power of the government to protect
the integrity of the elections of Its own
officials is inherent and has been recognized
aud affirmed by repeated declarations of
the Supreme Court. There is no enemy of
free government more dangerous and none
so insidious as the corruption of the cleo
toratc. l recommend the enactment of a
law directed against bribery and corrup-
ton in federal elections. Such law
| should include severe penalties against
him who gives or receives brbe intended
| to influence his act or opinion as an elect
or: and provisions for the pubicat ton not
only Of the expenditures for nominations
and elections of all candidates, but also of
all contributions received and expenditures
made by political committees.
| All contributions by corporations to any
l political committe or for any political pur-
pose should be forbidden by law; directors
should not be permitted to use stockhold-
ers' money for such purposes; and, more
over, Il prohibition of this kind would be,
| as far as it went an effective method Of
stopping the evils aimed at in corrupt prac-
tees acts.
The Coming Hague Conference.
The first conference of nations held at
The Hague in 1899, being unable to dispose
of all the business before it, recommended
the consideration and settlement of a num-
Der of important questions by another con-
ference to be called subsequently and at an
early date. In October, 1904. at the in
stance of the Intcrparliamentary Union,
issued invitations to all the powers sigma
tory TO The Hague convention to send dele
gates to such Il conference and suggested
that 1t be again held at The Hague From