Daily Kennebec journal., 1905-08-12

"ic'cu IN Chicago, it is impossible
longer 10 show leniency. Moreover. II
the existing law proves to be made
quate, SO that under established rules
"i o'iuehce clear violations Nay not
be readily proved. defiance of the law
must inevitably lead to further legis-
E''oii. ms legislation may be more
craStic than | would prefer. If so. it
must pe distinctly understood that it
VIII De because of the stubborn deter
inination of some of the great corati-
hatlohs IN striving To prevent the en-
l"rccihcht of the law as 1t stands, by
ioVcry ueVice, legal and illegal. Very
many of these men seem to Think thnt
lhe alternative is simply between sub-
mitting to the mild kind of rovern-
heh'ai control we advocate and the
absolute freedom to do whatever they
ith'nk pest. They are greatly in error.
Either they will hav, 10 submit to rco-
Soha"ie supervision and regulation by
lhc litionll authorities, or else they
VIII ultimately have to submit to gov
trhhhchtal action of a far m re Lra site
type. personally, | think our people
would pc most unwisc if they let any
transportation due to the acts of certain
great corporations drive them into
dr"Stlc action and ! should Oppos a.
Such action. But the great corpora
| llons are themselves 10 blame if by
u" II opposition to what is legal ard
JuHt 'hey foster tho popular feeling
"lich tclls for such drastic action.
some great corporations resort to ev-
| cry technical expedicnt to render en-
| IoTccmpnf nf
'hoir obstructive tactics and refusal t.
acG'ilesce lin the policy of the law have
taxed to the utmost the machinery of the
department of Justice. IN my juds-
| iilcnt congress may we'll inquire whether
| II Should not seek other means for car
iNlhE into effect the law ! believe that
ah corporations engaged in interstate
commerce should be under the super
vision of the National Government. |
"o not beleve in taking steps hastily
or raShiy, and ii may be that all that
Is necessary in the immediate future
Is 10 pass an intcrstate-commerce bill
cohicrHinE upon some branch of the
executive government the power of ef-
fcctivc action to remedy the abuses in
connection with railway transportation
Rut IN the end. and in my Judgment at
| time not very far off, we shall have to,
| or at least we shall find that we ought
to. take further action as regards ali
corporations doing interstate business.
RI enormous increase IN Interstate
trade. resulting from the Industrial de-
vclopmcnt of the last quarter of q con-
tury, makes it proper that the Federal
Government should. 50 far as may be
-,
policy. assume Il degree Of admi,istra-
tive control of these great corporations
1t may we'll be that we shall find that
the only effective way of exercising this
supervision is to require all corporations
engaged in interstate commerce to pro-
duce hfoof saiEsfactory. say, do Yhc Der
partmrut q Commerce. that they are not
parties to any contract or comhi,,a ion
or engaged in any monopoly i'll inter-
state trade in violation of the anti
trust law. and that their conduct on
certain other SpcGu"d points is proper:
an:, moreover, Jsit- these corporations
s'lIail agree. with 4 penalty Of forfeiture
Of their right to "nlaa" III such com
rerCc. TO furnish any evidence Of any
kind as to their trade between the States
whenever so required by the Department
"f Commerce.
IT is the almost universal policy of the
several States. provided hy statute. thai
f"r'igp C crrortttoi,s may lawfully cor
duct business wnnip their boundaries
only when they prnducc certificates that
they nave complied with thc require
m"ntS Of thcir respective States; in
Other words. that corporations shall not
enjoy the privileges @nd immunitcS af.
i"rd"d ny the State governments with
out first complying with the policy OF
their laws. Now the benefits which cor
ror,tttonS engaged in interstate trade
enjoy under the United States Govern
incnt ar, incalcuible; and in rcspec.
"f snch trade the jurisdiction Of tn,
Federal Government is supreme when
it chooses; to exercise it.
When. as l. row the case, many OF
tn" great corporations consistently
strain the last resources of legal tcchni
cality to av"d obedience to a law for
TN reasonable regulation Of .neir bus
mess. the only U&y effectively % mce:
This attitude on their part is to sivc.
to III" Executive Department Of the
Government Il more direct and therefore
more efficient supervision and control
of their arrangement.
IN speaking against the abuses com
mittcd by certain very wealthy corpora
ti"aS or individuals and of the neceS-
S!ty Of seeking so far as it can safely
b" done to remedy these abuses. there.
Is always danger lost what is said may
bc misintcrprct"d as an attack upon
men Of means generally Now it can
not too often be repeated in IA Rcpub-
lie like ours that the only way by
which ii is possible perma ncntly to bcnc-
tit the condition Of the less able and
less fortunate, is so to shape our policy
that all industrious and efficient pcop.
who act dccently may be benefited; ana
this means, of course. that the benefit
Will come even more to the more able
and more fortunate. IT, under such
circumstances. the less fortunate man
is moved ny envy of his more fortunate to
brother to strik" At the conditions under
which they have both, though uncu,aIly
proSp"r"d. he may rest assured that
while tha result may be tiamaginr 10
the other man. il VIII be even moro
damaging ia himself OF course ain
it-- ~