Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-05

in increasing socialistic feeling. One
of the most efficient methods of avert
ing the consequences of 4 dangerous
agitation which is 80 per cent wrong
Is to remedy the 90 per cent of evil
as to which the agitation is we'll found
ed. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governmental
ownership of railways is to secure by
IL" government, on behalf Of the peo-
pie rs whole, such adequate control
ard regulation of the great interstate
common carriers as will do away with
the evils which give rise to the agita-
tiCn against them. So the proper an
tldote to the dangerous and wicked
agitation against the men Of wealth as
such is to secure by proper legislation
and executive action the abolition Of the
grave abuses which actually do obtain
in connection with the business use OF
wealth under our present system, OF,
rather, no system, of failure to eXer-
else any adequate control at all. Some
persons speak as IL the exercise of such
governmental control would do away
with the freedom Of individual initia-
tive and dwarf individual effort This
is not q fact. 1t would he veritable
calamity to fail to put a premium upon
Individual initiative, individual capaci-
ty and effort, upon the energy, char
acter and foresight which it is so i'm
portant to encourage in the individual.
But, as matter Of fact, the deadening
and degrading effect of pure socialism,
and especially of its extreme form,
communism, and the destruction Of in
dividual character which they would
bring about are in part achieved by
the wholly unregulated competition
which results in single individual or
corporation rising at the expense Of all
others until his or its rise effectually
checks all competition and reduces
former competitors to Il position Of ut
ter inferiority and subordination.
In enacting and enforcing such leg
islation as this congress already has to
its credit we are working on coherent
plan, with the steady endeavor to Sc
cure the needed reform by the joint
action Of the moderate men, the plain
men who do not wish anything hys-
terlcal or dangerous, but who do in
tend to deal in reSolute common sense
fashion with the real and great evils
of the present system. The reaction
aries and the violent extremists show
symptoms of Joining hands against us.
Both assert, for instance that, if log
tool CT, 90 70 1oy- nnf
ership Of railroads and the like, the re-
dictionaries because on such an issue
they think the people would stand with
them, while the extremists care rather
to preach discomfort and agitation than
to achieve solid results. AS a matter
Of fact, our position is as remote from
that Of the Bourbon reactionury as
from that of the impracticlble or Sin
lister visionary. We hold that the gov
eminent should not conduct the bust
! ness of the nation. but that it should
! exercise such supervision rs will in
sure its being conducted in the inter
est of the nation Our aim is, 50 far
as may be. to secure for all decent,
! Woodworking men equality of oppor
tunity and equality of burden.
Necessity or Combinations.
| The actual working OF our laws has
! shown that the e.Iort to prohibit all
| combination. good or bad, is noNiOus
where it is not ineffective. Combina-
/ ton of capital, like combination of Ia
! Dor, is 4 necessary element of our pres
. 1I,t industrial CT
| bic completely to prevent it, and if it
We're possible such complete proven
! ton would d. damage to the body pol
/ lite. What We need is not vaiuly to
try to prevent all combination. but to
secure such rigorous and adequate con-
troll and supervision of the combina-
tons as to prevent their injuring the
public or existing in such form as in
evitably to threaten injury, for the
mere fact that Il combination has Sc
cured practically complete control of
necessary of life would under any
circumstances show that such comb
nation was to be presumed to be adj
verse 10 the public interest 1t is I'M
fortunate that our present laws should
forbid all combinations instead Of
sharply discriminating between those
combinations which do good and those
combinations which do evil.
Rebates, for instance, are as often
due to the pressure Of big shippers las
was shown in the investigation Of the
Standard Oil company and as has been
shown since by the investigation of
the tobacco and sugar trusts as to the
Initiative of big railroads. Often rail
roads would like to combine for the
purpose of preventing Il big shipper
from maintaining improper advantages
at the expense of small shippers and
Of the general public. Such combina-
ton, instead Of being forbidden by
law, should be favored. In other words
it should be permitted to railroads to
make agreements, provided these agree
ments were sanctioned by the inter
state commerce commission and were
published. With these two conditions
complied with, it is impossible to see
what harm such combination could
do to the public at large 1t IS public
| oyi1 n boy-a fhn cfo+ In,