Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1906-10-04

protecting arm alone enables them to
exist. only the nation can do this work
To relegatc It to the States is farce.
ahd is simply another way Of saying that
II shall not be done at all.
Under a wise and farseeing interpreta-
icn Of the interstate commerce clause Of
the Constitution, / maintain that tho
National Government should have COM
plete power to deal with all Of this wealth
which in any way goes into the commerce
between the states-and practically all
OF It that is employed in the great cor
porations does thus go in. The national
legislators should most scrupulously
avoid any demagogic legislation about the
business use Of this wealth. and should
realize that il would be better to have no
legislation at all than legislation couched
either in a vindlctive spirit Of hatred to-
ward men Of wealth or else drawn with
the recklessness Of impractcable vision
aries. But, on the other hand 1t shall
and must ultimately be understood thatI
the United States Government, on behalf
of the people OF the United States has
and is to exercise the power Of super
vision and control ever the business use
Of this wealih-in the first place, over
all the work Of the common carriers of
tho nation, and in the next place over the
work Of all the great corporations which
directly or indirectly do any interstate
business whatever-and this includes al
most all Of the great corporations,
Lauds Senator Knox.
During the last few years the National
Government has taken very long strides
in the direction Of exercising and securing
this adequate control over the great cor
porauons and it was under the leader
ship Of one Of the most honosed public
men in our country, one of Pennsyl-
vania's most eminent sons-the present
Senator. and then Acknowledgement
KnoN-that the new departure was be-
gun. Events have moved fast during the
last five years. and it is curious to look.
back at the extreme bitterness which not
merely the spokesman and representatives
OF organized wealth. but many most OK
cellent conservative people then felt as to
the action of Mr.. Knox and Of the Adj
ministration.
Many Of the greatest fnanciers Of this
country were certain that Mr.. Knox's
Northern Securities suit. il won, would
plunge US. into the worst panic we had
ever seen. They denounced as Indictment
to anarchy. as an apology for socialism,
the advocacy Of policies that either, have
now become law or are in fair way of
becoming law; and yet these same poll
cles so far from representing either an
archy or socialism. were in reality the
anvidotes to anarchy, the ant.do,es to
socialism. To exercise a constantly liz
crcasing and constantly more efficient
supervision and control over the great
common carriers of the country prevents
all necessity for seriously considering
such a project as the Government owner
ship Of railroads. policy which would be
evil in its results from every standpoint
Extension of National Power.
A similar extension Of the national
power to oversee and secure correct be-
havior in the management Of al great
corporations engaged In interstate bust
ness will in similar fashion render far
more stable the present system by doing
away with those grave abuses which are
not only evil in themselves but are 50
evil because they furnish an excuse for
agitators to in1ame well-meaning people
against all forms Of property and TO
commit the country TO schemes of wild,
would-be remedy which would work in
nnFtely more harm than the disease it.
self. The Government ought not to cor
quot the business Of the country; but il
ought TO regulate II so that It shall be
conducted in the interest Of the public.
Perhaps the best justification of the
course which in the National Govern
ment We have been pursuing in the past
few years. and which we intend steadily
and progressively to pursue in the future,
is that 1t is condemned with almost equal
rancor alike by the reactionaries-the
Bourbons-on one side, and by the wild
apostles of unrest on the ether. The
. reactionary is bitterly angry because we
have deprived him Of that portion of his
power which he misuses to the public
hurt the agitator is angered for various
reasons. including among others the fact
that by remedying rhe abuses we have
deprived him of the fulcrum of real
grievance, which alone renders the lever
OF irrational agitation formidable
We have actually accomplished mucn.
/ But we have not accomplished all. nor
anything like all, that we feel must be
accomplished We shall not halt; we
shall steadily follow the path we have
marked out, executing the laws we have
succeeded in putting upon the statute
books with absolute impartialty as be-
tween man and man. and unresting in
our endeavor to strengthen and supple
ment these by further laws which snail
enable us in more efficient and more sum-
mary fashion TO achieve the ends we have
in view.
Have Accomplished Much.
During the last few years Congress has
had to deal with such vitality important
questions as providing for the building OF
the Panama Canal, inaugurating the vast
system Of national irrigation in the States
os the Great Plains and the Rocky Noun
tains. providing for a Pacific cable, and
so forth Yet in addition to these tasks.
some of which are of stupendous impor-
tanoe, Congress has taken giant strides
along the path of Government regulation
and control Of corporations; the inter
state-commerce law has been made ef-
fective in radical and far-reachlng fash
ion, rebates have been stopt, a pure-fond
law has been past, proper supervis on Of
the meat-packing business provided, and
the Bureau Of Corporations established
bureau which has already done great