The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-12-13
STATE LINES FADING
Secretary Root Makes Argument
For More Centralized Form
of Government.
GROWTH OF FEDERAL POWER

Local Control of Corporations, Mar
riaas and Divorce, Child Labor and
Other Matters riticissd-PennsyIva-
MIA Justice Replies With Exposition
of the Duties Of shs Courts.
New York, Dec. 13. = Secretary Of
State Elihu Root, looked upon as the
mouthpiece Of the administration. in q
speech delivered before the Rennsylv2-
MIA society at the annual dinner, held
in the Waldorf-Astoria, where he
was the guest of the evening. argued
for an obliteration of the rights Of
the states Of the Union and for more
centralized form, OF government.
Mr. Root argued forikhe doing away
with state control IN the matter OF han.
ding corporations, marriage and d.
vorce, child labor and matters Of ma
tional importance and concern.
Sooner or later, Mr. Root predicted,
an interpretation of the constitution
would be found for doing those things
now looked upon as violations Of the
rights of the state.
Pennsylvsnla Justices Reply.
Supreme Court Justice ]. Hay Brown
of Pennsylvania followed Mr.. Root.
His speech IL regard to the duties Of
courts to sit in judgment and curb
lawmakers and executives appeared al.
most like reply to the remarks Of
the secretary of state.
After referring to the conditions thai
existed in the earlier days Of the coun
try and the fact that the trainers OF
the constitution never could have fore
seen a country of 85.00o,000 people
Mr.. Root talked of the growth of the
national sentiment and said the civil
war settled the supremacy Of the ma
ton throughout the territory OF the Un-
ion.
'Tn the wide range of daily life and
activity and interest the old lines be
tween the states and the old barriers
which kept the states as separate COM
munities are completely lost from
sight" he said.
Local Laws Called inadequate.
people of the country are coming to
the conclusion that in certain impor-
tant respects the local laws OF the sep
arate states are inadequate Tor the
due and just control Of tbs business
and activities which extend GzE0ugh-
out all the states and that ne powes
of regulation and control Is gradually
passing into the hands OF the na&irns5
government.
Sometimes by an assertion uk az
interstate commerce poweR, Souseeanase
by an assertion of the taxing pUWsal
the national governments "a taking an
the performance Of duties which usR
der the changed conditions the sep.
arate states are no longer capable oe
adequately performing.
''The federal antitrust law, &nf1-rebaS9
law, the railroad rate law, the meat
inspection law, the oleomargarine law
and the pure food law are examples Of
the purpose OF the people OF the Unit
ed States to DO through the agency OF
the national government the thing
which the separate state governments
formerly did adequately, but no longer
do adequately. The end is not yet.
States 70 Give Up JurisdietioH.
'.New projects of national control are
mooted. Control of insurance, uniform
divorce laws, child labor laws and
many others affecting matters former
" entirely within the cognizance o.
fhe state are prODOsed
"There is but one way in which the
states Of the Union can maintain their
power and authority under. the condi-
tions which are now before us, and
that way is by an awakening on the
part of the states to q realization Of
their own duties to the country at
large Under the conditions which n0w
exist no state can live unto itself sione
aud regulate its affairs with sole ref
erence TO It's own treasury, It's own
conv vAnience, Its own special interests.
Every state is bound to frame Is leg
islation and its administration With
reference not only TO IT'S own special
affairs. but with reference to the effect
ubon all its sister states"
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