The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-12-15

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whatever II We sucuumb to the other.
In the end the honest n1an,Whether rich
or poor, who earns his own living and
tries to deal justly by his fellows. has
as much to fear from the insincere
and unworthy demagogt promising
much and performing nothing. or else
performing nothing but evil. who
would set on the mob TO plumber the
rich. as from the crafty eorruptionist
who, for his own ends, would permit
the common people to be exploited by
the very wealthy. If we ever let this
government fall into the hands of men
Of either of these two classes. we shall
show ourselves false to Americas past.
Moreover. the demagog and corrup-
ZIONIST often work hand in hand. There
are at this moment wealthy reaction
aries of such obtuSe morality that they
regard the public servant who prose-
cutes them when they violate the law,
or who seeks to make them bear their
proper share of the public burdens, as
being even more Objectionable than
the mob to plumber the rich. There is
nothing to choose between such a re-
dictionary and such N agitator; funda-
mentally they are alike In their selfish
it is natural that they should join in
opposition to any movement of which
the aim is fearlessly to do exact and
even justice to all. III
Railroad Employees Hours.
He asks for the passing Of the bill linz
ttlfS the nuHDGFa OF hours OF
employment of railroad employees, and
classes the measure as a very moderate
one. he says the aim of all should be
to steadily reduce the number of hours
Of labor, with as a goal the general in
PRODUCTION Of an eight-hour day, but in
sists that on the Isthmus OF Panama the
conditions are SO different from what
they are here that the Introduction of an
eight-hour day on the canal would be
absurd, and continues, Just about as alb
snrd as it is, so far as the isthmus is
1.,t1 Is
employed, TO bother as to whether the
work is done by alien black men or alien
yellow men,
Investigation of Disputes.
He urges the enactment of a drastic
child labor law for the District of Co
1umbia and the territories, and federal
investigation of the subject of child and
female labor throughout the country
He reviews the work of the commission
appointed to investigate labor conditions
~ the coal fields Of Pennsylvania in 1902
and refers to the wish of the commission
that the state and federal governments
should provide the machinery for what
may be called the compulsory inyestiga-
ton of controversies between employers
and employees when they arise. After
referring to the fact that a bill has al
ready been introduced to this end he
says:
Many of these strikes and lockouts
would not have occurred had the parties
to the dispute been required to appear
I6IOIG dH uItpT6JuQlC6u DOQy representing
the nation and, face to face, state the
reasons for their contention. In most
instances the dispute would doubtless be
found to be due to a misunderstanding
by each of the others rights, aggravated
by an unWiliingness of either party to ae-
eept as true the statements of the other
as to the justice or injustice Of the mat
tiers in dispute. The exercise of a 5u-
dicial spirit by a disinterested body
representing the federal government.
such as would be provided by a commits
would tend to create an atmosphere Of
friendliness and Cancellation between con-
tending parties; and the giving each side
an equal opportunity to present fully its
case in the presence of the other would
prevent many disputes from developing
into serious strikes or lockouts, and IN
other cases, would enable the commls-
sion to persuade the opposing parties to
come to terms.
In this age of great corporate and Ia
Dor combinations. neither employers nor
employees should be left completely at
the mercy of the stronger party to dis.
pute, regardless of the righteousness Of
their respective claims. The proposed
measure would be in the line of securing
recognition of the fact that in many
strikes the public has itself an interest
which cannot wisely be disregarded, an
fence, for the question of a just and
proper public policy must also be con-
sidered. In all legislation of this kind
each step be ih aea aetga resus step
proposed can surely be safely taken, for
the decisions of the commission would
not bind the parties in legal fashion, and
yet would give a chance for public opin
ion to exert it's full force for she right
Control OF Corporations.
A considerable portion of the message
is devoted to the subjet of federal con-
troll of corporations in what he refers to
the passage at the last session of the
rate, meat inspection and food laws, and
says that all of these have already just
the amendment OF the meat inspection
law SO as to put dates on the labels OF
meat products. and also to place the
than on the government. Continuing on
this subject Of the control of corporations
by the federal government he says:
1T cannot too often be repeated that ex-5
perience has conclusive1y shown the I'M
possibility of securing by the actions OF
nearly half hundred different state
legislatnres anything d b1t in T5fe 1be
great corporations which do not operate
exclusively within the limits Of any one
state. In some method, whether by
we must exercise, and that at an early
date, a far more complete control than
at present over these great corpora
tions-a control that will among other
things prevent the evils Of excessive
capitalization, and that Will cOmpei
the disclosures by each big corporation
OF Its stockholders ana Oh It's properties
and business. whether owned directly or
thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations.
This will tend to put stop to the secuF-
ing Of inordinate profits py favore e.
individuals at the expense whether or
the general public, the stockholders, or
the wageWorkers. Our effort should pc
not so much to prevent consolidation as
such, but SO to supervise and control IL
as to see that it results in no harm 70
the people, The reactionary or ultracon-
servative apologists for the misuse OF
control as a step toward socialism As
matter OF fact ii is these reactionaries
and ultraconservatiyes who are them
selves most potent in increasing socialis-
tic feeling. one Of the most efficient
methods of averting the consequences OF
a dangerous agitation, which is ~ per
cent. wrong, is to remedy Ihe ~ per cent 1s2a1
founded. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governmental
ownership OF railways IS 70 secure py
the government on behalf of the people
as a whole such adequate control and
regulation Of the great interstate COM
mon carriers as will do away with the
evils which give rise to the agitation
against them. So the proper antidote
to the dangerous and wicked agitation
against the men of wealth as such Is to
tive action the abolition of the grave
abuses which actually do obtain In con-
nection with the business use OF Wealtn
under our present sysas- ctaa T ann ad t.
auafe control at all. Some persons speak
as if the exercise Of such go eve rs15a1
of individual initiative and dwarf indi-
yidual effort. This rs not a fact. It
would be veritable calamity to fail to
put premium upon individual inlt aa t,s
energy es character and foresight WHICH
it IS SO important 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
Individual character which they would
49,. - 11,o,,+ "a ra In mart achieved by the