The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-13
So Says Secretary Root at q
Dinner in New York.
BACK TO HAMILTON.
He Says a More Centralized
Power Is Necessary.
Cites Meat Inspection and Rail-
road Laws as Examples.

New York, Dec. 13.--The secretary OF
state, Euhu Root, was the principal
guest at the eighth annual dinner oil
the Pennsylvania Society of New Yorh
last evening at the Waldorf-Astoria
hotel. More than 700 members Of the
society were present. J. Hampton Robb
the president, presided. Secretary Root
responded to the toast, THE United
States"
Secretary Root discussed the waning
powers Of the states and the augment
ed power of the federal government
The speech handled the Japanese school
situation in San Francisco without men
tioning the city or the state. The eff
forts of San Francisco to dictate Io
the federal government what it snail
do in a matter which has a distinct
federal side, has caused much discus
sion among Washington lawyer recent
ly.
Mr.. Roots speech advocating a strong,
er central government was considered
significant in this connection.
Mr.. Roots Speech.
Mr. Root said in part:
what is to be the future of the
states of the Union under our dual sys-
tenn of constitutional government?
THE conditions under which the
clauses of the constitution distributing
powers to the national and state gov
eminent are now and henceforth to be
applied are widely different from the
conditions which were or could have
been within the contemplation of the
trainers of the constitution, and wide
ly different from those which obtained
during the early years of the republic
1T is plainly to be seen that the
people Of the country are coming to
the conclusion that in certain impor-
tant respects the local laws of
the separate states which were
- =. la
ton and control of the bust
aess which was transacted and the
activity which began and ended with
in the limits of the several states are
inadequate for the due and just con
IrOi of the business and activities
which extend through all the states.
More power of regulation and control
is gradually passing into the hands of
the national government Some tines
by an assertion of the interstate COM
1nerce power, sometimes by an asser-
ton of the taxing power, the national
government is taking up the perform
ance of duties which under the
changed conditions the separate states
are no longer capable of performing
adequately.
Examples of National Questions.
THE federal antitrust law. the
anti-rebate law, the railroad rate law,
the meat inspection law, the oleomar-
garine law, the pure food law are ex-
anlDiCS OF the IpOSC u Tie PcOplG
of the United 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. The process
that fnterweaves the life and action OF
the people in every section of OUT
country with the people of every 9TH
err section continues and will continue
with increasing force and effect. We
are urging forward in development
of business and social life which tends
more and more to the obliteration OF
state lines and the decrease of state
power as compared with national pow
er; the relations Of the business over