Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-12-06

ereduetien Of an oinht-hour day. but in-
1igts that on the Isthmus Of Panama the
conditions are 40 different from what
they are here that the introduction OF IN
cight-hour day on the canal would be
absurd, and continues Just about as abb
concerned. where white labor capnot be
employed, to bother aa 10 whether the
work is done BY alien black mos or allen
yellow men
Investigation - plspvtos.
He urges The enactment Of q drastic
child labor law for the District OF Co
lurbia 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
In 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 inveetga-
ton of controversies between employers
and employees when they arise" After
referring to the fact that 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
before an unprejudced body representing
thu nation and, face to face state the
reasons for their contention. In most
instances the dispute would doubtless be
found to be due 20 a misunderstanding
by each of the others rights, aggravated
by an unwillingness of either party to ac-
cept as true the statements of the other
as to the justice or injustice of the mat
ters in dispute The exercise of a ju-
dicial spirit by disinterested body
representing the federal government
such as would be provided by a commits
sion on Cancellation and arbitration
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 commits
sion to persuade the opposing parties to
come TO terms.
I'm this age of great corporate and la
Dor combinations, neither employers nor
employees should be left completely at
the mercy Of the stronger party to a 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
interest not merely of general conven-
fence, for the question of just and
proper public policy must also be con-
sidered. In ali legislation of this kind
1t Is well to advance cautiously, testing
each step by the actual results: the 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 its full force for the right.
Control Of Corporations.
A considerable portion of the message
is devoted to the subject 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
fed their enactment, but recommends
the amendment of the meat inspection
law so as to put dates on the labels OF
meat products, and also to place the
IF on hackers rather
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-
perienee has conclusively shown the inn.
possibility of securing by the actions OF
nearly half a hundred different state
chass IN the a Wsy dealing %tS the
great corporations which do not operate
exclusively within the limits Of any one
state: IN some method, W tStn . ~ a
we must exercise, and that at an early
date, a far more complete control than
at present over these great corpora
things prevent the evils OF excessive
overcapitalization, and that Will compel
the disclosures by each big corporation
of it's stockholders and of its properties
and business, whether owned directly or
thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations
This will tend to put stop to the secur-
ing. Of inoTdipate profits by favored
the general public, the stockholders, or
the wagewOrkers. Our effort should De
not so much to prevent consolidation, as
such, but so to supervise and control Il
as to see that il results IN no harm TO
the people The reactionary or ultracon-
sentative apOlOgists for the misuse o.
wealth assail the effort to secure sucn
control as a step toward socialism. AS a
matter of fact il is these reactlonarle
and ultraconservatiVeS who are them
selves most potent in increasing soelalis-
10 ina nnn Of efficient
methods of aYerting the consequences OF
a dangerous agitation, which 10 oO per
cent. wrong, is to remedy the 20 per cent
OF evil as to which the agitation is Wei
founded. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governmental
ownership of railways is to secure py
as a whole such adequate control ana
regulation OF the great Interstate com
mon carriers as will do away with the
evils which give rise to the agitatio-
against them. So the proper antidott
to the dangerous and wicked agltatoi
against the men of wealth as such Is 70
secure by proper legislation and eXecu-
tive action the abolition OF the grave
abuses which actually do obtain In con
nection with the business use of wealth
under our present system-or rather NJ"
quate control at ALL Some persons speak
as If the exercise of such governmental
control would do away with the freedom
of individual initiative and dwarf indi,
would be a verltable calamity TO ran 10
put a premium upon individual imtiauve,
individual capacity and effort; upon the
energy character and foresight which
II is so important to encourage In the
individual. But as a 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
bring about, are in part achieved by the
wholly unregulated competition which
results in a single individual or corpor-
alton rising at the expense of all others
until his OF its rise efectually checks all
competition and reduces former compeu-
tors to position Of utter inferiority and
subOrdinatiOn.
I'm enacting and enforcing such legis-
lation as this congress already has TO its
credit we are working on coherent
plan, with the steady endeaVor to secure
the needed reform by the joint action or
the moderate men, the plain men who
do not wish anything hysterlcal or
dangerous, but who do intend to deal
in resolute commonsense fashion with
The real and great evils of the present
system The reactionaries and the VIC
lent extremists show symptoms of join
ing hands against us. Both assert, for
Instance, that If logical, we should go
TO government ownership of railroads
and the like; the reactionaries, because
on such an issue they think the people
would stand with them, while the ex-
tremists care rather to preach discomfort
and agitation than to achieve solid re-