Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1906-12-05
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Continued from Fir & Page1

ZIG NiClllui whereas tne INJURY comes
from what may be called the legiti-
mate risks Of the trade. Compensation
for accidents or deaths due in any line
Of industry to the actual conditions I'M
der which that industry is carried on
should be paid by that portion of the
community for the benefit of which
the industry Is carried on-that is, by
those who profit by the industry. If
the entire trade risk is placed upon the
employer, he will promptly and prop
erly add 1t to the legitimate cost Of pro-
duction and assess it proportionately
upon the consumers Of his commodity.
1t Is therefore clear to my mind that
the law should place this entire "risk
of trade" upon the employer.
Capital and Labor Disputes.
Records show that during the TWEEN
ty years from Jan. 1, 1881, to Dec. 81,
1900, there were strikes affecting H.
500 establishments, and 6,105,694 en-
ployees were thrown out of employ
ment. During the same period there
were 1,005 lockouts, involving nearly
10000 establishments, throwing over
100000 people out Of employment.
These strikes and lockouts involved an
estimated loss to employees Of $307,-
100000 and to employers of $143,000,-
600, total Of $450,000,00O. The public
suffered directly and indirectly prob
ably as great additional loss.
Many of these strikes and lockouts
would not have occurred had the par
ties to the dispute been required to
appear before an unprecedented body
representing the nation and, face to
face, state the reasons for their con-
tention. The exercise of a judicial
spirit by a disinterested body repre-
senting the federal government, such
as would be provided by commission
on Cancellation and arbitration, would
tend to create an atmosphere of friend
illness and Cancellation between con-
tending parties.
Control of Corporations.
1t cannot too often be repeated that
experience has conclusively shown the
impossibility Of securing by the actions
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos in the way of dealing with the
great corporations which do not oper-
ate exclusively within the limits of
any one state. In some method, wheth-
er by national license law or in other
fashion, we must exercise, and that at
an early date, far more complete
control than at present over these great
corporations-a control that will, among
other things, prevent the evils of ex-
cessive overcapitalization and that will
compel the disclosure by each big cor
pOration of Its stockholders and Of Its
properties and business. whether own
ed directly or through subsidiary or
affiliated corporations. This will tend
to put a stop to the securing of inor
dinate profits by favored individuals at
the expense whether of the general
public, the stockholders or the wage
workers. Our effort should be not so
much to prevent consolidation as such,
but so to supervise and control 1t as
to see that It results In no harm to the
people.
Combination of capital. like combina-
ton of labor. Is a necessary element Of
our present Industrial system. 1t Is
not possible completely to prevent 1t,
and IL 1t were possible such complete
prevention would do damage to the
body polite. What we need Is not
vainly to try to prevent all combina-
ton, but to secure such rigorous and
adequate control and supervision Of
the combinations as to prevent their
injuring the public or existing in such
form as inevitably to threaten injury,
for the mere fact that combination
has secured practically complete con-
troll Of necessary Of life would under
any circumstances show that such
combination was to be presumed to be
adverse to the public interest. 1t Is
unfortunate that our present laws
should forbid all combinations instead
Of sharply discriminating between
those combinations which do good and
those combinations which do evil. Re-
bates, for instance. are as often due to
the pressure of big shippers (as was
shown In the investigation Of the
Standard Oil company and as has been
shown since by the investigation Of
the tobacco and sugar trusts) as to the
initiative Of big railroads. Often rail-
roads would like to combine for the
purpose Of preventing a big shipper
from maintaining improper advantages
at the expense of small shippers and
Of the general public. Such a combina-
ton, instead of being forbidden by law,
should be favored. In other words, 1t
should be permitted to railroads to
make agreements, provided these agree
ments were sanctioned by the inter-
state commerce commission and were
published. With these two conditions
complied with it is impossible to see
what harm such a combination could
do to the public at large.
Inheritance and Income Tax.
The national government has long
derived its chief revenue from tariff
on imports and from an Internal or ex-
else tax. In addition to these, there Is
every reason why, when next our sys-
tenn of taxation is revised, the national
government should impose a graduated
inheritance tax and, IL possible, grad
uated income tax.
I am we'll aware that such subject
as this needs long and careful study In
order that the people NAV become IA