The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-12-07

ers with head or hand the men IA
whom American traditions are dear
who love their country and try to act
decently by their neighbors, owe IL Ia
themselves to remember that the most
damaging blow that can be given pop
ular government is to elect an UNI
worthy and sinister agitator on a
Platform OF violence and hypocrisy
Whenever such an issue is raised in
this country nothing can be gained by
finchinR from IL, for IN such case dem
ocrncy Is itself on trial. popular self.
government under republican forms Is
itself on trial. The triumph OF the
mob is just as evil a thing as the trl-
umph of the plutocracy. and TO have
escaped one danger avails nothing
whatever II we sucuumb to the other.
In the end the honest man. 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
ana unworthy d;emagog promising
performing nothing but evil. who
would set on the mob to plumber the
rich. az from the crafty corruptionist.
the common people to he exploited by
the very wealthy. II 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. tho 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-
cutcs 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 violent ngitator who hounds on
the mob to plumber the rich. There is
nothing to choose between such n re-
dictionary and such an agitator. fundn-
mentally they are alike In their selfish
HigrpRnrh Of n nd
II IL natural that they should join in
opposition to any movement OF which
the aim IL fearlessly to do exact and
even justice to all
Railroad Employees Hours.
He asks for the passing Of the bill lin
iting the number OF hours OF
employment OF railroad employees. and
classes the measure as a very moderate
one. He says the aim OF all should he
to steadily reduce the number OF hours
OF labor, with rs goal the general in
PRODUCTION OF an clght-hour day, but in
sists that on the Isthmus OF Panamn 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, lust about as ah-
surd ms II Is. so far as the isthmus is
concerned, where white labor cannot be
employed to bother AS to whether the
work ls done by alien black men or alien
yellow men"
He urges the enactment OF n drastic
child labor law for tho District OF Co
lumba and the territories. and n 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 invcstiga-
ton OF controversies between employ ers
and employees when they arise"
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 50 az 10 put dates on the labels 81
meat products, and also to place the
cost of inspection on the packers rather
than or the government Continuing on
this subject Of the control Of corporations
by the federal government he says;
1T cannot too often bc repeated thnt OK
pcricnCe has ConCluSivcly shown the i'm
possibility OF securing by the nctiOns OF
nearly half hundred different state
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos In the way Of dealing with the
exclusively within the limits OF any one
state. In some method. whether by n
national license law or in other fashion,
we must exercise, and that at an early
at present over these great corpora
tions-n control that will among other
things prevent the evils OF excessive
ovcrCapitalilatIon, 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 sccur-
Ing of lnOrdnate profits by favored
individuals at the expense whether OF
the general public. the stockholders. or
not so much To prevent consolidation as
such, but SO to supervise and control II
as to see that It results In no harm to
the people The reaCtionary or ultrHCon-
sentative apologsts for the misuse OF
wealth assail the effort to secure such
control as II step toward socialism. As a
matter OF fact II Is these roacuonaries
and ultraCOnServatlves who are them
selves most potent in Increasing soCialis-
tie feeling. one Of the most efficient
methods OF avertinR the consequences OF
A dangerous agitation, which Is 80 per
cent. wrong, Is to remedy the 20 per cent.
Df evil as to which the agitation Is well
founded. The best way to avert the very
move for the governmental
the government on behalf OF the people
rs whole such adequate control and
regulation OF the great interstate com
mon carriers as will do away with the !
wills which give rise to the agitation
. sL,ust them, So the proper antidots
10 III" dangerous and wicked agitation
against the men OF wealth as such Is to
secure by proper legislation and cxecu-
Tive action the abolition OF the grave |
abuses which actually do obtain In CON |
lectlon with the business use OF wealth |
under our present system-Or rather no |
Iystem-of failure to exercise any ade- |
iuate control at all. Some persons speak |
~ II the exercise OF such governmental |
control would do away with the freedom |
II individual initiative and dwarf indi- !
iIdual effort. This Is not fact. II |
would be veritable calamity to fall to |
,ut a premium upon individual initiative. |
Individual capacity and effort, upon the |
mercy, character and foresight which /
I is so important TO encourage In the |
Individual. But as a matter of fact the |
leadening and degrading effect OF pure
socialism. and especially Of It's extreme |
orm communism, and the destruction OF |
Individual character which they would |
ring about. are in part achieved by the
Wholly unregulatcd competition which |
esults in a single Individual or corp0r-
Ltlon rising at the expense OF all others
Until his or It's rise efrectually checks all
and reduces former compct-
Ors to position of utter infcri0rity and
inheritance and Income Tax.
II was expected that the president
would refer In some way to his belief
n the necessity for the curbing OF enor-
nous fortunes, and he has done so by
legislation for both in
ONE and an Inheritance tax. He be-