The Cairo bulletin., 1906-10-05

a law containing a provision which
most earnestly hope win in substance
be embodied likeswise In law by the
congress at the coming sessian- {
provision prohibiting the officers O
any corporation f9am making con
tribuion Of the money OF hat cor
poration to any candidate or any 20
ifical committee for the payment o
any election expenses whatever
Denounces Child Labor.
It is surely net too much to sa5
that this body of suh.fantive legisla
ton marks an epoch in the history OF
the practical betterment Of p0litica
conditions, not merely for your state
but for all our states I do not recall
any her state legislature which, in a
similar leagth af time, has 10 it
credit such body Of admirable egis
lation Let me, however most earnest.
~ urge that ycur legislature continue
this record of public service by enact
/ ing one or two additional laws. One
subject which every good citizen
should have at hear above almost all
Iothers is the matter Of child labor
Everywhere the great growth of mod.
! ern industralsm has been accom-
IpGnied by abuses in connection with
| the employment Of labor which have
Inecessitated a complete change in
the attitude Of he state toward labor
This Is above all true in connection
with The nmploymca, Of child labor
In Pennsylvania you have made a be-
ginning, but only a beginning. in
proper legislation and administration
On thi5 subject; the law must If neces
sary be strengthened and it mus be
Vigorously enforced The national gov
eminent can do but little in the mat
ter Of child labor though | earnestly
nope thar that little will be permitted
to be done by congress. The great
bulk of the work, however, must be
left to the state legislatures and If
our state leg. latures would act as
drastically and yet as wisely on this
subject Of child labor as Pennsylvania
has acted within the present year as
regards the subject ! have enumer.
ated above, the gain would be literally
incaIcuable; and one of the most
vital needs of modern American life
would at las be daquately met
So much for the state. Now for the
nation; and here can not do better
than base my theory of governmental
action upon the words and deeds of
one of Pennsylvania greatest soas,
Justice James Wilson Wilson's ca.
reer has been singularly overlooked
for many years, but believe that
more ana more Il is now being AIDE.
quately appreciated.
In a remarkable letter in which he
advocated setting forth in early and
clea, fashion the powers of the ma
tional government, he laid down the
proposition that it should be made
clear that there We're neither vacan-
Gle nor interferences between the
ton, and that both jurisdictions to.
gether composed only one uniform
and comprehensive system Of govern
ment laws. that is, whenever the
states can not act because the need
20 be met is one of merely a single
locality then the national government
represent ng all the people, SHOULD
have complete power to act. II was In
he spirit of Wilson that Washngton's
lieutenant Hamilton. acted and it
was in the same spirit that Marshall
construed the law
It is only by acting in this spirit
that the national judges, legislators
and executives can give a satisfac-
tory solution Of the great question
of the present day-the question Of
providing on behalf Of the sovereign
people the means which will enable
the people in effective form TO assert
their sovereignty over the immense
corr. ratiols of the day. Ger ain Judi. |
cial decisions have done just what
Wilson feared. they have. a. a matter !
of fact. left vacancies. left blanks be- |
tween the limits OF pos iulc state /
and the limits OF actual |
national iuri.dic ion over The control |
of the great business corporations. II !
is the narrow construction bf the |
powers of the national government
which IN our Democracy has proved |
the chief means of limiting the ma
ti0nal power 40 cut ouJ abuses. and |
which is now the chief bulwark of |
hose great moreyed interests which |
oppose and dread any attempt 10 |
place them under efficient govern |
mental control
The government ought not to con |
duct the business Of the country: but |
il ought 10 regulate II SO that ir shall |
DE- conducted in the interest of the |
public.
Perhaps the best Justification Of the /
course which in the national govern
ment we have been pursuing in the /
past few years. and which We intend /
steadily and progressively 20 pursue /
in the future. is that it is condemned /
with almost equal rancor alike 10y tae I
reactionaries- Boufbons-on one |