The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1906-12-07

| of labc~, with as q goal the general In
PRODUCTION OF an eght-hour day. but IN
sists that on the 1sthmus OF Panama the
they are here that the introduction OF an
eight-hour day on the canal would pc
absurd. and continues, Just about as ap-
concerned, where white labor cannot be
employed, to bother as to whether the
work is done by alien black mon or alien
yellow men,"
Investigation OF Disputes.
He urges the enactment OF a drastic
child labor law Tor the D nnd s 1a
Investigation OF the subject OF child ana
female labor throughout the country.
He reviews the work OF the commisis,Os
| In the coal fields of Pennsylvania IN lYVz,
and refers to the wish of the commission
that the state and federal governments as
should provide the machinery for what
may be called the compulsory investga-
ton of controversies between employers
and employees when they arise Sc; ,. Afs ger
ready been introduced to this end ne
MANY of these strikes and lockouts
| would not have occurred had the parties
to the dispute been required to appear
before an unprecedented body representing
the nation and, face to face, state tne
instances the dispute would doubtless be
| found to be due to misunderstanding
by each of the others rights, aggravated
by an unwlllngness OF either party 70 o,h hs
as to the justice or injustice. of the mat
tiers in dispute. The exercise OF ~.
dcal spirit by .S Ssnter ssSs1nm Seay
such as would be provided by commits.
sion on Cancellation and arbitrator,
| would tend to create an atmosphere OIL
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 , IRON HeVe snd II
| other cases. would enable the commis-
sion to persuade the opposing parties 10
| come to terms.
Dor combinations, neither employers nor
employees should be left completely at
the mercy OF the stronger party to dis.
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 in.ere %,
interest not merely of general conven,
fence, for the question OF a Just ana
proper public policy must also pc con
it is we'll to advance cautiously. testing
each step by the actual results; the step
| proposed can surely be safely taken. l9I
not bind the parties in legal fashion, and
yet would give a chance for Pubic 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 ne re1ers 10
the passage at the last session OF tne
saws that all of these have already 1usti-
| fed their enactment, but recommends
the amendment of the meat inspection
law SO as to put dates on the labels OF
| and also to place Ine
cost of inspection on the packers rather e,,
than on the government. Continuing on
this subject Of the control OF corporauohs
| by the federal government ne says.
| "It cannot too often be repeated that ex-
perience has conclusively shown the i'm.
possibility of securing by the action sto 20
nsas1s hsif ANYTHING nahaseo but ineecye
chaos chaos in the way Of dealing with the
great corporations which do not operate
exclusively within the mi ssbe 81 amy by 1"
national license law or In other iasn non,
we must exercise, and that at an cary
date, a far more complete controi .na4i
at present over these great corp pthar
tions-a control that will among other
/ things prevent the evils OF excessive
DISQUALIFICATION, and that VIII compei
| the disclosures by each big corporation
of its stockholders and of its properties
| and business, whether owned directly OF
thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations.
This will tend to put a stop to the secur
ing of inordinate profits by. favored
| inSividuaIs at the expense whether of
the general public, the stockholoeTIsdi p Se
the wageworkers. our enor. srV tinn &c
such, but so to supervise and controi II
as to see that it results in no marin "
the people The reactona Iy or misuse of
wealth assail the effort to secure suct'
control as a step toward socialism. AS Ia d
matter of fact it is these reactionarles
| and ultraconservatives who are tnem-
selves most potent in increasing sociaIs.
tic feeling One of the most efhclentt
| methods OF averting the consequences OF
a dangerous agitation, whieh On Is ,or cV cent pv
of evil as to which the agitation Is well
founded. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governments ID,
| ownership of railways Is to secure py
the government on behalf of the people
| as a whole such adequate controi anu
| regulation OF the great interstate com
| mon carriers as will do away WIZ tne
| evils which give rise to the agltatlon
against them. So the proper antlt tiu,,
| TO the dangerous and wicked agitauoIl
against the men OF Weait H. as o Sdcn erecu.
tive action the abolition OF the slano
abuses which actually do obtain IN con,
nection with the business use OF weai III
under our present system-or rather no
system-of failure to exercise any aue
uuate control at all. Some persons SPEAK
as II the exercise of such goverhm e5oa,
control would do away with the freedom
| Of Individual initiative and dwarf inoi.
vidual effort. This is not fact. ;, II
would be a veritable calamity to fall 10
mt n premium upon individual Initiative,
Individual capacity and effort; upon the
| energy, character and foresight wnich
| IL is SO important to encourage IN the
| Individual But as a matter OF 1act tne
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 or its rise effectually checks all
competition and reduces former competi,
tors to a position of utter inferiority and
subordination. III.
"In enacting and enforcing such iesis-
lation as this congress already has to It's
credit we are working on coherent
nlan. with the steady endeavor to secure
the needed reform by the joint action OF
the moderate men, the plain men who
4 do not wish anything hystericai or
dangerous but who do Intend TO oeai
in resolute commonsense fashion Win
the real and great evils OF the present
system The reactionaries and the vio-
lent extremists show symptoms OF join
| ing hands against us. Both assert, Tor
instance, that II logical. we should 60
| 10 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.