The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-04
MODERN EvILS.
.contInuea 90 Pags 30

sembled together i'm the national gov
eminent We're given full and compete
power to work on behalf. OF the peo-
ple He developed even before Mar
shall the doctrine absolutely essen
tiaI not merely to the efficiency out TO
the existence OF this nation) that an
inherent power rested in the nation
outside of the enum Grated powers con-
ferred upon it by the constit utloh, N
an cases where the object involved
was beyond the power OF the several
states and was power ordinarily eN-
ercised by sovereign nations.
I'm a remarkable letter in when
he advocated setting forth in early and
clear fashion the powers of the ma
tfonaf government, he laid down the
proposition that it should be made
clear that there were neither Nacah-
cies nor interferences between the nm
Its OF state and national jurisdiction,
and that both jurisdictions together
composed only one uniform and COM
prehensive system OF government and
laws; that is, whenever the states can
not act, because the need to be met
Is not one of merely a single locality
then the national government repre-
senting all the people. should nave
complete power to act 1T was In the
spirit OF Wilson that Washington, and
Washington's lieutenant Hamilton,
acted; and it was in the same spirit
that Marshall construed the law.
Raps the Courts.
TT is only by acting in this spirit
that the national judges, legislators,
and executives can give a satisfactory
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 SOW
ereignty over the immense corpora
tions of the day. Certain judicial de-
cisions have done Just what Wilson
~ Ia 49,. So
left vacancies. left blanks between the
limits of possible state jurisdiction and
the limits Of actual national jurisdic-
ton over the control Of the great bust
ness corporations. 1t is the narrow
construction of the powers of the ma
tOual government which in our demo-
crazy has proved the chief means Of
limiting the national power to cut out
abuses, and which is now the chief
bUlWark OF those great mon eyed in
forests which oppose and dread any
attempt 10 place them under efficient
governmental control.
Many legislative actions and many
judicial decisions which I am confident
time viii show to have been erroneous
and a damage to the country would
have been avoided if our legislators
and 5urists had approached the mat
ter of enacting and constituting the laws
of the land in the spirit Of your great
Pennsylvanian. Justice Wilson-in the
spirit of Marshall and of Washington.
such decisions put us at great dis
advantage in the battle for industrial
order as against the present industrial
chaos. If we interpret the constitu-
ton in narrow instead of broad fash
ion If we forsake the principles of
Washington. Marshall Wilson and
Hamilton, we as a people viii render
ourselves impotent to deal with any
abuses which may be committed by the
men who have accumulated the enOr-
nous fortunes of today, and who use
these fortunes in still vaster corpor-
ate form in business.
The legislative or Judicial actions
and decisions Of which L complain, be
II remembered, do not really leave to
the states power to deal with corpor-
ate wealth in business. Actual expert
ence has shown that the states are
wholly powerless to deal with the sub
lecti ana any action or decision that
depriVes the nation of the power to
deal with it, simply results in leaving
the corporations absolutely free to
work without any effective supervision
whatever; and such q course is fraught
with untold danger to the future OF
our whole system Of government, and
indeed, TO our whole civilization.
No Hostility to Wealth
An honest men must abhor and re-
probate any effort to excite hostility tC
men of wealth as such. We should dc
all we can to encourage thrift and bus
mess energy, to put a premium upon
the conduct OF the man who honestly
earns his livelihood and more than his
livelihood, and who honestly uses the
money he has earned. But it is oul
clear duty to see, in the interest of the
people, that there is adequate super
vision and control over the business
use Of the swollen fortunes of today
and also wisely to determine the con
dltions upon which these fortunes are
TO be transmitted and the percentage
that they shall pay to the government
whose protecting arm alone enables
them to exist Only the nation can dc
10 -Tr.1rr IL -
is a farce, and is simply another way
Of saying that it shall not be done al
all
Under a wise and farseeing inter
probation Of the interstate commerce
clause Of the constitution, I maintain
that the national government should
have com plete power to deal with al
Of this wealth which in any way goes
into the commerce between the state.
and practically all of it that is en-
ployeu In the great corporations doe.
thus go in. The national Legislators
should most scrupulously avoid any
demagogic legislation about the bust
ness use Of this wealth, and Should
realize that it would be better to have
no legislation at all than legislation
couched either in a vindictive spirit o.
hatred toward men of wealth or els,
drawn with the recklessness of i'm.
practicable Missionaries. But on the
other hand, 1t shall and must ultimate.
" be understood that the United State
EyF@A AAeAASAA-f I'll DG4AaAA u tie people o
the United States. has and is to exer
else the power of supervision and con
troll over the business use of thi
wealth-in the first place over all tht
work Of the common carriers OF tn,
nation, and in the next place over tn,
work of all the great corporation
which directly OF indirectly do any in
terstate business whatever-and thi
includes almost all Of the great corpor
atoms.
During the last few years the ma
tional government has taken very Ions
strides in the direction OF exercising
and securing this adequate contro
over the great corporations, and it wa
under the leadership of one Of tn
most honored public men I'm our coun
fry. one OF Pennsylvania most emf