Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1906-12-13

itself on trial. The triumph OF tho
mob Is Just as evil thing as the tri-
escaped one danger avails nothing
whatever IL we sucuumb to the Other
In the end the honest man. whether rich
tries to deal justly by his FELLOWS. has
as much to fear from the insincere
and unworthy demagog, promising
much and performing nothing, or else
would set on the mob to plumber the
rich. as from the crafty corruptionist
who. for his own ends, would permit
the common people to be 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, the 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-
cutes them when they violate the law,
or who seeks to make them bear their
proper share of the public burdens. as
the Violent agitetop oy who boness IMAM am
the mob to plumber the rich. There is
nothing to choose between such a re-
dictionary and such an agitator; funda-
mentally they are alike In their selfish
disregard of the rights of others; and
1t is natural that they should Join in
opposition to any movement of which
even justice to all"
Railroad Employees Hours.
he asks for the passing Of the bill linn
employment of railroad employees, and
classes the measure as very moderate
one. He says the aim OF all should be
TO steadily reduce the number of hours
of labor, with as a goal the general in
PRODUCTION of an eight-hour day, but in
sists that on the Isthmus of Panama the
they are here that the Introduction of an
eight-hour day on the canal would be
absurd, and continues. ''just about as alb
surd as 1t is, so far as the isthmus is
concerned, where white labor cannot be
employed, to bother as to whether the
work Is done by alien black men or alien
yellow men,
investigation of Disputes.
He urges the enactment or a drastic
child labor law for the District of Co
iumbla and the territories, and 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 I'm 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 investiga-
ton of controversies between employers
and employees when they arise" After
referring to the fact that a bill has al
ready been introduced to this end he
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 the
reasons for their contention. In most
instances the dispute would doubtless be
found to be due to Misunderstanding
by an unwillingness of either party to &C
cept as true the statements of the other
as to the justice or injustice of the mat
ters in dispute. The exercise of a ju-
dicial spirit by a disinterested body
representing the federal government,
such as would be provided by commits
would tend to create an atmosphere of
friendliness and Cancellation between con-
tending parties; and the giving each side
an III Ss to uy ou
prevent many disputes from developing
into serious strikes or lockouts, and In
other cases, would enable the commits
sion to persuade the opposing parties to
come to terms. T
"In this age of great corporate and la
Dor combinations, neither employers nor
the mercy of the stronger party to a dis
pute, regardless of the Righteousness of
their respective claims. The proposed
recognition oI of tn the IN fact act that in many
strikes the public has itself an interest
which cannot wisely be disregarded; an
interest not merely of general conven;;
fence, for the question of just and
proper public policy must also be con,
sidered. In all legislation OF this kind
1t Is well to advance cautiously, testing
each step by the actual results; the step
proposed can surely be safely taken, for
the decisions of the commission would
not bind the parties in legal fashion, and
yet would give chance for public opin;,
Control Of Corporations.
A. considerable portion Of the message
is devoted to the subject of federal con-
the passage at the last session of the
rate, meat inspection and food laws, and
says that all of these have already justi-
the amendment of the meat inspection
law so as to put dates on the labels or
meat products, and also to. place the
than on the government. Continuing on
this subject of the control of corporations
by the federal government he says:
ut cannot too often be repeated that ex-
possibility of securing by the actions of
nearly half hundred different. state
LEGISLATURES anything a but ine its i've
great corporations which do not operate
exclusively within the limits of any one
state. In some method, whether by
we must exercise, and that at an early
date, a far more complete control than
at present over these great corpora
tions-a control that viii among other
DISQUALIFICATION, and that will compel
the disclosures by each big corporation
of its stockholders and of It's properties
and business, whether owned directly or
thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations.
This will tend to put stop to the secur,
ing of inordinate profits by favored
the general public, the stockholders; or
the wageworkers. Our effort should be
not SO much to prevent consultation as
such, but SO to supervise and control II
as to see that 1t results in no harm to
the people The reactionary or ultracon-
sentative apologists for the misuse OF
control as step toward socialism. AS a
matter of fact IL Is these reactonarles
and ultraconservatives who are them
selves most potent IN Increasing so ssninSt
methods of averting the consequences OF
a dangerous agitation, which Is ~ per
cent. wrong, is to remedy the ~ per CENT;
of evil as to which the agitation Is well
founded. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governmental
ownership of railways Is to secure py
as a whole such adequate control and
regulation of the great interstate com
mon carriers as will do away with the
evils WHICH give rise sss to nro tine andote
to the dangerous and wicked agitation
against the men of wealth as such Is 10
secure by proper ieglsiauon anu 1891
tive action the abolition of the grave
abuses which actually do obtain In con-
nection with the business use of wealth
under our present system-or rather no
system-of failure to exercise any ade-
auate control at all. Some persons speak
as II the exercise of such governmental
control would do away with the freedom
OF Individual initiative and dwarf ind.
yidual effort. This is not fact II
would be a veritable calamity to fail to
put a premium upon Individual Initiative,
Individual capacity and effort; upon the
energy. character and foresight which
n is 80 Important to encourage in the
Individual. But as a matter of fact the
deadening and degrading effect of pure