Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1906-12-08

the common people TO bp eznIofIs5 TS
lhe very wealthy If we over lei u,is
spNfi huent lall into the hands OF men
OF either OF these two classes ~, sIb',,ini
snow ourselves false to Americas nast
MofeoNer the demagog and corr5,,, -
ZIONIST OFTEN work hand In hand ,rb1ro
are at THIS moment wealthy renctione
arl,s OF such obtuse morality that thew
ItEHru lhe pubic servant who proga-
cutes them when they violate tbs,inn,
or who seeks to make them bear their
proper share Of the public burdens as
Delng even more Obiectionahle than
the violent aBitatOr who hounds on
the mob to plumber the rich ,Thprs n.
nothing 10 choose between such "a re-
dictionary ana such an agtator, finda-
mentally they are alike In their seIdsb
disregard Of the rights Of Others. ana
IT is natural that they should ioin In
opposition TO any movement Of which
the aim Is fearlessly to do exact and
even Justice to ALL"
Railroad Employees Hours.
He asks for the passing Of the bill lin
lung the number Of hours OF
employment Of railroad employees, and
classes the measure as q very moderate
one lie says the aim OF aft should be
10 steadlly reduce the number Of hours
OF LABOR, with as a goal the general in
PRODUCTION OF an elght-hour day, but in
slsts that on the lsthmus of Panama tho
conditions are 50 different from what
they arc here that the Introduction of an
elBht-hour day on the canal would be
absurd, and continues Just about as alb
surd as u Is, 80 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"
He urges the enactment OF a drastic
child labor law for the District OF Coz
lumba and the territories. and a federal
lnNpNtlN1tiOn OT tho EIlktqaf a Rt11t nj
female labor throughout the country
lie reviews the work of the commission
appointed to investigate labor conditions
IN the coal fields of Pennsylvania IN 1909,
ana refers to the wish of the commission
that the state and federal governments
should provide the machinery for what
may be called the compulsory ihvostiga-
tlon OF controversies between employers
and employees when they arise"
IN this age OF great corporate and la
Dor combinations, neither employers nor
employees should be left completely at
the mercy Of the stronger party to dis
pute, regardless Of the righteousness OF
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 interest
which cannot wisely be disregarded; an
interest not merely Of general COnVen-
ience, for the question Of a Just and
proper public policy must also be con-
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 a chance for public opin-
ion to exert its full force for the right"
Control Of Corporations.
considerable portion Of the message
is devoted to the subject Of federal con-
f.F f7Vu In, Ia ffaFu tn
the passage at the last session of the
rate, meat inspection and food laws and
says that all Of these have already iust-
fled their enactment, but recommends
the amendment of the meat inspection
law so as to put dates on the labels of
meat products, and also TO place the
cost OF inspection on the packers rather
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 eN-
perienCe has ConclusiYely shown the i'm
possibility Of securing by the actions of
nearly half a hundred different state
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos IN the way of dealing with the
great corporations which do not operate
exclusively within the limits of any one
state In some method whether by q
national license law or In other fashion,
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 will among other
things prevent the evils of excessive
overCapitalzation and that will compel
the disclosures by each big corporation
of its stockholders and of its properties
and business, whether owned directly or
thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations.
This will tend to put d stop to the secur-
ing Of inordinate profits by favored
individuals at the expense whether Of
the general public the stockholders, or
the wareworkers our effort should be
not SO much to prevent consolidation as
such, but so to supervise and control it
as to see that It results In no harm to
the people The reactionary or ultracon-
sprvatiVe apologists for the misuse OF
wealth assau the effort to secure such
control as step toward socialism, As
matter of fact IL is these reaCtlOnarieS
and ultraconservatives who are them
selves most potent in increasing soclalls-
tic feeling one OF the most efficient
methods Of ayerting the consequences of
n dangerous agitation, which is so per
cent. wrong. Is to remedy the 20 per cent.
Of evil AS t0 which the agitation is well
fo,ndpd The hest way to avert the very
,,,,dnsi,oll move for the governmental
omners%in of RAILWAYS is 10 secure by
the government on behalf OF the people
as whole sueh adequate. romto' rstate con,l %11u
mon carriers as will do away with the
evils which give rise to the agitation
against them So the proper antdote
~ te"ti9 tho aanrerous and wicked agitation
against the men of wealth as such is to
secure by proper legislation and eNecu-
tive action the abolition of the grave
abuses which actually do obtain In con-
nection with the business use of wealth
under olr present system-or rather no
svstem-of failure to exercise any ade-
duate 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 indi-
vidtiol effort. This is not a fact. II
,,o,,id he n veritable calamity to fail to
mt n premium upon individual initiative,
tndividual capacity and effort; upon the
n,'a,,,,,, nv, character and foresight which
II Ia 80 important TO encourage in the
individual But as matter of fact the
deadening and degrading effect OF pure
socialism, and especially of its extreme
form communism, and the destruction Of
indiY,id1iai character which they would
bring about, are in part achieved by the
wbnIiv unregulated competition which
results In a single individual or corpor-
alton rising at the expense of all others
T,ntu Mis- or its rise effectually checks all
Fnmpetition and reduces former competl-
{nrs to a position of utter inferiorlty ana
subordinaton.
,,. .,1 Ircone Tax-
inheritance anu '''N0S
n was expected that the president
,,a,,,d rsfer In some way to his belief
,n tbe necessity for the curbing of enor-
~ tn.iiLo .iLo cortnnas and he has done so by
moos rmaocoSmendipr IolaTre legslation for both in
rome and M Inheritance tax, He be-
iieves Io,,y The the Government 20 should impose a
praduated Inheritance tax. and If possi-
bic q graduated income tax lie says
~ am well aware that such SUBJECT
a. tbis dsn needs Seii long and careful study in
as tnis neeus tho tOe6 ooanIe may become fami-
1rrey orr Win iia' what is proposed to be done,
may ma clearly see the necessity of proceed, "a
ing with VISION sn tbeir INV minds lust how far
may make up tnelr Hlhus IT. ,y,o.tnr,