The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1906-12-15

Of labor. with as goal the general IN
PRODUCTION Of an sight-honr day. but in-
conditions are so different from what
they are here that the Introduction OF an
elgnt-nour day on the canal would be
! surd as 1t Ii. 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
j yellow men"
Investigation OF Disputes.
i He urges the enactment OF a drastic
| child labor law for the District of Co
1 lumbia and the territories. and federal
Investigation of the subject OF child and
female labor throughout the country.
| appointed to investigate labor conditions
| in the coal fields OF Pennsylvania in 1902.
and refers to the wish of the commission
that the state and federal governments
4 should provide the machinery for what
| may be called the compulsory investiga-
| ton of controversies between employers
referrns 70 the f fact ' that bill has al
ready been introduced to this end he
says:
MANY Of these strikes and lockouts
would not have occurred had the parties
to the dispute been required to appear
before an unprejudiced body representing
the nation and. face to face. state the
instances the dispute would doubtless be
found to be due to a misunderstanding
by each OF the others rights. aggravated
by an unwillingness OF either party to ac-
as to the justice or injustice of the mat
ters In dispute. The exercise of a ju-
dicial spirit by disinterested body
representing the federal government.
such as would be provided by a commits
sion on Cancellation and arbitration
would tend to create an atmosphere OF
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 from developing
other cases, would enable the commits
sion to persuade the opposing parties to
come to terms
I'm 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 a 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 interest
which cannot wisely be dfsregarded: an
interest not merely of general conven-
fence. for the question OF just and
proper public policy must also be con-
sfdered- In all legislation of this kind
II Is well to advance cautiously. testing
each step by the actual results. the step
proposed can surely be safely taken, for
not bind the parties in legal fashion. and
yet would give a chance for public opin-
ion to exert its fun 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 he refers to
the passage at the last session Of the
says that all Of these have already justi-
hed their enactment, but recommends
the amendment OF the meat inspection
meat pu, ana 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: II
1T cannot too often be repeated that ex-
perience has conciusively shown the i'm
possibility Of securing by the actions OF
legislatures anything but ineffective
chaos in the way Of dealing with the
great corporations which do not operate
state In some method, whether by q
national license law or In other fashion.
we must exercise. and that at an early
date far more complete ,Sn!a s control than
tions-a control that will among other
things prevent the evils Of excessive
overcapitalization. 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
ing e. Of iS as ' profits By By favored
individuals at the expense whether of
the general public. the stockholders, or
the wageworkers- Our effort should be
such, but so to supervise and control II
as to see that IL results In no harm to
the people. The reactiorary or uitracon.
wealth assail the effort to secure such
control as step toward socialism, AS
matter of fact Il Is these reactionarfes
selves most potent In increasing socialis- |
tic feeling. One OF the most efficient
methods OF averting the consequences Of
q DANGEROUS agitation which Is per
Of evil az to which the agitation is well
founded. The best way to avert the very
undesirable move for the governmental
the government on behalf of the people !
as whole such adequate control and
regulation Of the great Interstate COM
evils which give rise to the agitation !
against them So the proper antidote !
to the dangerous and wicked agitation !
against the men Of wealth as such is to
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- |
quate control at all. Some persons speak
as II the exercise OF such governmentoit
control would do away with the freedom
of Individual initiative and dwarf indi.
vfdual effort. This is not fact. ii
would be veritable calamity to fail to
put a premium upon Individual initiative,
Individual capacity and effort: upon the
energy. character and foresight which
II IL so important to encourage In the
individual. But as a matter Of fact the
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 enectually checks all
competition and reduces former competi-
tors to a position of utter inferiority and
subordination-
In enacting and enforcing such lesis-
1ation as this congress already has to Its
credit. we are working on q coherent
plan. with the steady endeavor to secure
the needed reform by the joint actor. OF
the moderate men. the plain men who
do not wish anything hysterical or
dangerous. but who do Intend to deal
in resolute commonsense fashion with
the real and great evils of the present
system. The reactionaries and the vio-