The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-04

for industrial order as against the
present Industrial chaos. If we in
terpret the Constitution in narrow IN.
stead Of broad fashion, il we forsake
the principles OF Washington, Mar
shall, Wilson, and Hamilton, we as
people will render ourselves impotent
10 deal with any abuses which may be
committed by the men who have &C.
cumulatei the enormous fortunes Of
today, and who use these fortunes IN
still yaster corporate form in business,
The legislative or judicial actions
and decisions Of which | complain,
be It remembered, do not really leave
to the States power to deal with cor
porate wealth in business. Actual ex-
perIsnce has shown that the States
are wholly powerless to deal with this
subject; and any nation or decision
that deprlyes the nation Of the pow
err to deal with 1t, simply results In
free to work without any effective
supervision whatever; and such a
course is fraught with untold danger
to the future Of our whole system Of
government, and, indeed, to our whole
civilization.
The Subject Of Wealth.
All honest men must abllor and re-
probate any effort to excite hostility
to men of wealth as such. We should
do all we can to encourage thrift and
business 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 our clear duty to see, in the In
terest of the people. that there is ade'
ouate supervision and control over
the business use of the swollen for
tunes OF to-day, and also wisely 10
determine the conditions upon which
these fortunes are to be transmitted
and the percentage that they shall
nav to the Government whose protect,
ing arm alone enables them to ex'
list, Inly the nation can do this work.
To relegate It to the States Is farce
and ls simply another way of saying
THAT it shall not be done at all.
Under wise and farseeing interpre'
Itation Of the Interstate commerce
clause of the Constitution, ] maintain
that the National Government should
have complete power to deal with al
Of this wealth which in any way goes
into the commerce between the States
and practically all of it that is EN-
ployed in the great corporations does
thus 90 in. The national Legislators
should most scrupulously avoid any
lemagogic legislation about the bust
ness use Of this wealth, and shoult
realize that II would be better to have
no legislation at all than Legislation
couched either in vindictive spirl
of hatred toward men Of wealth o.
else drawn with the recklessness o
. inpracticable Missionaries. But, on th'
other hand, it shall and must ultl
. mately be understood that the Unitet
states Government, on behalf OF tn
people of the United States, has AM
t is to exercise thu power of superyl
sion and control over the business us
t of this wealtp-in the first place
over all the work Of the common cal
+. rlers of the nation, and in the mex
) place over the work Of all the grea
corporations which directly or ind
| rectly do any interstate bushes
, whatever-and this includes almost a
Of the great corporations.
z Controlling Corporations.
4 During the last few years the M
: tional Government has taken yer
e long strides in the direction Of exc
e cising and securing this adequate col
!. troll over the great corporations, an
e It was under the leadership of one
: the most honored public men in on
i. country, one Of Pennsylvania mos
t eminent sons-the present Senate
/ and then Acknowledgement, Knox =
e that the new departure was begul
( Events have moved fast during tn
l. last five years, and It is curious
i look back at the extreme bitterness
]. which not merely the spokesman an
{ representatives Of organized wealu
/. but many most excellent conservatiN
(; people then felt as to the action
t Mr.. Knox and of the Administrator
The Northern Securities Suit.
Many Of the greatest tinanciers
= this country were certain that N
Knox's Northern Securities suit,
:. won. would plunge US into the wor'
q panic we had ever seen. They d
!. nounced as Indictment to anarchy
!. an apology for socialism, the adv
!. cacy Of policies that either have no
r become law or are in fair way of b
,. coming law; and yet these same pol
), cles, so far from representing eith'
= anarchy or socialism, we're in realit
" .,O .tldntns 10 anarchy. the antidntI