The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1906-12-06

'ieNs wat pll Ait lSlnnnuS OF Panama fflo
conditions are so different from what
they are here that the introduction of an
e,sht-hour day on the canal would be
surd as II 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.
lie urges the enactment OF drastic
child labor law for the District of Co
lumbia and the territories and a 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 in 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-
uop OF controversies between employers
and employees when they arise" After
referring to the fact that bill has al
ready been introduced to this end he
says:
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, III most
instances the dispute would doubtless be
found to be due to a misunderstanding
by each of the others rights, aggravated
by an unwillngness of either party to ac-
cept as true the statements Of the other
as to the justice or injustice OF the mat
ters in dispute. The exercise Of a u.
representing the federal government,
such as would be provided by a commits
sion, on Cancellation and arbitration
would tend to create an atmosphere of
friendliness and Cancellation between con-
tending parties; and the giving each side
an equal opportunity to present fully It's
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.
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 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-
fence. for the question OF a Just and
sidered. 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
the decisions of the commission would
yet would give a chance for public opin-
ion to exert its full force for the right"
Control of Corporations.
n Vi lHt ultssdbt
is devoted to the subject of federal con-
troll of corporations in what he refers to
the passage at the last session OF the
rate, meat inspection and food laws, and
says that all of these have already justi-
fed 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
nv the federal government he saws.
at cannot too often be repeated that eX-
perence has conclusvely shown the In.
possibility of securing by the actions OF
nearly half a hundred different state
| legislatures anything but ineHecuye
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 a
| national license law or in other fashion.
| date. far more complete control than
| at present over these great corpora
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 it's stockholders and of its properties
| thru subsidiary or affiliated corporations.
| This will tend to put stop to the secur,
ing of inordinate profits by favored
individuals at the expense whether OF
| the general public, the stockholders, or
| the wageworkers Our effort should oe
not so much to prevent consolidation az
|
| as to see that 1t results in no harm 10
| the people. The reactionary or ultracon-
| sentative apologists for the misuse OF
| wealth assail the effort to secure such
| control as a step toward socialism. AS a
matter of fact II is these reactionarles
| and ultraconservatives who are them
| selves most potent in increasing socians-
| tic feeling. One of the most efhclenl
| methods of averting the consequences OF
n dangerous agitation, which is ~ pei
cent. wrong, is to remedy the ~ per cent
| of evil as to which the agitation is wei
| founded. The best way to avert the very
| undesirable move for the governments
| the government on behalf of the people
| as a whole such adequate control ano
regulation of the great interstate com
| mon carriers as will do away with the
| evils which give rise to the agltatloi
against them. So the proper antldot'
to the dangerous and wicked agltatioi
| against the men of wealth as such is u
| secure by proper legislation and eXecu
tive action the abolition of the grave
abuses which actually do obtain in con
| nection with the business use OF weati
| under our present system-or rather NJ
system-of failure to exercise any ade
quate control at all. Some persons speai
control would do away with the freedom
of individual initiative and dwarf maj
viduai effort. This is not tact. !
would be veritable calamity to fail L
put q premium upon individual inltlatlVe
Individual capacity and effort; upon IN
energy character and foresight whiSi
| III
Individual. But as a matter or tact Tn
deadening and degrading erect or pur
socialism, and especially of its extrem
form communism, and the destruction o
individual character which they Woul
bring about. are in part achieved by IN
wholly unregulated competition whic
results in a single individual or corpor
alton rising at the expense OF all other
until his or its rise effectually checks a.
competition and reduces former competl
tors to a position of utter inferiority an
subordlnation.
I'm enacting and enforcing such legis
lation as this congress already has to IL
credit we are working on coheren
plan with the steady endeavor to secur
the needed reform by the joint action @
the moderate men, the plain men WIN
do not wish anything hysterical @
dangerous, but who do intend to dea
| in resolute commonsense fashion wit
the real and great evils of the preser
system. The reactionaries and the vic
lent extremists show symptoms OF Joir
ing hands against us. Both assert, 70
Instance, that II logical, we should &
to government ownership OF railroad
and the like; the reactionaries becaus
on such an issue they think the peopl
would stand with them, while the Ell
tremists care rather to preach disconter
and agitation than to achieve solid RI
suits AS a matter Of fact, our positio
is as remote from that of the bourbo
| from that of the imDra(