The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-03-02
DoNALDsoNVIILE, LA, SATURDAY, MARCH z 1907
STATES RIGHTS INTACT.
Sovereignty of the Republics subdivisions
Not Impaired-No Limitations ON
their Efforts to Do Wen.

| AhO AoAOW1us e4AS4y E0LA6Ehs 4uOtSt
| from the January number of the Re
view of Reviews are commended to the
| attention of readers who may be dis
posed to take stock in the shelf -worr
political argument that the rights oI
the sovereign states are being gradu.
ally curtailed and restricted and the
powers of the general government con-
tinually and insidiously enlarged:
"A great deal was said last month
in speeches and also in newspapers
about the rapid trend toward central
ization and toward the assumption
by the general government of activi-
ties that might better have been left to
the states. A considerable part of
this discussion was provoked by a
speech made by Secretary Root at a
banquet of the Pennsylvania Society
in New York. Mr.. Root made a bril-
liant presentation of the vigorous
work of the general government, and
pointed out the tendency of the times
in mastery way. 1t did not follow,
however, that he was attacking the
sovereignty Of the states or arguing
for a diminution of energy on their
part in the treatment of pressing
matters of public concern. Mr.. Root
would unquestionably like to see the
states doing their whole duty, and
would prefer that less work should
be thrown upon the general govern
ment, even where falling clearly within
the reasonable Interpretation OF the
federal governments constitutional
authority. Thus Mr.. Root would not
hesitate to point out the fact that if the
state of Illinois had risen to it's full
opportunity and duty in the matter of
regulating the stocky ards and pack
ing houses of Chicago, we should not
have been confronted with the need of
passing the recent meat inspection
law, which adds much to the work of
the general government. And Sena-
tor Beveridge would doubtless be glad
to admit that if all the states had been
as progressive as few of them in the
matter of regulating child labor, ,sthere
would be little If any advantage in
bringing the subject before the ma
tional congress at the present time.
Similar things might be said about
the pure food bill and various other
matters of general public concern with
which the government at Washington
has of late been occupying itself.
'sThere have been no recent eurtail-
ments of the power and authority of
the state governments that can be said
in any state whatsoever to make it
more difficult for the legislature or
the executive officers to act for the
welfare of the people of their common
wealth. However the national govern
ment may magnify it's delegated
powers, the sovereign states have
such v ast reserves of authority that
they are not conscious of any limita-
tions upon their efforts to do well.
II there were any real rivalry or con-
aict, as there is not, between the ma
tion and the states in the partitioning
of authority, the nation would have
a better right to reproach the states
for undue negligence in governmental
work than the states would have to
the national government for
undue activity. Since nobody is af-
fected in all this but we, the people,
who are at the same time citizens of
the states and of the nation, we are
not likely to iniure ourselves by any
serious shifting of the 'federative bal
ance. Undoubtedly the railroads of
the country have become great ma
tional concern, and it is highly proper
that their national regulation should
be made efficient by such changes in
the law as are found needful from time
to time. Moreover, there is a steady
growth of opinion in favor of subject
ing the large industrial corporations
VI 6s w Oh AdeC1SbdIO OuSiAOSS VI D
measure and degree of federal control
that the public welfare seems to re-
quire and that the state governments
cannot in the nature of things hope to
exercise.
"This matter is presented with great
elearness by James r. Garfield in his
latest report as chief of the bureau of
corporations. He points out the re.
markable results that have already
followed the mere exercise of the
right to make inyestiga-
tions. For example, the recent in
vestigation of the oil industry showed
that the railroads very generally and
in all parts OF the country were max
ing illegal Determinations in favor of
the Standard Oil Company. A great
number of indictments on thousands |
of different counts have already been
secured as result of this investiga-
tion. But without waiting for the |
courts to act, the railroads have very |
stopped the DETERMINATIONS, i
as result Of publicity; so that the in |
dependent producers and shippers of
oil suddenly find themselves free from |
all sorts of disadvantages against
which they had for years been pain |
fully contending. As further result |
OF this study of the oil industry and |
OF other inyestiga gations made BY his |
bureau, MIR. Garfield is more than
ever convinced that the time has come |
for direct control OF great industrial |