Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-05

lie to tie conduct of the corporations
have passed. The American people has
made ZIP its mind that the conditions of
modern indiStlialism are such as I'M
pArutiVelv to demand supervision iii the
interest of the people ms Il whole over
these great corporations NJ nst ,lnphat-
icaliy We should do full Justice to them:
hut III return we should exact justice
lave become 50 iIaUituated 20 Disregard
ing everything but their own wishes and
interests tf;tt The effort to establish j
proper supervision over them has aroused
on their part Il curiouSlv BILE an
taConiSH1. Their spokesman do not seem
to lie aware that in what we have been
tlNing To- do We have rot been improperly
radical: using the word in its right sense,
we have he IN conservative. We have
merely taken the first steps in Il policy
which must hc permanent if our demo-
cratic institutions are to endure; while,
as Il matter IF course, we must also keep
over in mind that it is exactly as in
furious tn tue democracy to in1lict, as
tai1"ly 10 suffer. wrong. We can no more
tolerate injustice to the railroads than
injustice ~ them: one course is as i'm
moral ana as Fundamentally rirchievous
anl injurious To the people as the other
In ~" ilaticr q supervision of the
great Galway corporations we ar acting
as all ,iViliz. governments have already
acted o. are en- the point Of acting. Tho
unrestricted Issue Of railway securities
Without amy shn.!NISjnn. ana under cir
cun'StHnVtS Winch often result in thu
=ravc>t scandal. should not he permit
ted. and onl. ~ governmental action can
il bc prtNt ut al. 1t is already thus pre-
vented in England ami Germany. for in
stance. In England the first ROYAL Com
mission Of Railways. If which that great
parliamentary ana popular leader, VIII
liam f.Wart Gladstone. was chairman set
forth as fundamental thu. rely principles
which here haNe at last been enacted in
I" law. on Which. rs | firmly believe. will
I.n al
movement like thiS in which W. are no,y
engaged. in any movement looking to thu
regulation of vast corporate wealth en-
gagged in interstate business. and to the
cutting out of al abuses connected
Herewith. there will at times be suffer-
ing in which. unfortunately MANY limo
cent pecpl" will he involved. But such
suffering Of the innocent is unavoidable.
in every great movement Of life. Able
and unSCrnrulGuS men are sure to de-
c"iV" certain innocent outsiders and per-
Su2de them to invest in ventures under
conditions which render loss certain
when the force of the law is asserted I
am excel Gincly sorry for these innocent
people: hut it IS not possible. bee ause Of
them. TO refuse to proceed against the
mcE VINO have NictimiZnd them. II is Just
such n case as would occur if an unscru-
rlliouS man with counterfeit money visit
cd some remote village, spent his money.
ana then disappeared. The local inn
keeper and livery stable keeper. the
shopl1eeper and the neighhoring farmer
would all have been victimiZed. they
would nave lodged and fcd the man. have
supplied him with goods from the stor,
and the farm, have hired horses and wa
CONS 20 him, and in return would find
themselves loaded with counterfeit mon
cv. If. under such circumstances the Gov
crnmert found out what had happenad
II would have no alternative save to stoD
tho circulation OF the counterfeit money.
though those possessing it were inno-
cent. 1t would. of course. try to secure
tho conviction of the thief but if he had
escarcd the jurisdiction of the law. II
would nevertheless be impossible To let
bis innocent victims continue to rass his
by no means innocent counterfeit money
Wei, lust the same thing is true when
1t comes to enforcing the law against
business 'ner ot great wealth who have
violated it. People arc always bescechinr
me not to enforce it against them. be-
cause innocent outsiders may be hurt or
only to enforce it with n gentIeness that
would prevent anybody, good or bad
from being hurt. 1t is not possible Ia
comply with such requests. even when
they are made in good faith. This is a
government of law. a law which applies
to great and small alike. am sorry in
deed when it happens that big men who
d. Nr"0" have Involved smaller n, n VIII,
no had intentions to sCch an extent tha.
they suffer when we force the unGoinp OF
the wrong But we can not hold our