Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1907-12-18

should forbid all combinations instead
of sharply discriminating between
those combinations which do good and
those combinations which do evil
often railroads would like to combine
for the purpose OF preventing n big
shipper from maintaining improper al
vantages at the expense of small ship
pers and of the general public. Such a
combination. instead of being forbid
den by law. should be favored.
II is n public evil ~ have on the
statute books law Incapable of full
enforcement, because both judges and
1uries realize that Its full enforcement
would destroy the business OF the
country. for the result Is 10 make de.
cent men vlOlatOrs of the law against
their will and to put premium on the
behavior Of the wlllful wrongdocrs.
Such result In turn tends to throw
the decent man and the wlllful wrong
doer into close association ana In the
end to drag down the former to the
lattcr's level, for the man who be
comes u lawhrcakcr In one way I'M
happily tends to lose all respect for
law Snd to be willing to break II In
many ways. No more scathlng con.
demnation could he visited upon u law
than Is contained IN the words oC the
Interstate commerce commission when
in commenting upon the fact that the
numerous joint traffic associations do
technically violate the law they say:
The decision of the United States su.
preme court In the transmissouri case
and the Joint Traffic association case
has produced no practical effect upon
the railway operations OF the country.
Such associations. IN fact. exist now
as they did before these decisions and
with the same general effect. In
justice to all parties we ought prob.
ably to add that Il Is difficult TO see
how our interstate railways could be
operated with due regard to the inter
est OF the shipper and the railway
without concerted action OF the kind
afforded through these associations
"This means that the law as con
strued by the supreme court Is such
that the business of the country can
not be conducted without breaking IT,"
As I have elsewhere said:
Not a New Proposition.
"All this Is substantially what have
said over and over again. Surely It
ought not TO bc necessary TO say that
II in no shape or way represents any
hostility TO corporations rs such. On
the contrary, II means frank recogni.
ton OF the fact that combinations Of
capital, like combinations OF labor. are
a natural result Of modern conditions
and OF our national development. As
far as In my ability lies. my endeavor
Is and will he to prevent abuse of
power by either and to favor both SO
long as they do well. The aim OF the
| national government is quite rs much
| TO favor and protect honest corpora
| tons. honest business men of wealth
| as to bringto justice those individuals
and corporations representing dlshon
| est methods. Most certainly there will
, be no relaxation by the government
. authorities In the effort to get ut any
| great railroad wrecker-any man VIII,
! 10y clever swindling devices robs In
vcstors. Expresses wageworkers ant
| does injustice TO the general public
/ But any such move Us this Is In thu
| interest OF honest railway operators
/ OF honest corporations and Of thoS,
| who when they invest their small say
ings In stocks and bonds wish to b,
assured that these Will rcprcscn
money honestly expended for lcgitlmat,
business purposes. TO confer upOl
the national government the power 70
which ! asked would be check upOi
ovcrcapituliZation. But II alone woul,
mean an Increase In the value. an In
crease In the safety, of the stocks an,
bonds of law abiding, honestly man
aged railroads and would render It IA
easier TO market their securities.
believe In proper publicity. There ha
been complaint Of some of the investi
cations recently carried on. but thos
who complain should put the blam
where 1t belongs-upon the misdeed
which are done in darkness and no
upon the investigations which brough
them to light. The administration 1
responsible for turning on the light
but It Is not responsible for what tn
light showed. l ask for full power t
be given the federal government, be
cause no single state can by legislu
ton enectually cope with these pow
erful corporations engaged in inter
state commerce and, while doing ther
full justice, exact from them in rctur
full Justice to others. The condition
of railroad activity, the conditions Q
our immense interstate commerce, ar
such as to make the central govern
ment alone competent to exercise fu
supervision and control.
Grave Results Of Abuses.
THE grave abuses In individua
cases of railroad management in til
past represent wrongs not merely I
the general public, but, above al
wrong to fair dealing and honest col
porations and men of wealth, becaus
they excite popular anger and dii
trust which from the very nature {
the case tend TO include in the swee