New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-08-21

trsnaira He was stout hearted and hard he4d-
&c He had lofty PURPOSES put ne i4u u in The
rough xorkaday world without camorous III
sfsfence unon being helped by Others. and yet
10 co,l6 combine with Others whenever it De
came necessary 20 do a job which could not De
as well done by any one man individually
QUALITIES NEEDED TO-DAY.
These we're the qualities which enabled him 10
Al his work and they are the very quantities
which mast show IN doing or work TO-DAY
There is use in our coming here 10 pay nom
age TO the men VINO founded this nation unless
e first Of all In the spirit OF trying 10 90
our work to-day as they did Their WORK IN LII, we
yesterdays that have vanished Inc Iiopieiii'
shit from generation to generation put Iile
spirit 81 which they must be approached II they
are TO b successfully solved remains ever W
same The Puritan tanned the wilderness ana
built I'D free government on the stump
eiea-fnps amid the primeVal forest. HIS de-
scendants must try TO shape the life Of our com
pick industrial civilization by new devices py
same results OF Justice and fair dealing toward
all He cast aside nothing old merely Tor the
sake Of innovation Yet he did not hesitate 10
adopt anything new that would save his pur-
pose. When he planted his commemorative on
this rugged coast he faced wholly new condl-
tons and he had to devise new methods OF meet
ing them. So we of to-day face WholIE IIeN
conditions IN our social and industrial life We
should certainly not adopt any new scheme for
graphing with them merely because u Is ~
and untried; but not afford TO shrink
from graphing with them because they can ohiy
be grappled with by some new scheme
The Puritan L2odicean, no la1ssez-
fai-e fl1eoris+ When he saw conduct which
was in violation of his rights-of the rights Of
man. the rights of God, as he understood them
he attempted TO regulate such conduct win III
slant. unquestioning promptneSS and enectlNe-
ness. If there was other way to secure con
forTrity with the rule of right then ne Sn3!e
down the transgTesSor with the iron OF ms
wrath The spirit of the Puritan was a spirit
which never ShTank from regulation on coHuuC'
e such regulation necessary for the pubhc
veal. and this is the spirit which we must snow
to-day whenever IT is necessary
71,a -,Tre ch ed Q
life necessitate changes in certain OF our laws,
Of our governmental methods Our federal sys-
TEN Of government is based upon the theory OF
leaving 10 each community. TO each state, the
control over those. things which affect only us
own members and which the people OF lhe 10
cality themselves can best grapple with, Whlie
providing for national regulation in those mat
tiers which necessarily affect the nation as
whole II seems to me that such queSuohS a
national sovereignty and states rights need 10
be treated not empirical1y or acddenlcally, out
from the standpoint Of the interests Of the
people as a whole. National sovereignty Is TO
be upheld in far as II means the sovereignty
Of the people used for the real and ultimate good
Of the people: and states rights are TO be up
held in so far as they mean the peoples rights
Especially is this true in dealing with the reia-
tions Of the people as whole to the great cor
porations which are the distinguishing feature
Of modern business conditions.
BETTER CONTROL NECESSARY.
Experience has shown that il is necessary TO
exercise far more efficient control than at
present oyer the business use of those vast
fortunes chiefly corporate which are used
tas under modern conditions they almost m
variahly are( in interstate business When the
Constitution was created none of the condl-
lions Of modern business existed They are
wholly new and must create new agencies to
deal effectively with them. There is no obJec-
ton in the minds Of this people 10 any man $
earning any amount of money If he does II
honestly and fairly, if he gets ii as the result OF
special skill and enterprise, reward OF ample
service actually rendered. But there is grow
ing determination that man shall amaSS a
great fortune by special privilege, by chlcanery
nd EErg7u
legislation 10 prevent; and that the fortune
when amassed shall not have business use
that is anti-socal. Most large corporations DO u
business that is not confined 10 any one state
Experience has shown that the effort to control
these corporations by mere state action cannot
produce wholesome results. In most cases such
effort fails 10 correct the real abuses OF winch
the corporation Is may he guilty; while IN
other cases the effort IS apt 10 cause eiIheh
hardship the corporation itself or else hard
ship TO neighboring states which have not uled
70 grapple with the problem in the same man.
n|r: and Of course must be as scrupulous 10
safeguard the rights Of the corporations as 10
exact from them in return full measure OF
justice TO TIE public L believe in a national
INCORPORATION law for corporations engaged IN
in4ersraTa business [ believe, Furthermore,
that The need for action is most pressing as re
CARDS these corporations which, because they
ssre common carriers exercise quasl-puDhc
function: and which can be completely con-
1rolled IN all respects by the federal govern
meuf, by the exercise of the power conferred
under the interstate commerce clause' an an -
necessary. under the post ROAD cause 81 tLiS
Constitution. During the last few years we
have taken marked strides in advance along the
road of rrouer regulation Of these railroad cor
l,oraTions: hut must nat stop IN the work
The national government should exercise over
them a similar supervision and control 10 that
which II exercises over national banks we can
do this only 10y proceeding further along the
lines marked out by the recent national iegisla-
tion. -:
In dealing with any totally new set of condi-
tions there must at the outset be hesitation ana
experiment Such has been our experience IN
dealing with the enormous concentration OF cap
itaI employed in interstate business Not only
the legislatures but the courts and the people
need gradually TO be educated so that they may
zee II hat the real wrongs are and what the real
remedies. Almost every big business concern Is
engaged in interstate commerce and such a
concern must not be allowed by a deXterous
shifting OF position, as mas oeel 700 oltSii uie
case in the past. 10 escape thereby all reSpon-
.jbiIity either 10 state to nation The ATnerI-
can reopie became firmly convinced of the need
81 control over these great aggregations OF cap
5sal especially where they had q monopoIistlc
tendency before they became quite clear as 10
the proper way of achieving the control. Through
their representatives in Congress they trleo TWO
remedies. which were To large degree, at least
as interpreted by the courts, contradictory on
the hand under the antitrust law the efIoft
MAS made TO prohibit all combination, whether
il WAS or was not hUrtful or beneficial TO the
public On the ether hand, through the inter
state commerce law a beginning made in
exercising such supervision and control over
combinations as to prevent their doing anything
harmful the body polite. The first law, The
sO-caled Sherman law. has filled a useful place,
for IL bridges the transition period until
the American people shall definitely make up
ais mind that il viii exercise over the great cor
rorarior1s that acknowledging and radical con-
troll which il is certain ultimately 10 md nee
essary. The principle Of the Sherman law so
Far as Il prohibits combinations which, whether
because OF their extent Of their character. are
harmful the public must always be pre-
served. Ultimately. and. / hope. with reason
able speed. the national government must pass
laws which. while increasing the supervisory
end regulatory power Of the government, also
permits such useful combinations as are made
aass=a and