Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-18
GOVERNOR CUNMINS TALKS
Iowa Executive Delivers Second Inaugural
Address Before the Legislature,
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS NttD;D
states should Have Greater Power,
but United states Must settle
Some New Problems
of Government.

DIES MONIES, Jan. -CSpeclal.c-Gov-
ernor Cummins this afternoon delivered
his second inaugural address, saying In
part:
The conditions under which we live are
utterly unlike the conditions that gave
Iorm to our institutions ana wnich NRRith
a wealth that In q few years has whirled
us out of obscurity TO the very pinnacle
multiplying itself with amazing rapidity,
establishing monopolies, crushing ana
grinding its way. without any instinct Of
fairness or any emotion Of sympathy
toward the complete extinction of compe-
ttion and independence; with forests IN
its grasp with ore beds occupied, S.rh the he
manufactures Of the country with the
packing houses and live stock markets
10000 miles OF main track ralfway grad
ually taken from the ownership OF thou
sand companies and converted into haII
men, and oftentimes by the\ same men,
, serving with might and main these mas,
and ,,,da nSnce s ntoc oh and bonds thst
aggregate nearly three times the original
capital invested, as well as laying aside
that ought to be constructed from indie
| pendent capital: with labor unions that
are trying TO mass the power of the work
| ingmen against the associated strength OF
| employers7these things present situation
| never before presented to organized So
chants are about the only people remain
| ing to exhibit the force Of competition,
| and the latter are shiverlng lest the mall
| order house shall soon make way with
them'
Riotous Extravaganza.
When we add the riotous extravaganza
| and the shameful ineffcency of municipal
administration, both arising largely from
picture upon which the American people
are now looking No--wondeI we are be-
as well IT, as s'V very fl proud. No wonder that
magazines and newspapers are filled with
| discussions, suggestions, criticism and de-
nunciation. No wonder that the patriot
| and the demagogue the wise man and the
| fool the philosopher and the agitator, the
radical and the conservative are abroad
are natural and many OF them are I'M
| avoidable. am not even, prepared to say
l am. however, sure that they require OF
| government something that has never
been done before. and that II we cling
fathers and fail to exercise a little wis
dom OF our own, the history of our fore7
fathers will be the only part Of the his
tory Of this country worth preserving
Herein lies the application of my former
statement. No man knows just what to
do, although all men know that something
ought to be done.
The speaker then referred to the recent
address of Secretary Root and an article
on the same subject by Mark Twain, and
In this connection said:
state Rights. 80.
Do not imagine that l am clearing the
way for the conclusion that the powers OF
the states should be either abolished or
curtailed On the contrary. 1 believe tina!
by the states has increased, rather than
diminished. My proposition is that, the
necessary to exercise governmental func-
tons which cannot be exerted by the
states and never have been, and which
ment because the constitution does not
create them. The interstate commerce.
clause of the constitution is not broad
enough for these days, simply because we
have an interstate commerce the charac
ter of which was not dreamed of wher
Carrying car ifSV on Interstate commerce canHo
be adequately regulated by the states FOL
the obvious reason that the Jurisdiction o.
the state, even In the absence Of the pres
! ent prohibition in this constitution, ceasei
at its border. We take nothing away
from the states when we enlarge tAes,
, bring into existence new power, to NEE
new condition, and pestow it upon thu
state commerce clause has already beer
strained to the point of breaking. Tn,
taxing authority has already been wresteC
halt upon the hither side Of adequate la W
Why should we hesitate to call consti
tutional convention, and make our organi,
law as great and broad and strong as tn,
subjects 1t is to control? ~ There are two
: reasons, each Of which moves a class o.
its own. ..r- -e..,-t
Constitutional Amendments.
; /, for one stand clearly ana unequiyo
cally for amendments TO the constitution
of the United States; for an amendment
, that will give the voters chance to say
! directly, who their senator shall be; 70
3 an amendment that will give the voter
II a chance to say, directly, who their presi
dent and vice president shall be; for Al
= or ha NNi urttF he Int
: commerce clause scope enough to enabi
congress to regulate and control thing
which the developments of commerce haV
nationalized for an amendment that will
allow congress to unity our marriage ant
divorce laws. FsC
We ought to stand as resolutely agains
any invasion of the real rights OF capita