The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-05

are such as imperativeiy to demand supervision In the interest of the people as a whole oyer these great corporations Most emphatically we should do full justice to them: but in turn we should exact justice from them to the public. some of them have be- come so habituated to disregarding everything but their own wishes and interests that the effort to establish a proper supervision over them has aroused on their part cautiously un- reasonable antagonism. Their spokes- men do not seem to be aware that in what we have been trying eo do we have not been improperly radical; us- ing the word in Its right sense. We have been conservative.
 We have merely taken the first steps In a policy which must be permanent If our democratic institutions are 10 endure; while, as matter of course. we must keep ever in mind that 1t is exactly as injurious to true democracy to inflict. as tamely to suffer. wrong. We can no more tolerate injustice to the railroads than injustice by them1 one course Is as immoral and as funda- mentally mischievous and injurious to the people as the other.
 In the matter of supervision of the great railway corporations we are act ing as all civilized governments have already acted or are on the point or acting. The unrestricted issue of rail- way btCuIlLlct WtIuVut any supCt NlStVttt and under circumstances which often result in the gravest scandal, should not be permitted. and only by govern mental action can 1t be prevented. It Is already thus prevented in Englaqd and Germany, for instance.
 In England the first Royal Conf- mission of Railways. of which that great parliamentary and popular leader. William Ewart Gladstone, was chair man, set forth as fundamental the very --a-- l.x f-L l.. N..a l. enacted into law. or which. as I firm ly believe. will speedily be enacted. Of course. in any movement like this In which we are now engaged. In any movement looking to the regulation Of vast corporate wealth engaged in in- terstate business and to the cutting out of all abuses connected herewith. there will at times be suffering in which. un- fortunately, many innocent people will be involved. But such suffering of the innocent Is unavoidable in every great movement of life. Able and unscrupu- lous men are sure to deceive certain innocent outsiders and persuade them to invest in ventures under conditions which render loss certain when the force of the law is asserted. I am ex- ceedingly sorry for these innocent people; but it is not possible. because of them. to refuse to proceed against the men who have vfctimized them It is just such a case as would occur if an interruptions man with counter felt money visited some remote village, spent his money. and then disappeared. The local innkeeper and livery stable keeper, the shopkeeper and the neigh boring farmer. would all have been 1.set ss ed theay 4zes..ia hs .+es is ta fed the man, have supplied him with goods from the store and the farm. have hired horses and wagons to him and in return would find themselves loaded with counterfeit money. If. under such circumstances, the govern ment found out what had happened 1t would have no alternative save to stop the circulation of the counterfeit money. though those possessing 1t were innocent. It would, of course, try to secure the conviction of the theft, but the law. 1t would nevertheless be ini- possible to let his innocent victims continue to pass his by no means in- nocent counterfeit money.
 We'll just the same thing is true when 1t comes to enforcing the law against business men of great wealth who have violated 1t. People are al- ways beseeching me not to enforce 1t siders may be hurt. or. only to enforce 1t with gentleness that would pre- vents anybody, good or bad. from being hurt & t ,Is is not possible ssn tG comply ,Si, are made In good faith.
 Government of Law.
 This is q government of law, a law which applies to great and small alike. I am sorry indeed when 1t happens that big men who do wrong have in- volved smaller men with no bad fn- 2tentions to such an extent that they suffer when we force the undoing of the wrong. But we can not hold our hands for such consideration. The responsibility for the suffering of us who put stop to the. wrong and punish the wrongdoers, but with these wTongdoers who Fnislead their vic- tins.
 In conclusion. friends. let me impress upon you one thing. Good laws can do much good; indeed, they are often in- dispensable. There is urgent need that we should have honest and efficient legislation and honest and efficient &C., tion by those whose province 1t is to put the Legislation into effect. But there Is infinitely more need of high Individual average of character. The onIv nernlanert way to heip any man