The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1907-02-12
CONDEMNATION IS
FAR TOO DRASTIC
Secretary Shaw Indicates
Some Danger Points
Great Corporations Have Violated
Law and Ethics But They Are
Punished.
LESS HISTORICAL POLICY

Washington, Feb. 12.-With the
publication of the full text of Secre-
tary Shaw's recent speech before
the New Hampshire board of trade,
| 1t Is discovered that his address cos
tains what is construed to be an APP
peal against the trend of much cur
rent legislation. Mr.. Shaw advocates
the creation of bonded territories"
along the coast, into which raw ma
Iterials may be imported duty free, 60
the end that employment may be Civ
en- to American labor. The products
of factories in these bonded terri
tories" are to be shipped abroad. Any
products not intended for the expoI-
trade must pay the regular duty when
they cross the territorial line into the
United States.
While the secretary's address was
an urgent demand for better condi-
lions for American labor, he issued
stirring appeal for fair play for the
American manufacturer. He said:
$50 long as the American manu-
facturer buys labor in the American
market, pays the American scale of
wages, and thus enables the Ameri-
can wage Garner to be a consumer of
American food and clothes. fuel and
shelter, let there be accorded to him
every possible encouragement in his
unequal competition with the cheap
er labor of other countries"
While Secretary Shaw is too much
of a diplomat and too astute a poll
tician to handle the corporation ques
ton without gloves, it is evident that
he is a strong advocate of a more ra-
tional and less hysterical policy in
connection with this problem. Judg-
ing from his speech, there is every
reason to believe that he shares with
the administers don dhe belief that
the American people have gone too
far in their wholesale condemnation
of corporations. This attitude, which |
is altogether unfortunate for CON-
merce has been caused by the dis
covery that certain big business in
terests have been violating the ethics
of both morality and business. The
prosecution of these violators has
been prompt and effective, but the
administration regrets that such
prompt action mas stirred up agitat-
ors who would condemn all corpora
tons, by far the greater number of
which are conducted wisely and we'll
The chief danger of such hostility,
as seen by the administration, lies In
the bad effect it will have upon the
foreign commerce of the United
States. This foreign commerce has
grown to remarkable proportions
and its existence insures steady WORK
the year round for American labor.
If mills and factories are compelled
to shut down part of the year because
Of adverse conditions at home, the
effect upon all business will be dis
astrous. Secretary Shaw sees this
condition plainly, for in his address
he says:
eve need have no concern about
the sale of our food products. If one
country does not want them another
will. The world never has six
months food in advance, and 1t is
relatively unimportant which of sew
eral countries consumes our surplus.
What we are most interested in is a
foreign market for the product of
American artisans"
The principal element of danger
caused by this unrest, as seen here, !
is to be found in the tendency of the
different state legislatures to enact
drastic laws on the corporation ques-
ton. In the opinion of economic ex-
perts, the federal government should |
be allowed to deal with big corpora /
tons engaged in interstate business, /
for the federal law is far better suit /
ed to control the matter than a num-
Der of conflicting state laws.