Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-04-01

sTikcs thc blow. Taken as a ehore,
W. must all ~ itp on SO down TO-
gcther.
LARGE FoETu MES,
Yet while not merely admitting,
bnt insisting uFMl this, It is alsO true
that where there Is uo governmental
restraint or supervision some OF the
exceptional NCu usC their energies moi
In ways that are toa the coMinon good
but IN ways which tell against ahs
common good, The fortunes anna sseJ
thlONsh corporate Organization are NOW
50 large and NCst such power In those
hat WELD them IS 10 make il 4 mat
Ter ii necessity 10 give to the sovereign
that Us 10 the government, which res
Eescllts the people as Il Wholesome of-
fcclivC power OF supervision over then
corporate use. IN order to ensure a
healthy social and industrial life. every
biz corporation should 10 held resnun-
sIble by and bE accountable to, some
sovereign sffang enough 10 control its
Cprduct | ann IN no sense hostile TO
corporations Thts is an age OF cont
hiuatiops and ANY effort to prevent all
combination viii not be only useless
bat IN The end vicious, because of she
contempt fOl iaW which the failure to
enforce law Inevitably produces, We
Should. norcpvet. recognize IN cordial
and ample fashion the immense good
effect by corporate agencies In coun-
try such as ours, and the wealth of in
telcct energy ANA 5deity devoted 10
their services. and therefore normally
To the service ~ the public by theig
officers and directors. The corporation
has come 10 stay. iust as the trade nm
son has come To stay. Each can do ana
has done great good. Each should hg
favored SO long as 1t does good Bus
each should be sharply checked where
it acts against law ard Justice.
Experience has shown cpnCiusiNely
that 1t is useless 10 try TO get any ado
uuate regulation and supervision OF
these great corporations by state ac-
tion. Such regulation and supervision
can only be effectively exercised by Il
sovereign whose jurisdiction is cock
tensive with the field Of work OF the
coTporation-that IL, by the national
government believe this regulation
and supervision can be obtained by the
ena etment OF law by the Congress, our
steady aim should be by legislation
cautiously and carefully undertaken,
but resolutely persevered in, 10 assert
the sovereignty of the national govern.
ment by affirmative action. 1t
has been a misfortune that the natioua
laws on this subject have hitherto been
of negative OF prphlbitive rather than
an affirmative kind, and sim more that
they have In part sought TO prohibit
what could Lot he effectively prohibit
ed, aud have In part In their prohtbi-
lions COMPOUNDED what should be al
lowed and what should not be allowed.
RESTRAINT OF COMPETITION.
ut is generally useless TO try To- pre-
hibit all restraint in competition.
whether this restraint be reasonable
or unreasonable, and where 1t Is not
useless 1t is gen orally hurtfuI.
L. a 3s Ai,SlF
hibition of every aT-rau cement. good or
bad. which may tend TO restrict conn
petition, but snch adequate super
vision and equation as will prevent
any restriction Of competition from
being 10 the detrtnlent of the public
as Well as such supervision and reGu-
llation as Will prevent other abuses in
40 way connected With restriction OF
competition Df these abuSes per-
maps the chief although by no means
the only one. Is pver-ea pitaIiza tIon-r-
generally itself Tho result OF dis honess
evils 1t brings in its 'trntni for such
ONeIcanita liza ton often means nm in
fatton that invites business panic- "
always con Goals the true relations on
the profit earned 20 the capital actual
Iy invested. and il creates a burden OF
interest PAYNE nts which is fertile
cause Of improper reduction in OIL
limitation of wages it damages the
small investor. .discDuraEes THRIFT ana
encourages gambling and speculation;
while perhaps worst OF all is the trick
mess and dishonesty which II implies
for harm 10 morals Is worse than
any possible harm to material inter-
ests. and the deba uchery OF politics
and business by great dishonest cor
poralions Is far worse than any ae-
tual material evil they do the PUBLIC
Urtil the national government obtains
i'm ms NlI rl1 The Wisdom oil
the Congress may suggest, proper con,
troll over the big corporations engaged
in Interstate commensurate IS. over
the great majority OF the big corpora
tions--it viii be impossible 10 deal
adequately with these evils.
This power TO regulate rates, like an
similar powers over the business
world. should be exercised with mod
GRAFTON, caution and self-restratnti
but It should exist. so that II can be
effectively exercised when the need
arises. -, i do not believe IN
the government undertaking amy work
which can with propriety be left IN
private hands But neither do 1 be-
licve in the government ilinchIng frcm
overse cling any work when II becomes
evident that abuses are sure 10 obtain
therein unless there Is governmental
supervision
BEST REGULATION OF RATES.
"The best possible regula tiom Of
would, Of course, be that regulaH
cured by an honest agreement OBS
the railroads themselves 10 car{X
the law Such u general agreff
would. for instance at once put 1-&
10 the efforts OF any one big shipper on
big railroad TO discriminate against or
secure adyant ages over some rival and
such agreement would make the rail-
roads themselves agents for enforcing
the law. The power vested in the gov
ernmcnt to pat stop To agreements 10
the detrimeut OF ,-ic public should in
power 10 permit, under specified COndl-
lions and careful supervision, agree
nients clearly in the interest OF the pubs
lis But. In my Judgment, the neces-
sity ror giving the commission on adj
miuIstfItlve body tho powers I have
enumerated aboves and II may well be
inadVisable to attempt 10 vest this par
ticular power In the commission OF
other administrative body until IL al
ready possesses and is exercising what
I regard as by far the most Important
OF an the powers ] recommend las l1I-
deed the vitality Important p0wcr--that
10 fix a given man NnlJln rate, which
rats, after the lapse OF a reasonable
time, goes into full effect, subject To re-
View by the courts, A system OF
examination Of railroad accounts should
be provided SIMILAR 10 that now con-
ducied into the national banks by the
bank examiners u few FIRST class rail-
ROAD accountants, IL they had proper
direction and proper authority 10 m
fpeCt books and papers, could accom-.
pllsh msch In preventing wllfn VIOLA
1I q