The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-09-25

| ernment. If the people of the different
 states allow the management of corporate 1 affairs within the states to be taken away | and permit the powers reserved to the l states to be taken away and permit the ! powers reserved to the states to be cen tralized in the federal government then this republic would be robbed of it's strength and that all that as made 1t great and powerful. Special interests unfortunately, never seem satisfied with any regulation. They fought the rate bill before Congress on the ground that 1t interferred with the constitutional rights of the state Now that the states have comenced to legislate they deny that they come within the control of the states and insist that the federal gov ernment alone has power over them.
 The Square Deal.
 The states can be relied upon to treat railroads and all other interests fairly. corporation after all consists only of a number of individuals exercising charter powers conferred by state. If the states are competent to enact valid laws SIS to the individuals they are competent Co enact valid laws for number of
 individuals grouped under the legal fric- ton of a corporation The power to zx rates on transportation carries with u ll' power io ueStlOy ~ bhSiitSS pi et community While in ordinary lines of business competition can be trusted to regulate prices. with a monopoly the gov ernment must supply that regulation that in other lines of industry is supplied by compe titon.
 Interstate transportation should be strictly regulated by the federal govern ment. and intrastate transportation by the state governments
 Hac violation pf tho self ment of states is the practice of the fed eral government in licensing the sale of intoxica ting liquors in states and counties where such sale is made illegal by To- cal enactment This should be stopped. for it is an interference with the self government of the states that is not war ranted and cannot be defended upon any reasonable ground.
 No greater mission can be in store for the democratic party than to preserve the states from the destructive encroachments on their power. While this is the great est nation in the world It will com mence to decay when the self govern ment of the states, the source of it's strength is taken away.
 Rights of the People.
 We are approaching the period in which the peoples rights are to be defined and observed as they never have ben be- fore. The next few years will be dis tinguished as the time in which industdial problems will bes olved unjust priv ileges destroyed, and the doctrine of equal rights fixed in national policies and in the conscience of mankind. There are some who see danger in our institutions in the agitation resulting from the ex- posures of wrongdoing in official and business life. 1 do not share this view To my mind the hope for the perpetuity of this government by the people was never brighter than now. The people are learning that if they do not control specia interests that special interests will con trol them. 1t is the evil in business that is being assaed, not the business and if any industry is harmed by the attack on evil il is injured by the evil and not by those who would correct the evils. Property interests should be and respected and vested rights should not be interferred with. But 1t should not Def orgotten that there can be no vested right or wrong. There should be no objection to riches honestly acquired, but there should be protest sgainst unjust privileges out of which tainted riches grow.