The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1908-05-01

/ ~AssA ~ - treas sach - On MS worth
~ nsau without regard 80 his wealth
o. hts poversys But svfi though the IN
nusatss q thsse Aena4ogues 2 vision
than thA tntIueuce exerrissd ~ the man
| IL great wealth or the man 0f power
ard position N the industrial world, VIII
u und~rsssndsng 81. stin more by any
exhibition Ut incorporating hostility 20.
the millions ~ . working people. tends
9 umiss them AGAINST their fslsow .ears sn,
soods. II 10 . bod thing TO teach our
working peop3e that men Of means, thAt
men who have the largest proportion Of
~sssArtiy greedy, xrssping and coid- hearted.
and that they untustiy demand and APP
| prppstAt~ more than their share Of the
substsnee ~ the many. Stern cond<m-
nation SHOULD b. Waited upon d~meGogus
and visionary who teach this untruth. ard
even at~rnef upon those capitalists who
are IL truth graspinS and greedy and
otfers. ana Who BY their actions teach
the dreadful lesson far more effectively
. any mere preacher of unreal 4
"elAa. g~rtsy.nce". left too long without
thersf1r~ Ciaae resentment.
The strengthening Of the anti-trust Law
. demanded upon bath moral and eco.
sanatc grounds Our purposs IN strength
troll by the national government over the
L~s~tn~ss us~ Of tbs vast masses OF Tn
dtvtdual. and especially Of corporate.
nopoiis~ most of the Interstate business
Of the country; n ~ believe ths con-
trol csn bess - exercised by preventing
bs trying 10 destroy them when they have
already Grown. In the highest sense OF
the word this movement for thorough con-
troll ~ the business U.s. Of this great
~AAffk T. concentration WvA - ANUtnO IN
sfe~r . safe middle course, which alone
can save ~ from . piutocratie class gov
ernnenf on the one hand. or = soctalistic
which wouid b. frsuxht with disaster to
our free Institutions. state and national
We are trying to avoid alike the evils
which WOULD nov from government owner
frrstAte n chiefly carried on,
and The evils which nov from the riot
ard chaos OF unrestricted f~ndivtduaiism.
stiiutions n the corruptinx influence exsr-
cissi By great wealth suddenly. concen.
tr1ted Ia the hands Of the few. We shouid
n ssne manner Try 70 remedy this dan.
GER. In uptts Of the sulIen opposition OF
these few very powerful men, and with
the full purpose 10 protect them In all
their rights Mt the very time that We
require them to deal rightfuily with 9TH
ers
When with steam and electricity modern
business conditions went through h as
founding revolution which In TIL. country
begn . over half a century ago. there was
~ nrst much h~sitation m to what par
ffcular governmental agency should be
used 10 grappie with the new conditions.
years since. the effort was made to con-
troll combinations by regulating them
through the Interstate Commerce commits
sion. and TO abolish them by means Of
the ANTITRUST act the two remedies there
fore being In part mutually incompatible.
The tnterstAte commences law has pro-
duced admirable results. especially since
two years ago. The antitrust law, though
II worked some good. because anything
u bstter than anarchy and complete alb
rsnss g. nevsrthsless has
adequate but mischievous Twenty years
ago the misuse Of corporate power had
produced almost every conceivable form
injury to business morality and the pub
lie conscience. For Y long time federal
regulation of interstate commerce had
osen purely negative the national Judici-
restrain the state from exercising . power
which II WAS clearly unconstitutional ~
we'll ~ unwtse for them to exercise. but
which nevertheless the national govern
unent itself failed to exercise. Thus the
corporations mOnopolfSing made
the law for themselves. state power and
common law being inadequate to accom-
p''se sHa0ll1 - ~
Ffotth. Inc result was m~ischievous in the
failure 10 I sppr pH:k shs 4ro ossn sna 81 pi lie
evils TO which the lack Of regulation gave
rise. can excuse the we'll meaning persons
law outright. or 70 amend Il BY simply
c0ndemntng unreasonable" combinations.
Power should un~questionabiy be lodged
In the executive branch Of the
sovernmsnt TO permit combinations which
must always be remembered that, 10 re-
yards the great and wealthy combinations
through which most OF the interstate bust
shoyid be on them to show that they
hays : right to exist. No judicial tribunal
hfA the knowledge or the experience to
determine in the nrst place whether q
given combination In advisable or neces-
sary In the interest Of the public. Some
body. whether = commission or q bureau
under the department Of m and
personal belief Is that ultimately We shaihl
have 20 adopt = national Incorporation
Law. though ! am well aware that this
may Dc impcsstble at present. Over the
tbs power II placed the courts should
posmess merely 4 owe OF review analog-
Gus 70 TINT obtaining In connection with
mission at present. To confer this power
would not be a leap In the dark: IL would
merely De to carry still further the the
ory OF enective governmental control OF
- 1870 WW% kV4
the creation OF the Interstate Comm .rce
commission and for the enlargement OF
it, powers. and for tbs creation or the
bureau OF corporations. The Interstate
commerce legislation has worked admira-
bly,. II has benefited the public; Il mas
benefited honestly managed ard wisely
conducted railroads: and In spite OF the
tact that the husiness Of the country has
enormously increased. the value OF THE
federal l~0gislntion has been shown by the
way n which Il has enabled tho federal
9ovesnment to correct the most pro-
uounced Of the great and varied abuses
~. .ysAFs ago-while the many abuses that
etNl remain emphasize the mead OF fur
tner and more t~h0rough-gotng legtsiation.
l D1mllarly. the bureau Of corporations han
amply JUSTIFIED tts creation. n other
| yOfda. Il n clear that the principles en-
kploycd to remedy the great evils IN the
| business world have worked well. and they
can nov b. employed TO correct the evils
tna further commercial growth has
hr0ugnt more prominently to the surface.
The powers . scope Of the Interstate
CoUSmerce commission. and Of any similar
10y Y - the bureau Of corporations,
which has 70 deal with the matter in
hand. should be greatly enlarged % n
T. meet the requiremenfs OF the present
day.
The decisions or the supreme court n
q Minnesota and North Carolina eases
illustrate how impossible 10 . dual con-
| troll OF national tommerce. The stafe~
cannot control Il. All they can do n IA
control lntraotate and thie NOV
forms but . small fraction OF the com
merce carried by the railroads through
zach stats Actual experience has shown