The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-04-28

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ity With all other citizens who how
to envy and greed, who eracts tie
doctrine OF class hatred into shfl,-
boleth. who substitutes LOYALTY, "a
men of particular status whether
rich or poor, for loyalty to those eter-
nal and immntable DrineIples a.
righteousness which bid US treat each
man on his worth rs a man witboni
regard TO his wealth or his poyerty
1t is a bad thing to teach our
working people that men OF means.
that men who have the largest nro-
portion OF the substantials comforts
OF life, are necessarily greedy, grasp
ing, and cold-hearted. and that they
unjustly demand and appropriate
more than their share OF the sub
stance Of the many. Stern condem-
nation should be visited uDon dema-
gogue and visionary who teach this
pntruth, and even sterner upon those
capitalists who are in truth grasp-
ing and greedy and brutalIy disre-
gardful OF the rights OF others. and
who by their actions teach the dread-
full Lesson far more effectively than
any mere preacher Of unrest A
class grievance" left too long with
out remedy breeds class conscious
ness" and therefore class resentment.
The strengthening of the anti
trust law is demanded upon both
moral and economic grounds. our
purpose in strengthening It is to Sc
cure more effective control BY the
National Government over the bust
ness use of the vast masses OF indi-
vidual, and especially OF corporate,
wealth, which at the present time
monopolize most OF the interstate
business Of the country; and we he
lieve the control can best be exercis-
ed by preventing the growth of abus-
es, rather than merely by trying to
destroy them when they have already
grown. In the highest sense OF the
word this movement for thorough
control Of the business use of this
great wealth is conservative.
When with steam and electricity
modern business conditions went
through the astounding revolution
which in this country began over half
a century ago. there was at first much
hesitation as to what particular gov
ornamental agency should be used to
grapple with the new conditions. At
almost the same time, about twenty
years since, the effort was made to
control combinations by regulating
them through the Interstate Com
merce Commission, and to abolish
them lby means of the antitrust act;
the two remedies therefore being In
part mutually Incompatible. The
Interstate commerce law has produc-
ed admirable results. especially since
II was strengthened by the Hepburn
law two years ago. The antitrust
law, though 1t worked some good,
because anything Is better than an
archy and complete absence of regu-
lation, nevertheless has proved in
many respects not merely inadequate
but mischiovous.
Power should unquestionably be
lodged somewhere in the Executive
branch OF the Government to permit
combinations which will further the
public interest; but 1t must alwsIys
he remembered that, as regards the
great and wealthy combinations
through which most of the Interstate
business of today is done, the burden
Of proof should be on them to show
htat they have a right TO exist. No
judicial tribunal has the knowledge
or the experience to determine In the
first place whether : given comhina-
ton is advisable or necessary in the
interest of the public. Some hcdy,
whether a commission, or bureau
under the Department OF Commerce
aud Labor. should be given this pow
err. My personal belief is that ulti-
mately we shall have to adopt a Ma
tional incorporation law, though
am we'll aware that this may be in-
possible at present. &Over the actions
Of the Executive body in which the
power is placed the courts should
possess merely power Of review
analogous to that obtaining in con-
nection with the work of the Inter
state Commerce Commission at pres
ent. 1t is clear that the principles
employed to remedy the great evils
in the business world have worked
well, and they can now be employed
to correct the evils that further COM
mercial growth has brought more
prominently 10 the. surface. The
powers and scope of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, and OF any
similar body. such as the Bureau Of
Corporations, which has TO deal with
the matter in hand. should be great
ly enlarged so as to meet the require
ments of the present day.
The decisions of the Supreme
Court in the Minnesota and North
Carolina cases illustrate how impos-
sible is a dual control OF National
commerce. The States can not con-
troll it All they can do is TO control
intrastate commerce, and this now
forms hut small fraction OF the
commerce carried by the railroads
through each State. Actual expert
ence has shown that the effort at
State control is sure to be nullified