Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-15
FEDERAL POWER
SHOULD CONTROL GREAT
CORPORATE INTERESTS

How then are the great national
corporations, which have spread their
activities over many states and out
grown the power of control by the In
dividual states, to be curbed If we do
not vest the necessary power of control
In the federal government? How Is
the inevitable corruption of local gov
ernments by the large. all-powerful
and wealthy corporations to be pre-
vented? How are we to secure the
much needed uniformity of laws
throughout the country?
by voluntary cooperation OF the
sovereign commemorative these re-
suits may be accomplished without the
necessity for the surrender OF the pow
err by the states to the federal gov
eminent" comes the reply from the
champions of state rights, and In the
conference of chief executives now
being held at Washington they claim
to see first step In that direction.
BY voluntary cooperation among the
various states matterSS which concern
them as a whole could be discussed and
some plan of uniform action adopted
and recommended to the legislatures
of the various states. BY presenting
solid phalanx the states would have
sufficient power to control the great
corporations and the latter need not
be harassed by conflicting laws affect
ing them In the various Jurisdictions
through which they operate.
Advocates of this plan propose that
an annual conference be held composed
of representatives appointed by the
legislatures or executives of the va
rious states, these delegates to dis
cuss among themselves and decide up
on a plan of action to be recommended
to all the states While there would
be no compulsion to force the state
to abide by the plans of the confer
ence, advocates of the project hold
that it would do much to make the
laws uniform, producing better laws
and solving difficulties which present
themselves to the states as whole.
In this way the idea of federation
of Independent states. which some his
torical authorities now contend Is an
exploded theory, could be maintained
and the growing power of the federal
government checked to some extent.
At least no harm could come from
such an annual conference, and much
good might result.
One point in the discussion is clear,
viz, the states have demonstrated
their inability to deal, under the pres
ent system, with problems of national
scope which still remain within their
jurisdiction. They have shown their
utter lack of power to control the
great centralized and nationaliZed corr
porations, and have brought forth such
a mass of conflicting legislation and
irregular laws that the people will
soon be compelled to demand that they
either get together to remedy these
evils or that they hand over to the
federal government the control of those
things which were formerly local, but
have now become national.
Champions of states rights condemn
the efforts of President Roosevelt and
his followers to increase the authority
of the federal government especially
the executive branch. They believe
the efforts to increase the power of
the national government are danger
Gus and a tendency towards mon
archy They therefore welcome any
| effort towards cooperation among the
various states which will make inter-
ference by the federal government UNI
necessary, and they hope that the
present conference of the governors at
Washington may be the forerunner of
an extensive movement in that direc-
| ton.