The Utah County Democrat. [volume] (Provo City, Utah) 1898-1909, 1908-12-10

represents merely the acknowledgment
of the patent fact that Capitalization has
already come IN business. n this ire
sponsible outside business poYor W 10 be
controlled IN the interest OF the general
public II can only be controlled IN one
way BY giving adequate power OF con
trol 90 the one sovereignty cap bic ~ eN-
ertisng such power-the national govern
ment 10 abandon the effort for national
control means to abandon the EFFORT for
all adequate control and yet 10 render like
~ continual bursts Of action BY state leg
i8latures which cannot achieve the pur.
pose sought for but which can do a
great deal Of damage TO the corporation
without comforting any real benefit on
the public.
Corporations Learning Wisdom.
! believe that the more farBighted cor
poratlcns are themselves coming TO rec
oguize the unwlsdom OF the violent hos
tility they have displayed during the last
few years 10 regulation and control by
the national government Of combinations
engaged In interstate business The
truth rs that we who believe In this
movement Of asserting and exercising
genuine control. In the public Interest.
over these great corporations have to
contend against two sets OF enemies.
who, though nominally opposed 20 one
another. are really allies IN preventing
"a proper solution OF the problem. There
are. first, the big corporation men. and
the extreme indyidunlists among bust
ness men, who genuinely believe in ut
tcriy uuregulated business chat Is, IN
the reign OF plutocracy; and. second,
the men who. being blind to the econom-
ic movements OF the day believe In a
movement OF repression rather than Of
regulation OF corporations. and who de-
nounce both the power Of the railroads
and tho exercise OF the federal power
which alone can really control the rail-
roads. Those who believe In efficient ma
tional control, on the other hand. do not
In the least object 10 combinations; do
not In the least object to concentration
In business administration. on the con-
trary. they favor both. with the all-impor-
tant proviso that there shall be such pub
licity about their workings. and such
thoroughgoing control over them. as 10
Insure their being In tho interest. and
not against the interest. OF the general
public. We do not object to the concen-
tration OF wealth and administration; but
We do believe In the distribution OF the
wealth In profits 20 the real owners. and
In securing TO the public the full benefit
OF the concentrated administration. We
believe that with concentration In adj
niinistration there can come both the
advantage OF larger ownership and OF a
more equitable distribution OF profits.
and at the same time better service TO
the commonwealth. We believe that the
administration should be for the boneft
% the maj v, ard that greed ana ras-
cality practced on a largo scale.
should be punished as relentlessly as II
practiced on o small scale.
We do not for a moment believe that
the problem will be solved by any short
aad easy method. The solution viii
come only by pressing various concurrent
remedies. Some OF these remedies must
lie outside the domain OF all government.
Some must lie outside the domain OF tho
federal government But there Is leg
islation which the. federal government
alone can enact and which Is absolutely
vital In order 60 secure the attainment
VI our purpose Many laws are needed.
There should be regulation by the ma
tional government OF the great Interstate
corporations. including a simple method
OF account keeping. publicity supervision
OF the issue OF securities abolition OF
rebates and OF special privileges. There
should be short-time franchises for all
corporations. engaged In public business:
including the corporations which get
power from water rights. There should
be- national as well as state guardianship
Of mines and forests. The labor iegisla-
ton hereinafter referred TO should con-
currently he enacted into law.
To accomplish this. means certain ins
NitNtf w titt btt oA--iOt tilt tItAliOn vi
power by the central government The
power already exists: n does not have
10 be created; the only question N
whether II shah be used or left Idle
and meanwhile the corporations over
which the power ought 20 be exercised
will not remain idle. The danger 10 Amer
lean democracy lies not In the least In the
concentration OF administrative power In
responsible and accountable hands II
Hes In having the power insufBciently
concentrated. so that no one can be held
responsible 10 tho people for It's use
Concentrated power Is palpahle. visible,
responsible, easily reached, quickly held
20 account Democracy Is In peril
wherever the administration OF po-
lltlcai power IL scattered among
variety OF men who work In
secret. whose very names are I'M
known 10 the common people IL r. not
IN peril from any mar who derives au-
thorlty from the people who exercises
Il In sight OF the people, and who Is
from tisae 10 time compelled 20 give an
account OF its exercise. to the people.
Legislation for Waaeworker.
There ARE many matters Affecting labor
and the status OF the wageworker to
which should like 20 draw your atten-
ton. hut an exhaustive discussion OF the
problem IN all ita aspects Is not now nee
ossary. believe In steady ef-
fort or perhaps II would be more
accurate TO say In steady efforts
In many different directions, TO bring
about a condition OF aiinirs under which
the men who work with hand or with
brain. the iaborors. the suparntendents
the men who produce the market, and the
men who lind a market for the articles
produced, shah own a far greater share
than M present Of the wealth they pro.
duce. and hr enabled TO invest Il ia the
tools and instruments by which all work
IL carried on. AS Tar as possible 1 hope
90 see frank recognition OF the adven-
tagcs conferred by machinery. organize.
ton and division OF labor accompanied
by an effort % bring about a larger shar,
In the ownership by wage-worker OF rail-.
way. mill and factory.
Postal savinga banks will make n
easy for tho poorest 10 keep their saw
-rrr-- mr. rr1T---ur- --u--- -rr -rr-rr1rrrr
OF the national highways must be such
that they shall serve all people with
equal Justice, Corporate finances must
be supervised so as TO make IL far safer
than az present for the man OF small
means "a Invest his money In stocks
There must be prohibition 81 child La
hor intuition OF women labor. short
cning % hours OF all mechanical labor
stock watering should be prohibited
and stock gambling 80 far as Is posi-
Bile discouraged. There should he
I progressive Inheritance tax on larg'
fortunes. Industrial education shoul,
! ho encouraged As far as possible W,
should Tighten the burden Of taxation
on the small man. We should put
I premium upon thrift. hard work ans
] business energy, but these qualities
cease TO be the main factors IN accn
mulating fortune long before tina
/ fortune reaches "A point where Il wOul,
be seriously Affected by any inherl
lance tax such as ] propose. IL Is emf
nentiy right that the nation should III
| The tnrma mnon which the grcal for