New-York tribune., 1908-12-09

TO choose between on the one hand the corrIp-
ZIONIST. the bribe giver. the bribe taker the man @
who employs his great talent to swindle ms
fellow citizens on large scale, ana on tiis
other hand, the preacher OF class hareu' tie
man who whether from ignorance or from VIII
ingness to sacrifice his country to his aInDltIoh'
persuades well-meaning but wrong-headeu men
TO try to destroy the instruments upon WIIcn
our prosperity mainly rests Let eacH slouP -
men beware of and guard against the shoIe
comings which that group is itself most IL
able. Too often we see the business community
In a spirit of unhealthy class CONSCIOUSNESS de-
plore the effort to hold to account under the law
the wealthy who in their MANAGEMENT OF
great corporations. whether railroads street
railways, or other industrial enterprises. nave
behaved in a way that reVolts the conscience OF
the plain, decent people. SUCH an atutuue can
not be condemned too severely, for men OF pIop-
erty should recognize that they ieopardlze the
rights Of property when they fail heartily TO JON
in the effort TO do away with the abuses of wealth
on the other hand. those who advocate proper
control on behalf Of the public through the state
Of these great corporations. ana or the weaith
engaged on a giant scale in business operations
must ever keep in mind that unless they 90
sCrupulous Justice to the corporation, unless
they permit ample profit and cordially encour-
age capable men of business so long as heY act
With honesty they striking at the root or
our national wellbeing: for in the long run,
under the mere pressure of material distress,
The people as whole would probably 60 back
to the reign of unrestricted indlvidua!lSm
rather than submit to a control by the stare
so drastic and foolish. conceived in spirit
of such unreasonable and narrow hostility O.
wealth. to prevent business operations from
being profitable. and therefore TO bring ruin
upon the entire business community, ana uitl-
mately upon the entire body of citizens.
The opposition to government control OF these
great CORPORATIONS makes its most effective effort
in the shape of an appeal to the old doctrine Of
states rights OF course. there are many sincere
men who now believe in unrestricted lhdlViouai-
ism in business. just there we're fornerIy
many sincere men who believed In slavery-that
is in the unrestricted right of individual TO
own another individual These men oao 90 not Tbe be
effective fight against adequate government
control and supervision of individual. and espe-
Cially of corporate. wealth engaged IN interstate
business is chiefly done under cover; and espe-
cially under cover of an appeal 10 states rights
It is not at all infrequeLt to read in the same
speech 4 denunciation of predatory wealth fos-
tered by special privilege and defiant of both the
public welfare and law Of the land. and de-
nunciation of centra uzation in the central gov
ernment Of the power 10 deal with THIS cen
tralized and organized wealth. OF course the
policy set forth in such twin denunclatl"hs
amounts to absolutely nothing, for the nrst nan
is nullif1ed by the second half The chief reason
among the many sound and compelling reasons
that LED TO the formation Of the national gov
eminent was tho absolute need that the Union,
and not the several states, should deal win
interstate and foreign commerce; and the power
TO deal with interstate commerce was granted
absolutely and penary to the central govern
ment and was exercised completely as regards
the only instruments of interstate commerce
known in those days-the waterways. the hlgn-
roads as well the partnerships of individuals
who then conducted all OF what business there
WAS Interstate commerce Is now chiefly con-
Quoted bv railroads: and the great corporation
has supplanted the mass Of small partnerships
or individuals. The proposal TO make the ma
tionaI government supreme over, and therefore
to give it complete control over, the railroads
and other instruments Of interstate commerce IS
merely a proposal TO carry out TO the Ietter one one
Of the prime purposes. if not the prime purpose,
for which the Constitution was founded II
does not represent Capitalization. 1t represents
merely the acknowledgment Of the patent fact
that Centra izatfon has already come in business.
If this irresponsible outside business power IS
10 be controlled in the interest Of the general
IL ha oil cd an ono
giving adequate power of control to the one
sovereignty capable Of exercising such power
the national government. Forty or fifty separate
state governments cannot exercise that power
over corporations doing business in most or all
of them; first. because they absolutely lack the
authority to deal with interstate business IN
any form: and. second. because of the inevitable
conflict of authority sure 10 arise in the effort
10 enforce different kinds of state regulation,
often inconsistent with another and some
times oppressive in themselves. Such divided
authority cannot regulate commerce with wis
dom and effect. The central government Is the
only power which without oppression can
nevertheless thoroughly and adequately control
and supervise the large corporations To aban-
don the effort for national control means 70
abandon the effort for ell adequate control and
vet TO render likely continual bursts OF action
bv state legislatures which cannot achieve the
purpose sought for. but which can do q great
deal of damage to the corporation without con-
ferrng any real benefit on the public
7 believe that the more farsighted corporations
are themselves coming 10 recognize the unWis-
dom OF the violent hostility they have displayed
during the last few years to regulation and con-
troll by the national government OF combinations
engaged in interstate business. The truth is
that we who believe in this movement of assert
ing and exercising a genuine control in the pub
lie interest over these great corporations have
contend against TWO sets of enemies. who,
though nomnally opposed to one another are
really allies in preventing a proper solution Of
the problem. There are, first. the big corpora
ton men. and the extreme individualists among
business men. who genuinely believe in utterly
unregulated husiness-that Is, in the reign OF
plutOCracy: and, second the men who, being
blind TO the economic movements Of the day,
believe in A movement of repression rather than
Of regulation of corporations and who denounce
both the power of the railroads and the exercise
Of the Federal power which alone can really
hCent national control. On the other hand do
not in the least object TO combinations; do not
in the least object to concentration in bust
ness administration on the contrary they favor
both, with the all important provisO that there
shall be such publicity about their workings.
and such thoroughgong control oyer them, as
against the interest, Of the general public. We
do not object TO the concentration OF wealth and
administration. but do believe in the dis
tribution Of the wealth in profits 10 the real
owners, and in securing 10 the public the full
benefit Of the concentrated administration We
believe that with concentration in administra-
tion there can come both the advantage of a
larger ownership and Of a more equitable dis
tribution Of profits. and at the same time a bet
ter service 70 the commonwealth. We believe
that the administration should be for the benefit
Of the many: and that greed and rascalitv. prac-
tised on q large scale. should be punished as re-
lentlessIy as II practised a small scale
We DO not for moment believe that the
problem Will be solved by any short and easv
method The solution will come only by press
ing various concurrent remedies Some Of these
remedies must lie outside the domain Of all gov
ernment. Some must lie outside the domain Of
the federal government. But there is legislation
which the federal government alone can enact
and which is absolutely vital in order TO seCur-
the attainment Of our purpose Many laws are
needed There should he regulation by the na-
tional government OF the great interstate cor
porati0ns including simple method Of account
keeping. publicitt, supervision of the issue Of