The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-09

only power available, the national power, be frank and admit openly that they propose to abandon any effort to control the great business corporations and to exercise supervision over accumulation and distribution of wealth; for such super vision and control can only come through this particular kind increase of power. We no more believe in that empiricism which demands absolutely unrestrained in dividualism than we do in that em- piricism which elamors for a deadening socialism which would destroy all indi vidual initiative and would ruin the coun- try with a completeness that not even an unrestrained individualism itself could achieve. The danger to American de- mocracy lies not in the least in the con centration of administrative power in re- sponsible and accountable hands. It lies in having the power insufficiently con centrated, so that no one can be held responsible to the people for it's use. Con- centrated power is palpable, visible re- sponsible, easily reached, quickly held to account Power scattered through many administrators, many Legislators, many men who work behind and through legis- lators and administrators, is impalpable, is unseen, is irresponsible, can not be reached can not be held to account. De- mocracy is in peril wherever the admin istration of political power is scattered among a variety of men who work in secret, whose very names are unknown to the common people. It is not in peril from any man who derives authority from the people, who exercises it in sight of the people, and who is from time to time compelled to give an account of it's exercise to the people,
 Labor.
 There are many matters affecting labor ft,A -tnfr 1R f1,A .erc. ,,-lr which l should like to draw your atten- tion, but exhaustive discussion of the problem in all it's aspects is not now necessary. This administration is near ing it's end; and, moreover, under our form of, government the solution of the problem depends upon the action of the states as much as upon the action of the nation. Nevertheless, there are certain considerations which 1 wish to set before you, because I hope that our people will more and more keep them in mind. A blind and ignorant resistance of every effort for the reform of abuses and for the readjustment of society to modern in- dustrial conditions represents not true conservatism but an indictment to the widest radicalisin; for wise radicalism and wise conservatism go hand in hand one bent on progress, the other bent on seeing that no change is made unless in the right direction. l believe in steady effort, or perhaps it would be more ac- curate to say In steady efforts in many different directions, to bring about a con- dition of affairs under which the men who work with hand or with brain, the labor CTS, the superintendents, the men who produce for the market and the men who find market for the articles produced, shall own a far greater share than at present of the wealth they produce, and be enabled to invest it in the tolls and
 instruments by which all work is carried on. As far as possible I hope to see frank recognition of the advantages con- ferred by machinery, organization, and division of labor, accompanied by an ef- fort to bring about a larger share in the ownership by wageworker of railway, mill and factory. In farming, this simply means that we wish to see the farmer own his own land we do not wish to see the farms so large that they become the property of absentee landlords who farm them by tenants, nor yet so small that the farmer becomes like a European peasant. Again, the depositors in our savings banks now number over one tenth of our entire population. These are al, capitalists, who through the savings banks loan their money to the workers that is in many cases to themselves-to carry on their various industrious The more we increase their number the more we introduce the principles of cooper alton into our industry. Every increase in the number of small stockholders in corporations is good thing, for the same reasons; and where the employees are, the stockholders the result is par ticularly good. Very much of this move ment must be outside of anything that can be accomplished by legislation; but legislation can do a good deal. Postal savings banks will make it easy for the poorest to keep their savings in absolute safety. The regulation of the national highways must be such that they shall serve all people with equal justice. Cor porate finances must be supervised so as to make it far safer than at present for the man of small means to invest his money in stocks. There must be prohibi- tion of child labor, diminution of woman labor, shortening of hours of all mechan- ical labor; stock watering should be pro- hibited and stock gambling so far as is possible discouraged. There should be a progressive inheritance tax on large for tunes. Industrial education should be an- couraged As far as possible we should Mchten the burden of taxation on .he sinall man. We should put premium upon thrift, hard work, and business energy; but these qualities cease to be the main factors in accommodating for