Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1908-12-10

mind thdt exactly al the anarchist iS the
worst enemy Of liberty and the reaction
airy the worst enemy OF order, so the
men who defend the rights OF property
have most 70 fearafrom the wrongdoers
Of great wealth and the men who are
champloning popular rights have most
20 fear from the demagoguss who in the
name Of popular rights would do wrong
TO and Cypress honest business men,
honest men OF wealth; for the success Of
either type OF wrongdoer necessarily in
vites a violent reaction against the cause
the wronsdoer nomlnally upholds. +. .
Need Of Capitalization.
The proposal to make the ma
tional government supreme over, and
therefore to give II complete control over.
the railroads and other instruments OF
interstate commerce is merely a propos-
al 10 carry out TO the letter one OF the
prime purposes. IL not the prime purpose,
for which the constitution was founded
II does not represent Capitalization. IL
represents merely the acknowledgment
Of thc patent fact that Capitalization has
already come in business, II this ire
sponsib'e outside business power Is to be
controlled in the interest OF the general
public IL can only be controlled In one
way. by giving adequate power OF con-
troll 10 the one sovereignty capable OF ex-
ercising such power-the national govern
ment To abandon the effort for national
control means to abandon the effort for
all adequate control and yet to render like
ly continual bursts OF action by state Leg
islatures. which cannot achieve the pur-
pose sought for, but which can do
great deal OF damage to the corporation
without comforting any real benefit on
the public.
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 well as state guardianship
OF mines and forests. The labor legisla-
ton hereinafter referred 10 should con-
currently be enacted into law.
To accomplish this, means certain in
crease in the use of-nOt the creation Of
power, by the central government The
power already exists II does not have
10 be created, the only question Is
whether It shall be used or left idle
and meanwhile the corporations over
which the power ought to be exercised
viii not remain idle. The danger TO Amer
lean democracy lies not in the least In the
concentration OF administrative power in
responsible and accountable hands. 1t
lies In having the power insufiiciently
concentrated. so that no one can be held
responsible TO the people for it's use
Concentrated power is palpable visible
responsible, easily reached, quickly held
70 account Democracy Is in peril
wherever the administration OF po-
litical power is scattered among
variety ~ men who work IN
secret, whose very names are I'M
known to the common people It is not
in peril from any man who derives au-
thority from the people. who exercises
It IN sight OF the people and who is
from time to time compelled TO give an
account OF its exercise to the people
Legislation for Wageworker.
There are many matters affecting labor
and the status OF the wggeworker 10
which I should Ike TO draw your atten-
ton, but an exhaustive discussion OF the
problem In all It's aspects IS not now nee
essary. believe In ii steady ef-
fort or perhaps II would be more
accurate 20 say IN steady efforts
In many different directions. TO bring
about condition OF affairs under which
the men who work with hand or with
brain. the laborers the superintendents.
the men who produce the market and the
prodaCed. shall own far greater share
than az present OF the wealth they pro-
duce, and be enabled 10 invest IL In the
tools and Instruments by which an work
Is carried on. As far as possible / hope
TO see a frank recognition OF the advan-
tagcs conferred by machu merry. organlza-
ton and division OF labor. accompanied
by an EFFORT 70 bring about larger share
In the ownership by wage-worker Of rail-
way. mill and factory.
Postal Savings banks will make IL
easy for the poorest TO keep their saw
ings ia absolute safety. The regulation
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 at present for the man OF small
means TO invest his money I'm stocks.
There must be prohibition OF child la
Dor. D.miuution OF women labor. short
ening OF hours OF all mechanical labor;
stock watering should be prohibited.
and stock gambling SO far as Is posSi-
Bile discouraged There should be
progressive Inheritance tax on large
fortunes Industrial education should
be encouraged. As far as possible we
should tighten the burden OF taxation
on the small man. We should put
premium upon thrift, hard work. and
business energy, but these qualities
cease 20 be the main factors Ia Rccu-
mulating "A fortune long before that
fortune reaches point where It would
be seriously affected by any inherit
lance tax such as / propose. II Is emi-
nently right that the nation should fix
the terms upon which the great for.
tunes are inherited They rarely do
good and they often do harm 70 those
who inherit them in thoir entirety.
There should no longer be any palter-
ing with the question OF taking care OF
the wagcworkeUs who. under our pres
ent Industrial system, become killed.
crippled. or worn out as part OF the
regular incidents OF g given bust
ness. AS far as concerns those
who have been worn out / call your
attention 10 tho fact that definite
steps toward providing old-agc PEN
siops have been taken In many Of our
private industries. These may be- in-
definitely extended through voluntary
association and contrbutory schemes.
or through the agency OF savings
hanks, as under the Massachusetts
plan
Urgent Need OF Reform,
our present system, or rather no sys,
tenn works dreadful wrong, and Is ot
bencHt 20 only one class OF people-the
lawyers when a workman Is injured
what he needs Is not an expensive and
doubtful lawsuit. but the certainty Of
relief through immediate adminlgtra-