Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-12-09
STATES RIGHTS

The opposition TO government control OF
these great corporations makes its most eff
fective 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 individualism in business, just
as there were formerly many sincere men
who believed In savery-that is in the unre-
stricted right of an individual to own an
other individual. These men do not by them
selves have great weight. however. The ef-
fective fight against adequate government con-
troll and supervision of Individual, and es-
pecially of corporate, wealth engaged IN an
terstate business is chiefly done under cover,
and especially under cover of an appeal TO
states rights 1t is not at all infrequent to
read in the same speech denuneiation Oh
predatory wealth fostered by special privilege
and defiant OF both the public welfare ana
law of the land, and a denunoiaton OF CEN
tralization in the central government of the
power to deal with this centralized and or
ganized wealth. OF course, the policy set forth
in such twin denunciations amounts TO az
soutely nothing, for the first half is nulltfied
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 the absolute need that the
Union and not the several states should deal
with Interstate and foreign commerce, and
the power to deal with interstate commerce.
was granted absolutely and plenartly TO the
central government and was exercised COM
terstate commerce known In those days-the
waterways the high roads, as well as the
partnerships of individuals who then con-
Quoted all of what business there was. In
terstate commerce is now chiefly conducted by
railroads. and the great corporation has sup
planted the of small partnerships or IN
dividuals. The proposal to make the ma
tionaI government supreme over, and there
fore to give 1t complete control over, the
railroads and other instruments of interstate
commerce is merely a proposal TO carry out
to the letter one of the prime purposes, If not
the prime purpose, for which the Constitu-
ton was founded II does not represent civth-
zaticn. It represents merely the acknowledge
ulent of the patent fact that Capitalization has
already come in business. If this ire
controlled in the interest of the gen
eral public it can only be controlled
in one way; by giving adequate
power of control to the one sovereignty ca
pable 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 inev-
liable conflict of authority sure to arise in the
effort to enforce different kinds of state regu-
lation, often inconsistent with one another and
sometimes oppressive in themselves. Such
DIVIDED authority cannot regulate commerce
with wisdom and effect The central gov
eminent is the only power which, with
ont oppression, can nevertheless thoroughly
and adequately control and supervise the large
corporations. To abandon the effort for ma
tional control means TO abandon the effort for
all adequate control and yet to render likely
continual bursts of action by state legisla-
lures which cannot achieve the purpose
sought for but which can do great deal OF
damage to the corporation without comforting
and real benefit on the public.