The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-08

roduS. 1nOSe who DelleVe III emcleQC
national control, ON the other hand, do
not in the least object to combinations,
do not in the least object to concentra-
ton in business administration. On
the contrary, they favor both, with the
all important proviso that there shall be
such publicity about their workings
and such thoroughgoing control over
them as to insure their being in the
interest and not against the interest of
the general public. We do not object
to the concentration of wealth and adj
ministration, but we do believe in the
distribution of the wealth in profits to
the real owners and in securing to the
public the full benefit of the concen-
trated administration. We believe that
with concentration in administration
there can come both the advantage of
a larger ownership and of a more
equitable distribution of profits and at
the same time a better service to the
commonwealth. We believe that the
administration should be for the benefit
of the many and that greed and rascal
ity practiced on a large scale should
be punished as relentlessly as if prac-
ticed on small scale.
the problem will be solved by any
short and easy method. The solution
will come only by pressing various con-
current remedies. Some of these RENE
dies must lie outside the domain of
all government. Some must be out
side the domain of the federal
government. But there is legisla-
ton which the federal government
alone can enact and which is abso-
lutely vital in order to secure the at
tainment of our purpose. Many laws
are needed. There should be regula-
ton by the national 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 corpora
tions engaged in public business, in
Guiding the corporations which get
power from water rights. There should
be national as well as state guardian
ship of mines and forests. The labor
legislation hereinafter referred to
should concurrentIy be enacted into
law.
To accomplish this means, of course,
certain increase in the use of, not
the creation of, power by the central
government. The power already ex-
lists. 1t does not have to be created.
The only question is whether it shall
be used or left idle, and meanwhile
the corporations over which the pow
er ought to be exercised will not re-
main idle. Let those who object to
J,
power available, the national power,
be frank and admit openly that they
propose to abandon any effort to con-
troll the great business corporations
and to exercise supervision over the
accumulation, and distribution of
wealth, for such supervision and con-
troll can only come through this par
ticplar Kind of INCREASE of power. We
no more believe in that empiricism
which demands absolutely unrestrain-
ed individuaIism than we do in that
empiricism which clamors for a dead
ening socialism, which would destroy
all individual initiative and would ruin
the country with completeness that
not even an unreStrained individual
ism itself could achieve. The danger
to American democracy lies not in the
least in the concentration of admins
trative power in responsible and ac-
countable hands. 1t lies in having the
power insuffciently concentrated, so
that no one can be held responsible to
the people for its use. Concentrated
power is palpable, visible, responsible,
easily reached, quickly held to account
Power scattered through many admin,
who work behind and through legis-
lators and administrators, is impalpa-
bic, is unseen, is irresponsible, cannot
be reached, cannot be held to account
Democracy is in peril wherever the
administration of political power is
scattered among a variety of men who
work in secret, whose very names are
unknown to the common people. 1t is
not in peril from any man who derives
from the people, who exer
cises it in sight of the people and who
is from time to time compelled to give
an account of it's exercise to the peo-
pie.
Labor.
There are many matters affecting Ia
Dor and the status of the wageWorker
to which l should like to draw your
but an exhaustive discussion
Of the problem in all it's aspects is not
now necessary. This administration is
nearing its 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 &C
lion of the nation. Nevertheless there
are certain considerations which wish
to set before you, because l hope that
our people will more and more keep
hem in mind. A blind and ignorant
resistance to every effort for the re-
form of abuses and for the readjust-