Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-12-09

" ana penarily 10 the central govern
ment and was exercised completely ~
regards the only Instruments OF inter
state commerce known in those days
the waterways. the highrOads. a
well as the partnerships OF individual |:
who then conducted all Of what bust
hess there was. lnterStat" commerce
is now chiefly conducted by railroads;
and the great corporation has sup
planted the mass of small! partner
ships or individuals. The proposal
to make the national government. 81
premr over. and therefore to give
it complete control over the rail
roads and other Instruments of inter
STATE commerce is merely a prOpoHeI
10 carry out TO the letter one OF HE
prime purposes, ii MOI the prime pr
rCSe for which the Constitution was
founded Il does not represent cen
rraliZa,ion. 1t represents merely III"
Acknowledgements of the patent fact
that Capitalization has already come
in business. If this irresponsible ont
side business power Is 20 be controll'
ed in the intercst of the general pub
lie il can Only be controlled in on"
way: by giving adeqnat" power OF
control to the one sovereignty caDhhl"
Of exercising such powerful" ma
tional government. Fort% OF nifty
separate state governments can not
eX"rci>" thar power over corporations
doing business in NEST or all Of them:
first. because lh'y ahsolutelh lack
the authority to deal with int"rsla
business in any form: and second,
because Of the inevitable conflict Oi
authority sure TO arise II the effort
to enforce diff"rcn; kinds of stat"
regnlaticn often Inconsistent with one
another and sometimes oppreS Siye in
themselves. Such divided authority
can not regulate commerce with wiz
dom and effect. The central govern
ment is the only power which, with
cut oppression. can nevertheless
thoroughly and adequately control!
and supervise the large corporations.
To abandon the effort fer National
control means to abandon tn" effor'
for all adequate control ard Yet to
render likely continual hurst OF acton
nv State legislatures. which can not
achieve the purpose sought for. t'it
which can do grca; deal Of dam
age 10 the corporation without con
ferring any real benefit on the public.
| believe that the more farsighted
corporations are themselves coming
to recognize the unwisdCm Of the
violent hOstilit: they have display
ed during the last few year; to recula-
ton and control by the National Gov
eminent of combinations engaged in
interstate business. The truth is that
We who believe in this movement of
asserting and exercising genuine
control. in the public interest. over
these great corporations have to con
tend against two sets of enemees,
who. though NORMALLY opposed to one
another. ara really allies in prevent
ing a proper solution of the problem.
There are first. the big corporation
men. and the extreme individualists
business-that is. in the reign OF
putocracy: and second, the men who.
being blind to the economic move
nlents Of the day. believe in move
mont of repression rather rhan OF
regulation of corporations. and who
tenOunce both the pOwer OF the rail
roads and the exercise Of the Federal
power which alone can really control
the railroads.
We do not for moment believe
that the problem will he solved by
any sort and easy method. The so
l,tiOn will come only by pressing
various concurrent remedies. Some
of these remedies must lie outside the
domain of al government. Some must
lie outside the domain of the fedora!
government. But there is Legislation
which the federal government alone
can enact and which is absolutely vital
in order to secure the attainment OF
our purpose. Many laws are needed.
Danger Not In Concentration.
The danger to American democracy
lies not in ;he least in The cOncen-
tra:ion of administrative power in re-
s2onsibie and accountable hands. IT
lies in having the power insufficient
" concentrated. so that no one can
be held responsible 10 the people for
its use. Concentrated power Is pa
pa5le. visible. responsibility. easily
reached. quickly held TO account.
Power scattered through many admin
istrators. many legislators. many men
VINO WOik DcHiiU dNu 'htohSu vs.
lators and administrat oTs. is impal
pable. is unseen. is irresponsible, can
not be reached can not be held to
account. Democracy is in peril wher
ever the administration of poiitical
power is scattered among variety OIL
men who work IN cecTet. whose very
names are unknown to the common
people. u is no in peril from any
man who derives authority from the
people. who exercises ii in sight o.
the people. and who is from time 70
time compelled to give an account o.
its exercises to the people.
tabors.
There ere manv matters affec;irc
labor and the status Of the wage
worker TO which ] should like to Draw
your attention. but an exhaustive DIS
cushion of the problem in all its as
rec,s is not now necessary. This al
miris- ration is nearing its end: and