Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1908-12-10

LOT Wnlcn the constitution was IOunueu
1t does not represent Capitalization. II
represents merely the acknowledgment
of the patent fact that Capitalization has
already come in business. II this ire
sponsible outside business power is to he
controlled in the interest OF the general
public 1t can only be controlled in one
way by giving adequate power of con-
troll to 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 a
great deal of damage to the corporation
without comforting any real benefit on
the public
Corporations Learning Wisdom.
h"lieve that the more farsighted cor
pora Ions are themselves coming to rec
ognize the unwisdom of the violent hos
tility they have displayed during the last
few years to regulation and control by
the national government of combinations
engaged in interstate business. The
truth Is that we who believe In this
movement of asserting and exercising
a genuine control. In the public interest,
over these great corporations have to
contend against two sets OF enemies,
"iO' lllOuSl opposed TO one
another, are really allies in preventing
proper solution of the problem. There
are, first. the big corporation men, and
the extreme indivldualists among BUSH
ness men. who genuinely believe in ut
terly unregulated business-that Is, in
the reign OF plutocracy; and, second,
the men who. being blind to the econom-
10 movements of the day, believe in
movement Of repression rather than of
y tlef lon, - TO-,
nounCe both the power of the railroads
and the exercise of the federal power
which alone can really control the rail-
roads. Those who believe in efficie0t ma
tional control, on the other hand, do not
In the least object to combinations; do
not in the least object to concentration
In business administration. On the con-
trary. they favor both, with the all-impor-
tant proviso that there shall be such pub
licity 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 concen-
tration of wealth and administration; 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 concentrated administration. We
believe that with concentration il ad-
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 mary; and that greed and ras-
cclity. practiced on a large scale.
Should be punished as relentlessly as IL
practiced on a small scale.
We do not for a moment believe that
fha T,rohIarn NUil ha hu oh
and easy method. The solution will
come only by pressing various concurrent
remedies Some of these remedies must
lie outside the domain OF all government.
Some must lie outside the domain of the
federal government. But there Is leg
islation 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.
There should be regulation by the ma
tlonal 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-tme franchises for all
corporations engaged in public business
including the corporations which get
power from water rights. There should
be national as well as state guardianship
ton hereinafter referred to 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; it does not have
to be created; the only question i!
whether it shall be used or left idle
and meanwhile the corporations ovel
which the power ought to be exercised
-, H.
lean democracy lies not in the least in tn,
concentration OF administrative power il
responsible and accountable hands.
! lies in having the power Insufficient!
| concentrated. so that no one can be helt
| responsible to the people for its Toe
| Concentrated power is palpable, visible
| responsible, easily reached, quickly he'll
| to account Democracy Is in peri
| wherever the administration of pc
| litical power is scattered anon
a variety of men who work +
secret. whose very names are III
| known to the common people. 1t Is no
| in peril from any man who derives au
! thority from the people, who exercise
| IL in sight OF the people. and who /
| from time to time compelled to give a.
! account of its exercise to the people.
Legislation for Wasewcrker.
! There are many matters affecting labo
| and the status of the wageworlSer {
| which l should like to draw your atten
| ton, but an exhaustive discussion of tn
| problem in all it's aspects is not now nee
essary. / believe in a steady ef
fort. or perhaps it would be NOR
| accurate to say In steady effort
| in many different directions, TO bri.
about a condition of affairs under whic
| the men who work with hand or wit
brain. the laborers, the superintendenrs
the men who produce the market and tn
men who find a market for the article
| proop ced. shall own a far greater shar
| than at present Of the wealth they pro
duce. and be enabled to invest 1t in tn
tools and instruments by which all wor
is carried on. AS far as possible / hop
to see a frank recognition OF the advar
tages conferred by machinery, organize
ton and division of labor. accompanie
| by an effort to bring about a larger shar
In the ownership by wage-worker of raj
way. mill and factory.
Postal Savings banks will make
easy for the poorest to keep their say
ing3 In absolute safety. The regulatio
of the national highways must be sue
that they shall serve all people wit
equal justice. Corporate finances mu.
be supervised so as to make 1t far safe
than at present for the man OF sma
means to invest his money in stock
There must be prohibition OF child la
Dor. ,--minution OF women labor. shor
ening Of hours of all mechanical labo
stock watering should be prohibite
and stock gambling so far as is poss
BILE discouraged. There should be
progressive inheritance tax on lars
fortunes. Industrial education shoul
be encouraged. As far as possible "
should tighten the burden Of taxatIc
on the small man. We should put
premium upon thrift. hard work ar
business energy; but these qualiti'
cease to be the main factors In acc,
muiating a fortune long before tn;
fortune reaches a point where 1t wou
, BE- seriously affected by any inner
lance tax such as / propose. IT is EN-
, nently right that the nation should {
the terms upon which the great 70
tunes are inherited. They rarely
| good and thew often do harm to tho