Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1908-12-10
theF,io1. the lsl1 e siy. !, eoste con,rOl over.

~ :" carry icut 70 the letter one Of ths
s'lhe purnSses II not the prime purpose.
Ut Which The constitution was founded
s NOT represent Capitalization II
I.ptesents merely the Acknowledgement
W the patent fact that Capitalization has
already come In business IL this ire
aponslble outside business power Is 10 he
t"hroNed In the interest OF the general
PUBIC u can only be controlled in one
way. ny giving adequate power OF con-
wi 70 the one sovereignty capable OF ex-
ereisng such power-the national govern
neh'' TO abandon the effort for national
s1n.to' means to abandon the effort for
si aaequate control and yet TO render like
,ns'hual bursts OF action by state leg
'ules' ,a'' which cannot achieve the pur-
pose sought for. but which can do n
great deal of damage to the corporation
the public. ""
corporations Learning Wisdom,
believe that the more farsighted cor
porauons are themselves coming to rec
uhnlNe the unwisdnu OF the violent hos
u'V they hsse displayed during th, last
lew years 10 regulation and control bv
ule national government OF combinations
engaged In Interstate business The
uu,h 10 tha: we who believe In this
movement ot asserting and exercising
''aANA'Af N the Pubic interest.
over these great corporations have to
| contend against two SETS OF enep,ie.
VINO. though nominally opposed to one
another are really allies in preventing
proper solution OF the problem There
are hrst. the big corporation men. and
the extreme individualists among busi-
ness men. who genuinely believe in ut
| tsty unregulated business-that f. n
the reign Of plutocracy. and. secor
the men who. being blind to the econom-
ic movements OF the DAY, believe in n
movement OF repression rather than OF
regulation OF corporations. and who de-
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 efficient na-
uonal control. on the other hand, do not
IN the least object to combinations: do
not In tho least object TO concentration
IN business administration. on the con-
trary. they favor both. with the ail-lmpor-
tant proviso that there shall be such pub
hcity 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 in ad-
ministratiOn there can come both the
advantage Of a larger ownership and OF a
more equitable distribution OF profits.
and a 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 ras-
eality. praeticsd on large scale.
should be punished as reientiessly as II
practiced on a small scale.
We do not for a moment believe that
the problem will b solved by any short
and easy method The solution will
come only BY pressing various concurrent
remedies. some of these remedies must
lie outsit. the domain Of all government.
Some must lie outside the domain % the
fede-ai government But there L. leg
isistion which the federal government
alone can exact ard which Is absolutely
vital In order 20 secure the attainment
" our prrpo-~ Many laws are needed
There should b regulation BY The ma
tionai government of the great interstate
corporations. including a simple method
Of account keeping publicity. supervision
OF the issue Of securities. abolition %
rebates and Of special privileges. There
should Be short-tfrne franchises for all
corporations en<axed In public business
including the corporations which get
power from water rights There should
b national well as state guardianship
of mines and forests. The labor Isgisla-
ton hereinafter referred TO should con-
currently b enacted into law.
To accomplish this. means a certain In
crease in the use of-not the creation of
power. by the central government. The
power already exists. IL dos not have
10 be created. the only question -
whether Il shall be used or left idle
and meanwhile the corporations over
which the power ought to be exercised
will not remain idle. The danger 20 Amer
lean democracy lies not in the least In the
concentration OF administrative power In
responsible and accountable hands II
lies in having the power insufficiently
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 Democracy Is in peril
wherever the administration Of po-
nticSI power is scattered among
variety OF men who work In
secret whose very names are un-
In peril from any man who derives au-
thority from the people. who exercises
II 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 Wsseworker.
There are many matters affecting labor
and the status OF the wageworker to
which should Ike to draw your atten-
ton. bat an exhaustive discussion Of the
problem In all its aspects is not now nee
essary believe in steady ef-
fort. or perhaps II wSuld be more
accurate TO say In steady efforts
in many different directions. to bring
about a condition OF affairs under which
the men who work with hand or with
brain. the laborers. the supcrintendents.
the men who produce the market and the
men who find a market for the articles
produced. shall own a far greater share
than at present Of the wealth they pro-
duce. and be enabled to invest Il in the
tools and instruments by which all work
is carried on. As far as possible I hope
TO see a frank recognition of the advan-
tages conferred by machinery. organiza-
ton and division OF labor. accompanied
by an effort TO 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 in 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 In stocks.
There must be prohibition OF child Ia
bor N.minution 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 a
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 a
premium upon thrift. hard work. and
business energy; but these qualities
cease to be the main factors in accu-
muiating a fortune long before that
fortune reaches a point where IL would
be seriously affected by any inheri-
lance tax such as propose. 1t Is emil
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 to those
who inherit them in their entirety.
There should no longer be any palter-
ing with the question of taking care of
the wageworkers who. under our pres
emit Industrial system. become killed.
crippled. or worn out as part of the
regular incidents Of given busi-
ness. AS far as concerns those
who have been worn out. / call your
.,,artfon TO the fact that definite