Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1908-12-11

represents merely the acknowledgment
Of the patent fact that Capitalization has
already come in business. II this ire
sponsible outside business power IL to be
controlled in the interest Of the general
public it 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
~ continual bursts Of action by state leg
tslatures, which cannot achieve the pur-
pose sought for, but which can do q
great deal Of damage to the corporation
without comforting any real benefit on
the public.
There should be regulation by the ma
tional government of the great interstate
corporations. including simple method
Of account keeping. publicity, supervision
rebates and of special privileges. There
should be short-time 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
of mines and forests. The labor legisla-
ton hereinafter referred to should con-
currently be enacted into law.
To accomplish this, means a certain in
power, by the central government The
power already exists; it 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 power ought to be exercised
will not remain idle. The danger to Amer
lean democracy lies not in the least in the
responsible and accountable hands. 1t
lies in having the power insufficiently
concentrated, so that no one can be held
responsible to the people for it's use.
Conceptrated power is palpable, visible,
responsible. easily reached, quickly held
to account. Democracy is in peril
wherever the administration of pc
litical power is scattered among
variety Of men who work in
secret, whose very names are I'M
known to the common people. IT is not
in peril from any man who derives au-
thority from the people, who exercises
1t 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 Waaeworker.
There are many matters affecting labor
and the status OF the wageworker TO
which l should like TO draw your at:e:,-
ton, but an exhaustive discussion of the
problem in all its aspects is not now me-
essary. believe in d steady e.
fort, or perhaps it would be more
accurate to say in steady efforts
IN many different directions, to bring
about condition of affairs under which
tie men who work with nand or with
brain, the laborers. the superintendent.
tie Elen who produce the market and the
men who find market for the articles
produced, shall own far greater share
than at present of the wealth they pro-
duce. and be enabled to invest it in the
tools and instruments by which all work
is carried on. AS far as possible 1 hope
to see a frank recognition of the advan-
tases conferred by machinery organza-
ton and division of labor. accompanied
by an effort to bring about a larger share
in the ownership by Wage-Worker of rail-
way, mill and factory.
Postal Savings banks VIZ. make 1t
easy for the poorest to keep their saw
ings in absolute safety. The regula ton
of the national highways must be such
that they shall serve sill people with
equal justice. Corporate finances must
be supervised SO as to make it far safer
than at present for the man of small
means to invest his money in stocks.
There must be prohibition of child la
Dor. .-minution of women labor. short
ening of hours of all mocha meal Ia Dor;
stock watering should be prohibited
BILE discouraged There should be
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-
mulatins a fortune long before that
nhcc ivof =
be seriously affected by any inherit
lance tax such as I propose. 1t is emf
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-
the Wageworkers who. under our pres
ent industrial system. become killed
crippled, or worn out as part of the
regular incidents Of given bust
ness. AS far as concerns those
who have been worn cut, I call your
attention to the fact that definite
steps toward providing old-age PEN
sions have been taken in many of our
private industries. These may be in
definitely extended through voluntary
association and contributory schemes.
or through the agency of savings
banks, as under the Massachusetts
plan.
Urgent Need Of Reform.
Our present system, or rather no sys.
tenn, works dreadful wrong, and is of
benefit to only one class Of people-the
lawyers. When workman is injured
what he needs is not an expensive and
doubtful lawsuit. but the certainty of
relief through immediate administra-
tive action. No academic theory
about freedom Of contract" or "consti-
tutional liberty to contract" should be
permitted to interfere with this and
similar movements
Pending a thoroughgoing investiea-
ton and action there is certain legis-
lation which should be enacted at once.
The law, passed at the last session of
the congress granting compensation to
certain classes of employees of the gov
eminent should be extended to include
all employees of the government and
should be made more liberal in its
terms. There is no good ground for
the distinction made in the law be-
tween those engaged in hazardous &C.
equations and those not so en-
gagged. The terms of the act pro-
viding compensation should be made
more liberal than in the present
act. A years compensation 10 not ade-