The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1908-12-10

ouate government control and supervi-
sion OF individual, and especially of cor
porate, wealth engaged in interstate
business is chiefly done under cover; and
especially under cover Of an appeal to
states rights. It is not at all infre-
quent to read in the same speech a de-
nunciation Of predatory wealth fostered
by special privilege and defiant Of both
the public welfare and Law OF the land,
and a denunciation of GENERALIZATION in
the central government of the power to
zeal with this centralized and organized
wealth. OF course the policy set forth
IN such twin denunciations amounts to
absolutely nothing, for the first half is
nullified by the second half. The chief
reason, among the many sounda and COM
Polling reasons, that led to the formation
OF the national government, was the alb
solute need that the union, and not the
several states, should deal with inter-
state and foreign commerce.; and the
power to deal with interstate
was granted absolutely and plenarily to
the central government and was exer-
clsed completely as regards the only In
struments of interstate commerce known
In those days-the waterways, the high
roads, as well as the partnerships of in
olVlduals who then conducted all Of what
business there was. Interstate commerce
Is now chiefly conducted by railroads:
ar the great corporation has s%upplanted
the mass OF small partnerships or indi-
vtduals. The proposal to make the ma
lions government supreme over, and
therefore to give 1t complete control over.
the railroads and other instruments of
interstate is merely a propos-
al to carry out to the letter one of the
prime purposes, II not the prime purpose,
Tor which the constitution was founded.
It does not represent Capitalization 1t
YAnroQnrf0s m oro1u <HA 1oo-0a1-~>-
Of the patent fact that GENERALIZATION has
already come In business. II this ire
sponsible outside business power is to be
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-
ercistng such power-the national govern
ment. Forty or fifty separate govern
ments cannot exercise that power over
corporations doing business in most all
OF them; first, because they absolutely
lack the authority to deal with inter-
state business In any form; and second,
because of the inevitable conflict of au-
thority sure to arise in the effort to en-
force different kinds Of state regulation,
often inconsistent with one another and
sometimes oppressive in themselves.
Such divided authority cannot regulate
m with wisdom and effect. The
central government Is the only power
which, without oppression, can never
theless thoroughly and adequately con-
troll and supervise the large corporations.
To abandon the effort for national con-
troll means to abandon the effort for all
adequate control and yet to render likely
continual bursts of action by state legis-
latures. 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.
I believe that the more farsighted cor
porations 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,
who, though nominally opposed to one
another, are really allies in preventing
a proper solution of the problem. There
are. first, the big corporation men, and
the extreme individnalists among busi.
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-
ic movements of the day, believe In a
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 ma
tional control, on the other hand, do not
In the least object to combinations; do
not in the least object to concentration
| IN 6,ScSrncc 1v~Sp{ofrn3fo a. tLo -1n
trary, they favor both, with the all-impor-
tant proviso that there shall be such pub
ncity 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 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 ras-
cality, practiced on q large scale,
should be punished as relentlessly as II
practiced on a small scale.
We do not for a moment believe that
the problem will be solved by any short
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
tional 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
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.
For Centralized Power.
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; 1t does not have
to be created: the only question is
whether it shall be used or left idle
and the CORPORATIONS over