The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-12-08

summary. The power to investigate
the financial operations and accounts
Of the railways has been one OF the
most valuable features in recent leglS-
lation. Power to make combinations
and traffic agreements should De eX-
plicitly conferred upon the railroads
the permission of the Commission be-
ing first gained and the combination
or agreement being published In all Its
details. In the interest of the public
| the representatives of the pubic
should have complete power to see
that the railroads do their duty by the
public, and as a matter of course this
mower should also be exercised so as
to see that no injustice is done to the
railroads. The shareholders, the en-
ployees and the shippers all have in
terests that must be guarded. It is
to the interest of all of them that no
swindling stock speculation should be
allowed, and that there should be NO
improper issuance of securities. The
guiding intelligenCes necessary for the
successful building and successful
| management of railroads should re-
ceive ample remuneration; but no man
should be allowed to make money in
connection with railroads out of frau
dulent over-capitalization and kindred
safeguarding performances; there
must be no defrauding of investors
oppression of the farmers and bust
ness men who ship freight or callous
disregard of the rights and needs OF
the employees. In addition to this
the interests of the shareholders, oil
the employees, and of the shippers
should all be guarded as against one
another. To give any one of then
undue and improper consideration is t.
|, do injustice to the others. Rates mus
/, be made as low as is compatible will
) giving proper returns to all the EN-
: ployees of the railroad, from the high
! est to the lowest, and proper return
to the shareholders: but they mus
: not for instance, be reduced in sue
fashion as to necessitate a cut in tn
S wages of the employees or the aboli
t ton Of the proper and legitimate pro
a Telegraph and telephone companie
engaged in interstate business shoul
= be put under the jurisdiction of tn
a Interstate Commerce Commission.
e 1t is very earnestly to be wishe
e that our people, through their repre-
7 sentatives, should act in this matter
g 1t is hard to say whether most dam
= age to the country at large woul
e come from entire failure on the pal
S Of the public to supervise and contrC
V the actions of the great corporation
4 or from the exercise of the necessar
4 governmental power in a way whic
4 would do injustice and wrong to tn
corporations. Both the preachers {
an restricted individualism, and tn
S preachers of an oppression whic
= would deny to able men of bushes
t. the just reward of their initiative an
4 business sagacity, are advocating pc
= licies that would be fraught with tn
= gravest harm to the whole countr,
q To permit every lawless capitalist, eN
= cry law-defying corporation, to TAX
s any action, no matter how iniquitou
o in the effort to secure an imprope
g profit and to build up privilege, woul
n be ruinous to the Republic and woul
o mark the abandonment of the effort I
q secure in the industrial world the sp
# rit of democratic fair-dealing. On II
: other hand, to attack these wrongs
y that spirit of demagogy which can 81
: wrong only when committed by IL
! imam of wealth, and is dumb and bliI
70 in the presence of wrong committ6
= against men of property or by men
i no property, is exactly as evil as co
7 ruptly to defend the wrongdoing.
n men of wealth. The war we wage mu
! be waged against misconduct, again
" wrongdoing wherever it is found; al
J. we must stand heartily for the RICH
% of every decent man, whether he
- man of great wealth or man wi
=. earns his livelihood as a wage-worl1
G or tiller of the soil.
le It is to the interest OF all of us tn
4 there should be a premium put upC
t. individual initiative, individual cap
~ Guy anu an ample Ie"dIu IoI u
T, great directing intelligences alol
c. competent to manage the great bus
v ness operations of today 1t is W.
Or to keep in mind that exactly as L
anarchist is the worst enemy of Ii
ID erty and the reactionary the woI
r enemy of order. so the men who d
e. fend the rights of property have me
st to fear from the wrongdoers of gre
NJ wealth, and the men who are char
80 pioning popular rights have most
r fear from the demagogues who in I
Of name OF popular rights would do wro
lg 10 and Cypress honest business me
Az honest men OF wealth; for the 81
ne cess Of either type OF wrongdoer 1