The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1908-04-30

NAAAiNA NlNf'AAiN VINO ~AAAhN> 10 NtNhii~f
this feeling OF class consciousness Co..
our working people does foul aud
evil thing. for he - no true American
he is no self respecting citizen OF this
republic. He forfeitS his right TO stand
with manly self reliance ON footing
Of entire equality with an other citi
zens. who howS % envy and greed
who erectS the doctrine Of class hatred
into shibboleth. who substitutes 10y
atty TO men Of a particular status
whether rich or poor. for loyalty tCI
those eternal and immutable princi
piles of righteousness which bid u
treat each man on his worth as a man
without regard 10 his wealth or his
poverty.
But evil though the influence 81 these
demagogueS and Missionaries Is. IL Is nc
worse in its consequences than the iu.
huence exercised by the man Of great.
wealth Or the man Of power and posi-
tion in the Industrial world who Icy hi,
lack Of sympathy with and lack Of nn.
derstanding OF. still more by any eX
Inhibition OF uncOmpromi>ing hostility
10. the millions Of our working people
tends 20 unite them against their Eel
low Americans who are better or IN
this worlds goods. Il is q bad thiuc
TO teach our working people that men
OF means. that men who have the lar
sest proportion OF the substantial com
forts OF life are necessarily greedy
graSping ami cold hearted aud that
they unjuStly demand and oppropriat,
more than their share OF the substance
OF the many. Stern Condemnation
should he visited upon deuagogue anc
visionary who teach this untruth. ant
even sterner upon those capitalists
who are in truth gra~ping and greedy
40 brutality disregardfui of the rights
81 others aud who 10y their action,
teach the dreadful lesson Tar more or
fectively than any mere preacher OF
unrest A class grievance" left toe
long without remedy breeds elias.
consciousness and therefore class re
sentiment
Strengthening Of Antitrust Law.
The strengthening Of the antitrust
law Is demanded upon both moral anJ
economic grounds. our purpose IA
strengthening IL Is TO secure more ef
fective control 10y the national govern
ment over the business use OF the vast
masses Of Individual. and especially Of
corporate wealth. which az the present
time mQnopoiize most OF the interstate
business Of the country. and We be
lieve the control can best De- exercised
by preventing the growth % abuses
rather than merely 10y trying To de
stroy them when they have already
grown. In the highest sense OF n,
word this movement for thorough con
troll 81 the business use OF this great
wealth is conservative. We are trvin-
10 steer a safe middle course. which
alone can save Us from a piutocratl,
class government ON the one hand or b
socialistic class government on this
other. either OF which would D.,
fraught with disaster to our free insti
buttons. state aud national. We at,
trying TO avoid alike the evils which
would flow from government owner
ship Of the public utilities hy whic,
interstate commerce is chleny carried
on. and the evils which hoN from IA,
riot and chaos Of unrestricted indiid
uaiism. There Is grave danger to our
free institutions in the corruptlng Ia
fiuence exercised by great wealth sud
denly concentrated IA the hands OF 70.
few. We should ln sane manner IT.,
10 remedy this danger On spite of IN,
sullen opposition Of these few very
powerful men and with the fun pur.
pose 10 protect them IN an their rights
at the very time that we require them
10 deal rightfully with Others. When
with steam and electricity modern
business conditions went through the
astounding revolution which m tn.
country began Over a4lf century ago
there was a. first much hesitation rs
20 what particular governmental aepu
cy should lie used 10 graphic With the
new conditions. At almost the same
time, about twenty years since. the
effort was made 10 control comhina.
tons by regulating them through The
Interstate commerce commission and
Go abolish them by means OF the anti
trust act, the two remedies therefore
being IN part mutually Incompatible
The Interstate commerce law has pro
duced admirable results. especially
since IL was strengthened 10y the Hep
burn law two years ago. The anti
trust law. though il worked some good.
because anything is better than an
archy and complete absence of reglIla-
ton. nevertheless has proved in many
respects not merely inadequate. but
mlschievOus. Twenty years ago the
misuse OF corporate power had pro-
duced almost every conceivable form
Of abuse and had worked the gravest
injury 10 business morality and the
public conscience. For long time
federal regulation of Interstate com.
merce had been purely negative. the
national judiciary merely acting in isO-
lated cases 10 restrain the state from
exercising power which il was clear
~ unconstitutional as well as unwise
for them TO exercise. but which never
theless the national government itself
failed 10 exercise. Thus the corpora
tons monOpolizing commerce made the
law for themselves. state power and
common law being inadequate TO &c
complish any effective regulation and
the national power not yet having been
put forth. The result was mischieyous
in the extreme and only shOrtsighted
and utter failure to appreciate the
grossness Of the evils to which the lack
OF regulation gave rise can excuse the
well meaning persons who now desire
10 abolish the antitrust law outright or
TO amend il by simply condemnine
unreasonable" combinations.
To Permit Combinations.
Power should unquestlonably be