The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1908-05-07

OF commerce and labor. should be cav
en- this power. Ny personal belief is
that ultimately We shall have 10 adopt
q national Incorporation law. moagh I
am well aware that this may be im.
possible ST present.
THE deolflons Of the supreme court
In the Minnesota and North Carolina
cases Illustrate how impossible Is q
dual control OF national commerce. The
nation alone can net with effectiveness
and wisdom; q should have the con-
troll both OF the business and OF the
agent by which the business IS done,
for any attempt 10 separate this con
troll must result in grotcsque absurd.
ity. Al present the failure OF The con.
gross 20 utilize and exercise the great
powers conferred upon Il as regards
interstate commerce leaves this com.
merce 20 be- regulated, mot By the state
nor yet by the congress. but by the
occasional and necessarily inadequate
and one-sided action OF the federal
judiciary However upright and able a
court is. % a not act c-onstructively;
% can only act negatively or destruc-
lively as an agency Of government.
and this means that the courts are and
must always be unable TO deal effect
lively with q problem like the present
which requires constructive action. A
court can decide what is faulty but
It has no power 20 make better what
Il thus finds 20 be faulty.
Therefore it Is clear that tunless
a national Incorporation law can be
forthwith enacted) some Body or bodies
In the executive service should be CIV
en- power 20 pass upon ms combina-
ton or agreement Ia relation e inter
state commerce. and every such com
blnation pr agreement not thus APP
proved should be treated as IN viola
ton OF Law and prosecuted according
ly. The issuance Of the securities OF
any combination doing interstate BUSH
ness should be under the supervision
Of the national government
A strong effort has been made 20
have labor organizations completely
exempted from any Of the operations
Z OF this law. whether or not their acts
are In restraint OF trade. Such eX-
ceptlon would in all probability make
the bill unconstitutional. and the leg
islature has "a more right TO pass a
bill without regard 10 whether 81 is
constitutional than the courts have
lightly 70 declare unconstitutional q
law which the legislature has solemnly
I enacted The heartlest encouragement
should be given 20 the Wageworkers
10 form labor unions and to enter into
agreements with their employs rs: and
their right 10 strike, so long as they
act peaceahly. must be preserved. But
we should sanction neither a boycott
nor a blacklist which would be Illegal
AZ common law.
The measures I advocate are IN the
interest both OF decent corporations
and OF law-ablding labor unions. They
are. moreover: precautionary in the In
;erest OF the public. FOR IN my iudg-
mcnt the American people have def
nitely made up their minds that the
days Of the reign OF the great law.
defying and law-evading corporations
aer over. and that from this time on
the mighty organizations OF capital
necessary Tor the transaction OF busl-
ness under modern conditions. while
encouraged so long as they act hon
estly and Ia the Interest OF the general
public. are to be subjected 20 care
ful supervision and regulation OF a
kind so effective as 10 insure their
acting Ia the interest OF the people as
a whole
Allegations are often made TO the
effect that there is no real need for
these laws looking Il the more etfec-
live control 81 the great corporations.
upon the groun1 that they viii do
their work well without such control
I call your attention 70 the accompany
ing copy OF a report just submitted By
! Mr. Nathan Matthews. chairman % the
finance commission. 20 the mayor and
city council Of noston. relating 10 Ger
tain cyil practices o. various corpora.
lions which have been bidders Tor fur
nishlng 10 the city iron and steel This
report shows that there have been ox
|tensive combinations formed among
thO various corporations which have
business With the ely Of Boston. IN,
Gliding. Tor instance. a carefully
planned combination embracing prac.
tcaliy an the firms and corporations
engaged Do structural steel work 10
Rev England As regards the city Of
noston. the combination resulted In
parcciinE out the work hy coiluslye
hila, plainly dishonest aud supported
hy false amrmnuona
4 have submitted this report 20 the
department o. i%uetlea Tor thorough To-.
-vcsusatiun and Tor action 20 action
shan prove practicable
surely such q state OF Affairs as that
above SCI forth emphasizes the need Of
further federal legislation. not merely
because OF ihe material benefits such
legislation erH secure. but above al.
because this federal action should be