Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1908-05-07

must result in grotesque absul,lity. This
means tl.it We must rely upon national
legislation to prevent the commercial
abuses that now exist and the others that
are sure to arise unless SOM efficient
governmental body has adequate power of
control over them. At present the failure
OF the congress TO utilize and exercise the
great powers conferred upon 1t as regards
interstate commerce leaves this m
to be regulated. not by the state nor yet
by the congress-, but by the occasional
ana necessarily inadequate and one-sided
acton OF the federal Judiciary. However
act .constructively: 1t can only act mega
lively or destructively, as an agency Of
government: and this means the: the
courts co rs., are and must always be unable able
the present. which requires constructive
action. A court can decide what Is faulty,
but 1t has no power to make better what
be an efficient executive body created with
power enough to correct abuses and scope
enough to work out the complex problems
that this great country has developed. It
a body may be guilty of unwisdom or
OF abuses. Any governmental body.
whether a court or a commission. whether
executive, legislative or judicial. If given
power enough to enable 1t to do effective
work for good, must also inevitably re-
ceive enough power to make 1t possibly
effective for evil.
Therefore, 1T Is clear that (unlesS a ma
tional incorporation law can be forthwith
enacteO some body or bodies in the exc
cutive service should be given power to
pass upon any combination or agreement
in relation to interstate commerce., and
every such combination or agreement not
thus approved should be treated as In
violation 4 of law AND prosecuted accord ;ss a.
any combination doing interstate business
should be under the supervision of the
national government.
Abuse Of Power.
A strong effort has been made to have
labor organizations completely exempted
from any of the operations of his law.
whether or not their acts are in restraint
of trade. Such exception would IN all
probability make the bill unconstitutional,
and the legislature has no more right to
pass a. bill without regard to whether 1t
is constitutional h the courts have
lightly to declare unconstitutional a law
acted. The responsibility is as great on
the one side as on the other. and an
abuse of power by the legislature in
Gsmne a'rs %itS an is ab saaai ny power % BE BY ca fhe
courts in the other direction. 1t Is not
possible wholly to except labor orsaniza-,
tons from the workings of his law, and
they who insist upon totally excepting
them are merely providing that their
status shall be kept wholly unchanged.
and that they shall continue to be ex-
posed to the action which they now dread.
Obviously, an organization not formed for
profit should not be required to furnish
statistics in any way as complete as those
furnished by organizations for profit.
production only, its claims to be exempted
from the anti-trust law are sound. This
would substantially cover the right of la
borers to combine. to strike peaceably.
md tn ortor into fpojo oOraamonfn with
the employers. But when labor under
takes in a wrongful manner to prevent the
distribution and sale of the products OF
labor, as by certain forms of the boycott.
IL has left the field of production, and its
action may plainly be in restraint of in
terstate trade, and must necessarily be
subject to inquiry, exactly as In the case
of any other combination for the pur-
pose, so as to determine whether such &C
ton is contrary to sound public policy.
The heartieSt encouragement should be
given to the wageworkers to form la6or
unions and to enter into agreements with
their employers; and their right to strike,
SO long as they act peaceably.. must be
preserved. But we should sanction neith-
be illegal at common law.
Law Defyins Days Over.
The measures l advocate are in the In
terest both of decent corporations and Of
law-abIding labor unions. They are,
moreover. pre-eminentiy in the interest
vi IA PuOtASs AL AAy JAAoAAAShAS AAO
American people have definitely made up
their minds hat the days of the reign OF
the great law-defying and ~law-evading
corporations are over, and that from this
ital necessary for the transaction of busi-
ness under modern conditions. while en-
couraged so long as they act honestly
and IN the interest of the general public,
are to be subjected to careful supervision
and regulation of a kind SO effective as to
insure their acting in the interest OF the
people as a whole.
Allegations are often made to the eff
feet that there is no real need for these
laws looking to the more effective control
of the great corporations. upon the ground
such control. / call your attention to the
accompanying copy Of a report just sub
United by Nathan Matthews, chairman of
the finance commission, to the mayor and
city council Of Boston, relating to certain
evil practices of various corporations
which lave been bidders for furnishing to
the city iron and steel. This report shows
that there have been extensive combina-
tons formed among the various corpora
lions which have business with the city of
Boston, including, for instance. a care
practically all the firms and corporations
engaged in structural steel work in New
England. This combination included sub
stantially all the local concerns, and
United States. engaged in manufacturing
or furnishing structural steel for use in
any part of New England: 1t affected the
states. the cities and towns. the railroads
and street railways. and generally all per-
sons having occasion to use iron or steel
for any purpose in hat section Of the
country. As regards the city of Boston.
they work by collusive bids, plainly dishon-
est, and supported by false affirmations.
In its conclusion the commission recon-
mends as follows:
Commission Report.
Comment on the moral meaning Of these
methods and transactions would seem
superf1uous; but as they were defended at