The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1908-12-10

wealth., IOr tho success OF beltHCT type OIL
~wrongdoer necessarily invites a violent
reaction against the cause the wrong
doer nominally npholds. In point CT dan
ger to the nation there is nothing to
choose between on the ono hand the cor
r~uptionist. the bride siver, the bride
taker, the man who employs his great
talent to swindle his fellow citizens on a
large scale, and, on the other hand, the
preacher OF class hatred. the man who,
whether from ignorance or from willing
n@zs 20 sacrifice his country TO his am
bition, ~persuades well meaning but wrong
Inents upon which our prosperity mainly
rests.
Let Each Beware.
Let, each group of men beware of and
guard against the shortcomings to which
that group is itself most liable. Too often
We see the business community in a spirit
OF unhealthy class consciousness deplore
the effort TO hold to account under the
law the wealthy men who in their man
tailIoaas street raliways, or o5her lhaus-
tflai enterprises, have behaved IN a way
decent people, Such an attitude can not
be condemned too severely. for men of
property should recognize that they jeop-
araize the rights of property when they
ram heartily to join in the effort to do
away with the abuses OF wealth. On the
other hand, those who advocate proper
the state, of these great corporations.
ana OF the wealth engaged on a giant
scale IN business operations, must ever
Keep In mind that unless they do scrupu-
i4us Justice TO the corporation, unless
49, l'Si III diDple pEuilt, uIlu ~ u
encourage capable men Of business SO
long as they act with honesty, they are
striking at the root of our national we'll
being; for in the long run, under the
mere pressure OF material distress, the
people as a whole would probably go back
10 the reign OF an unrestricted indlvid-
ualism rather than submit to a control
by the state so drastic and so foolish,
conceived in a spirit of such unreason-
able ana narrow hostility to wealth. as
10 prevent business operations from be-
ing profitable. and therefore to bring
alta ultimately upon he entire body OF
of these great corporations makes its
most effective effort in the shape of an
appeal to the old doctrine of states
men who now believe IN unrestricted tndi-
vidualisn in business. just as there We're
IN s~lavery-that is, in the unrestricted
right. of an individual to own S-other
individual. These men do not by them
selves nave great weight, however. The
edectiVe tight against adequate govern
ment control and supervision of indi-
Vidual. and especially Of corporate,
wealth engaged IN interstate business is
chiefly done under cover; and especially
under cover Of an appeal to states rights.
II is not at all infrequent to read in the
same speech a denunciation of predatory
wealth fostered by special privilege and
defiant of both the public welfare and
law Of the land, and a denunciation of
Capitalization in the central government
of the power to deal with this centralized
policy set forth in such twin denuncia-
lions amounts TO absolutely nothing. for
half.
Basis of Union.
The chief reason, among the many
sound and compellins reasons. that lea
nent, was the absolute need that the
union, and not the several states, should
merce VAN aha i ihe noMsr a an dsd f9r sj;sh SON
state commerce was granted absolutely
and plenarily to the central government
and was exercised completely es regards
the only instruments Of inter. late COM
merce Known in those days-the water
WAYS, the highroads. 6, wei as the part
Quoted all of what business there was.
interstate commerce is now chiefly con-
poration has %supplanted the mass OF
small partnerships or individuals. The
posa to make the national govern
1t complete control over, the railroads |
and other instruments of Interstate COM
TO the letter one OF the prime purposes, |
II not the prime purpose, for which the
constitution vas founded. 1t does not
represent Capitalization. 1t represents
merely the acknowledgment Of the patent
fact that Capitalization has already come
If this irresponsible outside business
power Is to be con.;clled in the interest
OF 1he general public it can only &c con-
power of control to the one Sovereignty
capable OF exercising such p~ower-the
arate state governments can not exerciss |
that power over corporations doing bust
cause they absolutely lack the authority
to deal with interstate business in any
form; and second. because of the inev-
In the effort to enforce different kinds Of
state regulation, often inconsistent with
themselves. Such divided authority can
not regulate omlnerc with wisdom and
effect. The central government is the
can nevertheless thoroughly and ade-
quately control and supervise the large
To abandon the effort for national con-
troll means to abandon the effort for all
adequate control and yet to render likely
iatures. which can not achieve the pur-
pose sought for. but which can do a
without comforting any real benefit on
the Euolic.
Corporations s.e Mistake.
l believe that the more f~arslghted cor
porations are themselves coming to rec
tility they havs displayed during the last
Few years 10 regulation and control by |,
The national government of combinations
engaged in Interstate business. The truth
Is that we who believe in this movement
OF odnt asser q she and nah, sSe;r natissiing a genuine
sreat corporations have to contend
against two sets Of enemies. who, though
oPpu5cda4lo DIG announcer, are
really allies in preventing a proper solu-
ton of the problem. There are, first, the
big. corporation men, and the extreme
indiyidualSts among business men who
businessman Is. IN the reign Of plu-
tocracy and, second. the men who. being
blind to the economic movements of the
day. believe In a movement of repression
rather than of regulation of corpora tons.
and who denounee both the power of the
railroads. and the exercise OF the federal
power which alone can really control the
railroads. Those who believe in efficient
national control. on the other hand, do
not In the least object to tons.
do NOT In the least object 70 concentra.
contrary, they favor both, with the all
important, proviso that there shall Be
such publicity about their workings. and
such tll~evoughgoing control over them.
as to insure their being in the interest
and not against the interest, OF the gen,
eral public. We do not object to the
concentration of wealth and administra-
ton; but We do believe In the distribution
of the wealth in profits to the real own
ers, and In securing to the public the full
benefit OF the concentrated a%dministra-
ton. We believe thar with concentra-
ton In administration there can come