The Cairo bulletin., 1908-04-12
NATIONAL AND
STATE CONTROL
OF CORPORATIONS DISCUSSED
AT POLITICAL AND SOCIAL
SCIENCE ACADEMY.
FEDERAL USURPATI0N"
Was Topic Of Congressman Williams
Commissioner Knapp Says
Roosevelt is Wise in Want
inu Law Modified,

Philadelphia, April 1.-THE closing
sessions of the American Academy OF
Political and Social Science were held
this afternoon and tonight at which
the questions THE Nation and tha
Railways and The Federal and
State Control of Corporations, were
discussed by men who hold opposite
opinions concerning federal control OF
corporation.
Secretary of the Interior Garfield
presided at tonight's session.
Judge Hough, who was the first
speaker, was followed by Congress
man Williams. who said:
Federal Usurpations."
Representative John Sharp VIII
liams of Mississippi, spoke on Fed
eral Usrrpations. He said that so
far as he could read or had heard, all
governments. whether free or not
which have existed and fallen, have
fallen by the weight Of political ma
chinery
There has come a time in their
history" he said. when the govern
ment and it's machinery were first
considered and the man and his In
diyiduality-the support of govern
ment-second, 1t is well always to
keep in mind the primal fact that
while the government is necessary
and ought to be made good, it is yet
after all a necessary evil growing out
cf vices of human nature. 1t is a
means to an end, which end is happi-
ness and freedom and the develop
ment Of industrial man and woman,
and Is never an end in itself.
This idea was carried further IN
that of any other government, ac'
cording to my mind IN certain
sense indeed, the federal government
is not a government of these United
States at all but is a piece of central
machinery organized to hold together
in union the several governments
OF the several states and protect
them by union from mutual aggres-
sion and from aggression from for.
eign powers. Federal usurpation OF
power nsot of recent growth. 1t
was the necessary noncomitant OF the
rule of the old federalists.
Every governmental abuse is
based upon some plea or pretext and
the usurpation of power by the gov
ernment is generally based upon
necessity the 'tyrants' plea. This
real or fancied necessity generally
grows out of war. This has been es-
recially true with regard to legisla-
tive and executive usurpations by our
federal government"
Mr.. Williams said that what has
been actually accomplished by "legis-
lation regulating or pretending to
regulate interstate commerce. is moth
ing compared to what is proposed"
He enumerated a score or more
II easures pending in congress lcok'
ing toward the feneral control OF pub
lie acts and policies in various states,
such, for instance as the child labor
law, reforestation to preserve the
stream supply, etc, and while conced-
ing the excellence of physical aims
he condemned the measures as being
attempted usurpations of state rights
by the general government.
Martin A. Knapp, chairman of the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
presided at the afternoon session and
made the first addres on "The Nation
and the Railways Referring to the
sherman antitrust law Knapp said:
Nothing indicates the more pro
found sagacity of the president than
his call on congress for a modification
o fthat bill"
Robert Mather. general counsel foT
the Rock Island Company was one of
the speakers.