Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-12-16

10 all employees from highest TO low.
est. and proper returns to the share
holders; but they must not. for in
stance, be reduced in such fashion as
to necessitate a cut in wages or the
abolition of the proper and legitimate
profits of honest shareholders.
Telegraph and telephone COM
panies engaged in interstate business
should be put under the jurisdiction
of the interstate commerce commits
sion.
ce tralization.
The proposal to make the national
government supreme over. and there
fore TO give it complete control over,
the railroads and other instruments
interstate commerce is merely a pro
posal to carry out to the letter one OF
the prime purposes. if not the prime
purpose, for which the constitution
was founded, says the president. II
does not represent Capitalization. II
represents merely the acknowledgment
of the patent fact that GENERALIZATION
has already come in business. If this
irresponsible outside business power Is
to be controlled in the interest OF the
general public it can only be controlled
in one way; by giving adequate power
of control to the one sovereignty cap
able of exercising such power-the ma
tional government. Forty or fifty sepa
rate state governments can not exer-
else that power over corporations doing
business in most or all of them.
The president says he believes that
the more farsighted corporations are
themselves coming to recognize the
unwisdom of the violent hostility they
have displayed to regulation and con.
troll. Concentrated power is palpable
visible. responsible. easily reached,
quickly held to account.
Labor.
AS far as possible the president
hopes to see a frank recognition OF the
advantages conferred by machinery,
organization, and division of labor, ac-
companied by an effort to bring about
larger share in the ownership by
wageworker of railway, mill, and fac
tory. In farming, this simply means
that we wish to see the farmer own
his own land; we do not wish
to see the farms SO large tina:
they become the property OF abb
sentee landlords who farm them by
tenants, nor yet so small that the
ant. Every increase in the number
small stockholders in corporations is
good thing, for the same reasons;
and where the employees are the stock
holders the result is particularly good.
Very much of this movement must be
outside of anything that can be accom-
plished by legislation. Postal saw
ings banks win make it easy for the
poorest to keep their savings in
safety. The regulation of the national
highways must be such that they shall
serve all people with quail justice
Corporate finances must be supervised
so as to make it far safer than at
present for the man of small means TO
invest his money in stocks. There
must be prohibition of child labor
diminution of woman labor. shortening
of hours OF all mechanical labor; stock
watering should be prohibited, and
stock gambling so FAR as is possible
discouraged. There should be a pro-
gressiEe inheri lance tax on large for
tunes. Industrial education should be
encouraged. AS far as possible we
should tighten the burden of taxation
on the small man. We should put a
premium upon thrift. hard work. ana
business energy; hut these qualities
cease to be the main factors in accum-
ulating a fortune long before that
fortune reaches point where it would
be seriously affected by any inheri-
tance tax. 1t is right that the nation
should fix the terms upon which great
fortunes are inherited They rarely
do good ana they often do harm to
those who inherit them in their en-.
tirety.
There should be no ,paltering with
the question of taking care OF the wage
workers who get killed. crippled, oi
worn out. The majority of wage
workers must have their rights Sc
cured for them by state action; but
the national government should legis
late not only for all employees OIL
the nationa4 government but fol all
persons engaged in interstate com
meree. The object sought for could be
achieved to a measurable degree, as
far as those killed or crippled are con
eerned, By proper employers liability
laws. AS far as concerns those who
have been worn out attention is called
to the fact that steps toward providing
old-age pensions have been taken In
many private industries. These may
be indefinitely extended through voluI-
tary ASSOCIATION and conuihut3ry
schemes, or through the agency of say
ings banks, as under the Massachusetts
plan. The president says 10 congress
to pass model employers liability
law for the District OF Columbia; and
Il renew my recommendation made in