The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-24

4 tAA8t ttAALARAGSs ANN :
public in that relation unless the United
States owns all OF Its shares.
During seven years and since hs
ceased to DO Governor OF tho State Mr..
ROOSEVELT has psrsistently asserted thai
New York cannot or viii not properly
supervise and control her corporations.
In his special message to Congress OF
last April he wrote that the nation alone
can act with effectiveness and wisdom,
and It should have the control both
Of the business interstate commercel
and Of the agent by which tho business
Is DONE That viii include individuals,
partnerships, joint stock companies and
corporations.
There are old fashioned Democrats
enough In New York to tip the scale
next November, and for whom Mr..
CHANLEB should have regard, who
think that interstate commerce relates
only to contracts Of sale for delivery in
another State or to transportation
across the State line. They believe that
Congress can interfere only with the
commerce that falls within that def
milton and that the jurisdiction OF Con-
gress begins with such negotiations for
sale or transportation and ends only
with the performance. Such are the
convictions on which their votes viii be
cast next November.
They know that q transfer to Con-
gress OF q power to regulate New York
corporations as ROOSEVELT and BRYAN
propose would undermine The police
powers Of New York to protect New
York property and impair the local
autonomy and self-governmept Of New
York.
They insist that Congress cannot take
away from New York corporations the
right to engage in interstate commerce
In innocent things, snd that BBYAN's
schemes would, II executed, make a
fundamental alteration in u system
Of liberties.
The Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor of New York is . lawyer. who
knows that the New York Penal Code
makes it a criminal offence to do acts
injurious to trade or commerce, and
that New York courts have steadily pun
ished such>offenoes during more years
than BRYAN has lived. .
Does Mr.. CHANLER agree with Mr..
BRYAN that the jurisdiction Of Congress
to NEEDLE with New York corporations
even when doing an interstate business
depends on or varies with the size of
a producing or transporting corpora
ton? MI. BRYAN so fancies. He holds
that the State corporation can be COM
PEELED to take q Federal license simply
because It controls Is or 50 per cent, or
any other per cent. Of the kind Of bust
ness it carries on. Does Mr.. CHANLRR
hold with Mr.. BRYAN that percentages
should determine the relative jurisdio-
ton at Washington and Albany over
prices, over capitalization, over the
manAgemeif aaof the Affairs Of railways
and other .corporationsf
Mr.. BRYAN's preposterous scheme
was outlined by him q few evenings ago
at Providence. RI. In these words:
-,we say that whenever q corporation gets 90
big that 10 aspires % be a monopoly II ought 70
come under the surveillance Of the Federal Gov.
einment and We on The limit arbitrarily a. Is pei
cent of tho total product
Product" where? In New York or
In all the United States or In all the
worldf The jurisdiction Of New York
corporations Is, on such a basis, to be
shifted from Albany to Washington
Mr.. BRYAN added:
'Nov. according TO our plan. when this cor
poraaon reaches the % per cent IL must take out
q license and then the Government lat wsshihs
toni win watch n while II grows. and when .
reaches 50 per cent It must stop. for when a cor
poraton supplies half the people Of the Unitet
States with an article Il is big enough and you can
not AFFORD TO allow 10 TO control q larger per cent
Nov. that 10 our plan; and while IL 10 grovfnt
from % per cent. to 70 per cent we insist that Ger
tain ruies shall be applied TO It. and one Of n,
rules - that It shall sell 70 an customers every
where In the United States On the sam tems
after making due allowances for cost Of transpor
taton.. /.
When a New York corporation pro.
duoes so per cent. its production Is to
be suspended by Congress. Mr.. BRYAN
ended with these fatuous comments:
NY friends, u seems 70 me that our plan Il
not only easily understood but that 10 must POM
mend itself TO the jud fment Of every man who
has no selfish interest In the maintcnsnce Of
private monopoly. We present this plan witt
confidence that Il will appeal TO the good senss
Of the American people. and yet Mr.. TAFT say,
that n we attempt 70 put our plan into operation
we will destroy and exterminate business Ny
friends. Il IL not that bad. We just want 70 pu,
morality into business, and that ought not "a
destroy business. Mr.. TAYr nbels the business
Of the country when he assumes that the injection
of a little honesty win have 90 bad an effect on
business
Such is the Bryan proposal. 1t Il
even more intolerable than RoosEvRLT's
doctrine that because Congress desires
that the New York Central Railway shall
maintain efficiently Its interstate bust
ness, therefore Congress must manage
the details Of the financing and expendi-
lures Of that corporation.
There are many New York Democrats
who feel an intense land, we believe, a