The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-09-10

sidious and as dangerous an assault as has ever been made on our constitutional form of government. The people of the state can act with more promtues than the people of the nation, and if they fail to act 1t must be assumed that the peo- pie of the state prefer inaction.
 The real purpose that those have in view who complain of the inaction of the state is not more strict regulation Of corporations, but the relief of corpo rations from state legislation.
 The democratic party favors the full exercise of the powers of the government for the protection of the rights of the people-each government to act within its constitutional sphere. Our platform Ade- mands that federal legislation be added to. not substituted for, state legislation.
 The predatory corporations have taken advantage of the dual character of our government and have tried to hide behind state rights when prosecuted in the fed eral courts and behind the interstate commerce clause of the constitution when prosecuted in the state courts.
 There is no twilight zone between the nation and the state in which the ex plotting interests can take refuge from both. There is no neutral ground where, beyond the Jurisdiction of either sover- eighty, the plunderers of the public can find a safe retreat. AS long as a corpo- ration confines It's activities to the state in which it was created, 1t is subject to state regulation only; but as soon as it in- vades interstate commerce 1t becomes amenable to federal laws well as to the laws of the state which created it and the laws of the states in which it does business.
 How strict can these laws be? Just as strict as may be necessary for the protection of the public.
 Our platform outlines the regulation deemed necessary, and the regulation is specifically set forth in order that our opponents may not be able to scare the public by predicting hurtful legislation. Our platform, unlike the republican plat form, says what it means and means only what it says.
 Distinction Drawn.
 A distinction is drawn between the rail- roads and other corporations. The rail road, being a quasi-public corporation, and, as such, being permitted to exercise a part of the sovereignty of the state, is subject to regulation at the hands of both the nation and the state, but this regu- lation is sintended not to cripple the rail-
  The people at large are as much mr>r- ested as the stockholders are in the suc- cessful operation of the railroads. Their own pecuniary interests. as we'll as their sense of justice would restrain them from doing anything that would impair the road or reduce it's efficiency The travelling public is vtally interested in the payment of wages sufficient to com mand the most intelligent service, for life as well as property is in the hands of those who operate the trains, guard the switches, and keep the track In repair.
 The democratic party would distinguish between those railroad owners, directors and managers who, recognizing their ob- ligation to the public, earn their salaries by conscientious devotion to the work in trusted to them, and those unscrupulous ''Napoleons of finance" who use railroads as mere pawns in great gambling game without regard to the rights of employees or to the interests of the patrons. It IS in the interest of honest railroading and legitimate investment that the democratic party seeks to ascertain the present value of the railroad properties and to prevent for the future the watering of stock and the issue of fictitious capitalization; and if is in the interest of both the railroads and the public that it seeks only such re- ductions in transportation rates as can he made without wage reduction, with out deterioration in the service ana Wltn- out injustice to legitimate investments. The democratic party insists that Tn the matter of of regulation of railroads potn the state governments and the federal government shall act up to, and yet With in. their powers; for nothing else Will re- store the confidence and good will that ought to exist between the railroads and inc people. In dealing with manufactur- ing and trading corporations the demo- cratic marty draws a distinction between those corporations-and they constitute the great majority of all the manufactur- ing and trading corporations-which arc engaged in a legitimate effort to supply what the consumers need, and the very few corporations which are seeking py conscienceless methods to take advantage of the public on the one hand, while on the other hand they bankrupt competl- tors. oppress the producers Of raw ma terials and deal arbitrarily with their em- ployes It endeavors to protect the inno- cent corporations by visiting punishment upon those corporations which are guilty of infractions of the moral and the statute | laws Here, too, our platform IS specinc 1 and no one can use it's language to fright | en any business man whose transactions i are fair and whose income Is honestly earned.
 No one can contrast the plain, straight | forward declarations of our party with | the vague and ambiguous utterances of I the republican leaders and the republican l candidate without recognizing that our ! appeal is to the judgment and good sense | of the voters who desire Justice for them | selves and insist upon justice being done | by others Our party. If intrusted with 1 the power, will remedy the abuses which have grown up under republican rule. and 1 vet remedy those abuses with due regard l to constitutional limitations and without injury to any legitimate business inter- l est.