The Oskaloosa herald., 1908-12-10

mount right to control all agenciesies OF
interstate commerce, and l belbelieve
that the national government al alone
can exercise this right with wisdisdom
and effectiveness so as both to secsecure
justice from, and to do justice to, o, the
great corporations which are the NJ most
important factors In modern businsiness.
believe that 1t Is worse than fl folly
to attempt to prohibit all COMMUNICATIONS
as is done by the Sherman anti-ti-trust
law, because such law can be be en-
forced only imperfectly and uneqequal-
ly, and it's enforcement works almlmost
as much hardship as good. stronongly
advocate that instead Of an unWnwise
effort to prohibit all COMMUNICATIONS,
there shall be substitutedsa law whwhich
shall expressly permit COMMUNICATIONS
which are in the interest of the pubublic,
but shall at the same time give We to
some agency of the National Govovern-
ment full power of control and suISuper-
vision over them. One of the CT chief
features of this control should be be Sc
curing entire publicity in all mattatters
which the public has a right to kn&now,
and furthermore the power, not t by
judicial but by executive action, IN, to
prevent or put stop to every 70 form
of improper favoritisp or other wr@rong
doing.
The railways of the country shoihould
be put completely under the Interstrstate
Commerce Commission and remouoved
from the domain of the antitrust 1t law.
The power of the commission shoihould
be made thoroughgoing, so that at it
could exercise complete supervisvision
and control over the issue of securitrities
as well as over the raising and lowower-
ing of rates. AS regards, at lesleast,
this power should be summary. 7 The
power to investigate the financial OF oper-
ations and accounts of the railwlways
has been one OF the most valuable fe feat
ures in recent legislation. Power'er to
make combinations and traffic agngree-
ments should be explicitly conferierred
upon the railroads, the permission on Of
the commission being first gained cd and
the combination or agreement be being
published in all it details. In the ne in.
terest of the public the Representatives.
Of the public should have compllplete
power to see that the railroads DIS do
their duty by the public, and as m mat
ter of course this power should a also
be exercised so as to see that no no In
justice is done to the railroads. 2 The
shareholders the employees and d the
shippers all have interests that m must
be guarded. II is to the interest of Of all
of them that no swindling stock spepecu-
lation should be allowed, and Il that
there should be no improper issuamance
of securities. The guiding intentelli'
gences necessary for the successessful
building and successful management
of railroads should receive ample lie re-
Enumeration; but no man should be be al.
lowed to make money in connectection
with railroads out of fraudulent oy over
capitalization and kindred stock gargamb-
ling performances; there must be be no
defrauding of investors, oppressession
Of the farmers and business men VI who
ship freight, or callous disregard of of the
rights and needs of the employoyees
In addition to this the interests of Of the
shareholders, of the employees, andnd OF
the shippers should all be guarded ed as
against one another. TO give anynyone
of them undue and improper considsider'
alton is to do injustice to the othtthers
Rares must be made as low as is &C com
patibls with giving proper returnsns to
all employees of the railroad, fir from
the highest to the lowest. and proproper
returns to the shareholders; but Il they
must not, for instance, be reduced'ed In
such fashion as to necessitate a "a cut
/ in the wages of the employees or Or the
abolition of the proper and legitimimate
profits and honest shareholders.
Telegraph and telephone compamanies
engaged in Interstate business sholhould
be put under the Jurisdiction OF II the
! Interstate Commerce Commission. IN.