The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-14
TWO OPPOSING VIEWS.

clplcS nave como luto SndIp Colihict'
The one, evidently under the inspira-
tion of the Cannon and Aldrich domi-
nance, favors Il do-nothing policy,
enacting little or no general legisla.
tion, but passing tho appropriation
bills and making as short Il session as
possible of it, This section, heretofore
dominating in Congress, appearing con
fident of its ability to handle any
thing being done there, affects great
alarm at anything that will interfere
with the transportation or other cor
porate business. So far as that faction
can control, it is reasonably clear that
the session will pass without any gem
eral legislation of general character.
The other faction (this as the first
named, being partly on non-partisan
lines) favors getting right down to
work, pushing things, and enacting i'm
portant general legislation, In opposi-
tion TO those who say that nothing
ought to be done until the Supreme
Court has passed upon the material
questions now before il, the pro-
gressiyes say that the legislation which
the Supreme Court is passing upon is
confessedly weak, needs to be strength
enod, and that it is the duty of Con
gress to strengthen it. This faction is
also desperately opposed to Speaker Can
non, and there is likely to be very
lively revolt against him and his meth
ods in the House. In the Senate, how
ever, Aldrich seems to be supreme, with
out any challenging Of his authority that
he needs to pay any attention to, so far
as the Senate is now constituted. Ma
terial changes will have to como about
before Aldrich has anything to fear.
The great and pressing need of the
time, which we hope the progressives
will have force enough to put through,
is the enactment of q national incor-
poration law, which will take out of the
hands of the States tho dealing with
and control of corporations having to
do with Interstate commerce and busl-
ness In no other particular than this
does the legislation of any given State
invade the boundaries of another State
and require obedience to it. In the IN
of various companies doing
interstate commerce business, charters
granted in any State, which are moth
ing more than statutes of that State,
have been conceded as effective In
other States. Logically this is all
wrong, although legally it has been mp
held. But in practical operation, many
occur in the operation of
this extra-territorial jurisdiction by
the several States. The State into
which n corporation brings its business
by virtue of charter granted In an
other State has very little control over
the business of that concern within its
own boundaries, although that concern
may do very great business therein.
The corporation doing such business re-
lies upon the powers and privileges
granted in the State which charters IT,
and not upon the other States in which
it transacts its business, Manifestly,
since the grant of control over inter
state commerce is so broad, compre-
hensive, and exclusive in our National
Constitution, it is marvel that moth
ing has been done TO stralghten out the
illogical situation long ago. The mat
ter is getting now, however, TO the
point where the corporations themselves
are seeking National incorporation rs
a matter of protection from the variant
legislation of different States, which is
complicated, annoying, and in some par
ticulars persecutive.
A good deal more than half Of the diff
fculties that Congress faces with re-
gard to corporations and interstate
commerce problems would be solved at
once by the enactment of a well-con-
sidered National incorporation act, which
would be exclusive so far as interstate
commerce and business are concerned.
1t could, and it should. prevent any con-
Germ doing an interstate commerce busi
ness by virtue Of any State charter. Ma
tional incorporation should be required
in every such case ;and until Congress en-
acts a National incorporation law it Will
be merely skirmishing around the edges
of the corporation question in It's rela-
ton to trusts, combines, monopoles and
other oppressive measures upon the peo
pie, in ineffective enactments, Why not
90 to the root OF the matter at once,
and put the whole question ON the logi-
.aI Not1ona1 bn ciS7