American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1910-10-15
OPENING GUN
OF CAMPAIGN
SPLENDID Address of Hon. Bur-
ton |. French.
History of Republican Protective
Legislation Outlined and Poll
icies Discussed-Good Bus
mess Talk by Allen.

The opening gun of the campaign
was fired at American Falls last Sat
urday night by Burton l.. French
candidate for congress. Preceding
him Hon. 0. H. Allen, candidate for
state treasurer, made splendid
business talk, comparing the Repub-
lican and Democratic administration
from a standpoint of cost compared
to results secured.
Precinct Committeeman d. W..
Davis called the meeting to order
and introduced l.. E. Sigmond, who
made a splendid preliminary talk
He was followed by David Burrel
who spoke very briefly.
Mr.. French traced at length the
march of the race from savagery
to civilization, the accompanying
changes in form of government as
demanded by changing economic
conditions, norder as he put it, TO
better reach conclusions on "the ec-
onomic problem that now is the par
amount issue in American politics.
Mr.. French said in part:
With the great amusement of
wealth for the control of various in
dustries, the law of competition be-
came more and more removed 1t
Is not necessary that one powerful
concern own absolutely cer-
tain industry in order to control it,
All that is necessary is that it
shall be powerful enough to use the
weapon of competition to drive the
weaker producers out of business
TO threaten others with annihila-
tion, to fix wages, to parcel out
markets. Yet in many of the large
enterprises has consolidation gone
lar beyond that. Notably is this
true in the transportation business,
where today the great rail road sys
TENS of the United States are con-
trolled by less thana a dozen groups
of powerful interests. and nearly
quarter of a million miles of trans
portation lines under their domina
ton.
Here, then, is the problem. So
long as the law of competition was tia
important factor in the adjustment
of trade conditions there needed to
be no other factor. But with the
elimination of competition prudence
suggests, indeed it commands that
something else shall take its place
'There are those who would
say, Away with government There
are others who would say, Let
the federal government own and m
age the great agencies. production .
and distribution Of the country
There are others, of whom am
one. who say. AS in the beginning
necessity made government necessary
as gradually necessity added the
various functions to government. so
with the development Of this new
economic condition it is the place OF
government to step in and TO the
extent that competition shall cease
to be a factor in the adjustment OF
trade conditions, that the govern
ment shall, through federal and stat
control. see to it that giving capital
its Just due. the chief benefits OF
organized wealth shall belong TO
the people OF this country and not
favored few
The sentiment grew and rhallA
in 1887 the first act was passed II
an attempt to regulate the business
of transportation companies. Ihree
years later the Sherman anti trust
law was placed upon our statutes.
This was advance legislation. we
were blazing the trail. The very
teart of the interstate commerce
act of 'S7 was taken out by de-
cision of the supreme court OF the
United States ten years later. ~
was decided that the interstate COM
merce commission did not have powe
to fix rates and hence had no power
to enforce a decree reducing an UNI
Just charge for transportation.
Largely as a result of the pupllc
opinion aroused, laws were placed
upon the statute books of our sew
eral states looking to the mee'ihs
OF the new problem. But more lni-
portant still. more important than Il
federal laws or the laws Of the sew