The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-02-18

is nothing but the plain, practical
call for an authority that is equal to
the occasion with which it has to
deal. Realizing that we have a ma
tional commerce, we are naturally
calling upon national authority to
control it, and to protect it,"
Secretary Nagel recited the devel-
opment of business enterprises in the
country, showing the gradual growth
to the big corporation and the at
tempts of the states to legislate and
the resultant trouble because of the
varying laws, and he pointed particu-
larly to one result of conditions as
they existed.
mot only is commerce subjected
to inconsistent conflicting and often
destructive regulations" he said,
but the inevitable effect of such &C
tivity is to create false competition
between the states at the expense of
that commerce. The state of lowest
standards forces the hand of all the
rest. Attempts at progressive legis-
lation are paralyzed just as one un-
fair competitor always lowers stand
ards everywhere. Nor will the eff
forts of the several states to promote
unity of legislation meet this diff
Guilty. These efforts are most praise
worthy with respect to all subjects
which rest within the exclusive con-
troll of the several states; as to ma
tional subj cts they are worse than
useless.
"All cooperation in matters poll
teal means government, and why re-
sort to mere understanding without
binding force among the states, when
we have a common government to
deal with a common cause? Why
not have our Federal Government
legislative where our governors can
only confer and recommend"
The need and purpose of federal
control of. corporations, the secretary
stated, he believed to be simply to
place a private business company in
it's commercial activity precisely
where the Constitution undertook to
put the citizens of the United States.
The purpose is to organize compan-
les that may engage in interstate
commerce under regulations fixed by
the Federal Government and free
from the unnatural and uneconomi-
cal ambarrassments which so far any
state has been at liberty to inter-
pose"
Another phase of the question dis
cussed by the secretary was the in
ternational commerce of the country.
Up to the present time, he said, the
country had rested on the belief that
development of domestic commerce
was sufficient Other countries felt
the need of international commercial
development long ago and the United
States, he urged, must do all that
was necessary to meet what its COM
petitors were doing in that line.
eve are now engaged in establish
ing relations with foreign countries"
continued the speaker, looking for
the opportunities of our commerce in
their midst We are shaping our
treaties to secure open doors and
equal rights with other countries. In
what form shall this commercial en-
terprise make it's appearance in other
countries if not in the form of the
accepted corporate organization?
"Does it stand to reason that we
can successfully depend upon a cor
poration large enough to engage in
foreign commerce, and at the same
time too large to be admitted by
most of the states composing our own
union? Will it he seriously contend
ed that we will be blind enough to
engage in foreign business under fed
eral protection, and at the same time
permit individual states of the Union
to cut the pins from under this same
commercial organization at home?
We cannot hope to succeed with such
an inconsistent and ruinous a sys-
tenn.
apart from all the embarrass-
ments which antagonistic and con-
flicting state legislation has so far
created it appears to me that con-
temptation of the future of our for
eign commerce in itself absolutely
settles the need for an intelligent,
bold and comprehensive scheme for
the organization of commercial en-
terprises under the same authority
under whose charge that enterprise
is to go forward"
The secretary agreed that confus-
ion no doubt would result in the
states with the adoption of federal
law and that serious
question would arise with respect to
the subject of taxation, but he urged
that it should at all times be remem-
bered that the creation of federal
was within the control