The Detroit times., 1910-05-12

Michigan. or OF Massachusetts. but as
Americans against this inhumane. this
inhuman line 81 cleavage between the
states. Let national law take the chill
dren from the mills and mines and put
them I'm the schools 40 every state N
the union.
Shall 1 go further?
National Regulation of Corporations.
We owe much 10 the great captains
Of industry who have built the rail-
roads and the lighting plants and the
telephone and telegraph lines. " Is
MOI the fashion TO remember the losses
and risks OF the same men Eor 10 give
them credit for what they nave dared
for their private benefit also Ihal
these great enterprises are consoltdat
ing * no crime hut as absolutely log
zeal a development as the combination
OF labor I'm labor unions.
Transportation, especially, has lts
hand on every line OF industry In this
country IA Is rapidly coming into a
very few hands ~ can build up one
port and wreck another IL can make
or bTcsk any manufacturing INDUSTRY
These are trulsms IL Is also truism
~ saw that the state must control the
railroads or the railroads VIII coh'rol
state. ~,
We are to some extent controlling
corporations. but chiefly by all kinds or
local legislation whose constantly
varying form makes the prohtable Hela
of investment OF today desert %
deficit tomorrow Fair play ana tne
protection OF the public demand Tue
establishment OF a uniform system OF
corporation control by expert ADVISORS
under the supervision or the hatlohHi
government. applying one law To All
states and enforcing the same law from
one end OF the country To the other
one Law Of Incorporation.
Why stop at regulation? Why would
IL not lend greater stability and unit
formity TO business n the United states
used the common sense or other couh
tries and adopted a single system OF
with a national commits
siOner. for the sake OF convenience III
Zach state?
Every nation in the world, except
ours, has a single law OF incorporation
applicable uniformly to everyone In the
nation, We have half hundred sys-
TENS hampering business for business
men as well as sequestrating square
dealing from the public.
half hundred different ways of In.
a company In the United
states Is AZ not ridiculous that IL
should be possible for company doing
business in one state TO evade even the
spirit OF It's laws by taking out char
ter in another state? Isn't IL wrong
that because one single state encour-
ages stock watering and issues cor
poration charters permitting II. that
the people OF many states, possibly OF
every state shall forever be condemned
10 pay I'm freight rates and passenger
fares. gas rates and electric charges.
telephone and telegIa ph rates or the
retail prices OF commodities In general
use, dividends on capital never invest
ed, rewards for risks never taken2
National law compeis a corporation
when IL fails In business and ends its
affairs to liuuidate on the same basis
I'm every state IN the union. Logic and
common sense alike demand that not
only when II gees out of business, but
when IL goes into business. IL should
be granted fair play and the same terms
Of organization no more. no less, In
Maine as In Washington. I'm louisiana
as In Michigan.
In War We serve Together.
Vermont and Alabama. Michigan and
Virginia, Massachusetts and New York
and Maryland. what signifies II what
state furnished the leaders In our last
war? The armies they led were not
state armies Men from Illinois were
Ortgaded with men from North Caro-
Ina and New Jersey. Men from Maine
served In the same corps with men from
louisiana and Texas. In war we pull
together under a national military law.
applying TO every one OF us. not as
citizens of any state. but as Americans.
May we not quietly, sanely, but un-
as common citizens OF one
nation, work also in peace under
greater measure OF national civil law
FOR the more perfect union that shall
result from equality before the same
law, equality OF opportunity for all,
everywhere throughout our entire ma
ton.