The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-08-31


 legislation. The effort at prohibiting all combination haS substantially fail ed. The wsy out lies not in attanpt- ing to prevent such combiTn tions. but in completely controlling them in the interest of the public welfare. For that purpose the federal bureau | of corporations is an agency Of the first importance. It's power and therefore | its efficiency. as well as that of the tn- | terstate commerce commission, should l be largely increased.
 We have a right to expect from the | bureau of corporations and from the | interstate commerce commission a
 very high grade of public service. We | should be sure of the proper conduct I of interstate railways and the proper I management of interstate business as | we are now sure of the conduct and | mana cement of the national banks. | and we should have as effective super l vision in one case as in the other. ! The Hepburn act and the amend mept to that act in the shape in which | it finally passed congress at the last session represent a long step in ad- | Influence of Special Interests. ! 1 There is a widespread belief among our people that under the methods of l making tariffs which have hitherto ob-
 tained the special interests are too in- | fluentialt Probably this is true of both | the big interests and the little inter- | ests. These methods have put a pre- | haium on self1shness, and naturally the l selfish big interests have got more l than the selfish small interests. The l duty of congress is to provide meth | cd by which the interest of the whole | people shall be all that receives con- | sideration.
 To this end there must be an expert | tariff commission wholly removed from
 the possibility of political pressure oI of improper business influence. Such a commission can find out the
 real difference between the cost of production, which is mainly the diff ference of labor cost here and abroad. | As fast as it's recommendations are made I believe in revising one sched- | ule at time. A general revision of the tariff almost inevitably leads to l log rolling and the subordination of
 the general public interest to local and | special interests.
 | The absence of effective state and I especially national restraint upon un- l fair money getting has tended to | create a small class of enormously l wealthy and economically powerful
 men whose chief object is to hold and
 increase thao power.
 The prime weed is to change the 1 conditions which enable these men to
 accumulate power which it is not for | the general welfare that they should | hold or exercise.
 We gHdge no man fortune which | represents his own power and sagacity i when exercised with entire regard to I the welfare of his fellows. But the
 fortune must be honorably obtained | and well used. It is not even enough | that it should have been gained with out doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents ! benefit to the community. This, I know, implies policy of far more active governmental interference with social and economic conditions in this country than we have yet had, but I think we have got to face the fact that such ap increase in governmental con trol is now necessary.
 Money Fairly Earned. No man should receive a dollar un- less that dollar has been fairly earned l Every dollarsreceived should represent
 a dollars worth of service rendered.
 The really big fortune. the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of it's size acquires qualities which differentiate l it in kind as we'll as in degree from what is possessed by men of relative | ly small means.
 Therefore I believe in a graduated
 income tax on big fortunes and in an- l other tax which is far more easily | collected and far more effectye-a graduated inheritance tax on big for tunes. properly safeguarded against
 evasion and increasing rapidly in
 amount with the size of the estate. The people of the United States sui | fer from periodical financial panics tu | R degree substantially unknown among l the other nations which approach us
 in financial strength. : There is no
 reason why we should suffer what | they escape
 | It is of profound importance that
 our financial system should be prompt | ly investigated and so thoroughly and | effectively revised as to make 1t cer- l tain that hereafter our currency will | no longer fall at critical times to | meet our needs.
 1t is hardly necessary for pe to re- | peat that I believe in an efficient army and a navy large enough to secure for us abroad that respect which is the surest guarantee of peace. Justice | and fair dealing among nations rest on | principles identical with those which | control justice and fair dealing among l the individuals of which nations are | composed, with the vital exception | that each nation must do its own part in interuationaI police work National | friendships. like those between men. 1 must be founded on respect as we'll as l on liking. CD forbearance as well as ! on trust In all this it is peculiarly the duty of the United States to set a 1 good example.