Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-18
Secretary Addresses Be IS
Ion Commercial GLIB,
Question Of Federal and State
Authority Touched Upon.
Speaker Says Country Must Not
Fear Large Problems.

! I,n3;ol. Miss. March Ill am per-
TONS with which the federal govern
men. is now graphing have outgrown
/ lotn &c boundary and the power of
the individual state: sad that the OPP
erations OF the federal government are
nothing bat tie legitimate outgrowth
(, OF necessity. and .thc fair and reason
! able employment o. vested authority
To nc II is az n,attcr Of satisfaction
tina. ihc states viii at all times and in
any event have more than enough to
Go. That is Il domain of government
which so long as this Constitution
stands federal authority can never in
wade; afiu which must in the last ANA
lysis always be left to the control of
i the individual state
| This sentiment was the keynote of
the address CT Secretary Charles Ma
gel, Of the Department of Commerce
and Labor, in his address tonight be-
fore the Commercial Club of this city
in which he discussed tho question of
federal and state authority A mem
Der OF the Presidents Cabinet who has
been consulted freely b. him in regard
to pending measures in Congress which
have served to bring the question of
feCeral and state authority into prom
inence, the secretary remarks were
! listened to 2ttentively
Mr.. Nagel introduced his remarks
with an allusion to the growing APP
prehenSion that the old clash between
federal and state authority is to be
| renewed and said that it was assumed
in many quarters that federal author
ity was cnroaching on state rights,
some of the bills now pending in Con-
gress serving to bring this issue into
prominence. notably the proposal to
authorize the organization of federal
corporations. and IN a measure aEo the
| alDr n''tl"nt to the Constitution of the
FiHf states to authorize the income
tIA Il had seemed to him, however,
the secretary said, that perhaps we
dwell too much on the exact line Of
clearage between the two authorities
which after all go to make up one gov
ernmcnt. Fail, consideration for the
consideration for the jurisdiction of
each would in his judgment be more to
the point.
The secretary then devoted himself
to a discussion of the growth of the
federal authority since the organiza-
ton of the government and declared
that today the demand for national
regulation and for national aid is I'M
iversal, it coming from every section
without regard to station or to party.
at comes" Mr.. Nagel said, mot
from these officials who may be imme-
diately charged with the responsible
ties of national government. but it
| comes a.; Il ground swell from the peo-
PIE themselves. Even in the South.
where the majority still votes for Il
denial Of national authority on one
day in the year all other days are de-
voted to a demand for national aid"
Discussing the questions presented
the secretary said in part:
In the more general field OF regula-
ton. including railroad rates and man.
agenent, the protection of labor, the
character of foods as subjects of in
terstate commerce we have Travelled to
the very brink of ownership itself;
sustained throughout by the demand of
the people of the entire country And
yet in the face of this there is a COM
mon protest against Capitalization.
1T has been urged, perhaps with
some reason, that much of this growth
of national authority is to be attribut-
ed to the neglect of the states In my
Judgment that explanation is only par
TALLY true. 1 do not believe that so
far the federal government has un-
dertaken to regulate or to control in
any ted which might have been left
to the states with safety or success"
Il am prepared to believe, for illus
tratlon. that in the matter of regula-
ton of mines the states have been
derelict. No one will contend that the
miner has been protected by state au-
thrrity in the same measure that the
mariner has been guarded by federal
authority. And yet it will not be said
that the federal government may pre-
dictate upon this neglect on part of the
states q right to intercede for the con-
troll and the management of mines.
The conditions of child labor in differ
ent parts Of this country afford am
pie opportunity for government, and
if those conditions arc unhappy, and
worse in some sections of our country,
/ still cannot concede that for that
reason the federal government ought
or can interfere
Il repeat, therefore. that to my mind
we have perhaps been too much con-
cerned to define and to guard the
boundary line across which neither au-
thority may pass. 1t ought instead to
be our real care to find the means by
which these two authorities may ad-
Hantagcously cooperate. especially in
that field of action which lies upon
the border line between the two. In
my judgement the great need of the
day is talerant and Intelligent cooper
alton between IN" two authorities fed
"r:tl and state. | have no question
that unless state authority more sue
ressiully supplements the federal gov
ernmcnt. the latter will of necessity
have I" extend is power To the very
limit given by the Constitution"
Again, the Constitution gives the
national goveSpmcnt the right to reg
nlate weights and measures Th;
| right necessarily implies the further
right to sec to it that weights ano
| measures axe observed. What is tru,
rs To the standards of coin is equally