The Washington herald., 1910-09-01
The Commonwealth that service to which


:. a. f-t-i-- LIE ed
square deal. But when
--T for the square deal
ut ey that stand for fair
-idT Vlcet resent rules OF the game
tat ! for having those rules
work for a more sub
-c OF opportunity and OF
~ good service.
At our governments. ma
1E must be freed from the
e or control OF special IN
as the special interests
~. -.-- go slavery threatened our po-
litical integrity before the civil war, so
now the great special business interests
too often control and corrupt the men
and methods OF government for their own
profit. We must drive the special IN
terests out OF politics. That is one OF our
tasks to-day. Every special interest is
entitled 70 justice-full. fair. and com
plete-but not one is entitled to a vote
in Congress- a voice on the bench. or TO
representation IN any public Office. The
Constitution guarantees protection to
property, and we must make that prom
Use good. But It does not give the right
OF suffrage 10 any corporation.
The true friend Of property. the true
conservative. is he who insists that prop
erty shall be the servant and not the
master OF the Commonwealth: who insists
that the creature OF mans making shalt
be the servant and not the master OF the
man who made It. The citizen Of the United
States must effectively control the mighty
commercial forces which they have them
selves called into being.
There can be no effective control OF
corporations while their political activity
remains. To put an end to II VIII be
neither a short nor an easy task, but It
can be done
Publicity in Corporate Affairs.
We must have complete and effective
publicity OF corporate AFFAIRS. so that
the people may know beyond peradven-
ture whether the corporations obey the
law. and whether their management en-
titles them to the confidence OF the pub
lie. It is necessary that laws should be
passed to prohibit the use OF corporate
funds directly OF indirectly for political
such laws should be thoroughly enforced.
Corporate expenditures for political pur-
poses, and especially such expenditures
by public service corporations. have sup
piled one Of the principal sources Of cor
ruption In our political affairs.
It has become entirely clear that we
must have government supervision OF the
capitalization not only OF public service
corporations. including particularly rail-
ways. but Of all corporations doing an
interstate business. I do not wish 20 see
the nation forced into ownership OF the
railways II II can possibly be avoided.
and the only alternative Is thorough
going and effective regulation. which shall
be based on a fun knowledge Of all the
facts. including a physical valuation OF
the property. This physical valuation is
not needed, or at least is very rarely
needed. for fixing rates, but 1t Is needed
as the basis Of honest capitalization.
We have come to recognize that fran
chises should never be granted except for
limited time. and never with proper
provision for compensation to the public
1t is my personal belief that the same
kind and degree of control and supervi-
sion which should be exercised over pub
lie service corporations should be ex-
tended also 20 combination which control
necessaries OF life. such as meat. oil.
and coal. or which deal in them on an
important scale.
Would Hold individuals.
I believe that the officers, and especially
the directors, of the corporations should
be held personally responsible when any
corporation breaks the law.
Combinations in industry are the result
OF an imperative economic law which can
not be repealed by political legislation.
The effort a. prohibiting all combination
has substantially failed. The way out
lies not in attempting to prevent such
combinations, but in completely control
ing, them in the interest OF the public
welfare. For that purpose the Federal