The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1910-04-05

lldpOlIo 1 quay
mission bill three years ago, l said
| had no friends In congress. To-
day large number of Republicans are
for it. and even one Democrat has
seen the light But at the beginning
of the last session it had only a few
friends in congress. Therefore l felt
that it was impossible to get full
fledged tariff commission enacted in
to law: and so l acted on the theory
of getting the best could. Mine was
a fatal faith.
For what was the result: l drew
the provision authorizing the presi-
dent to appoint persons with full
power to make tariff investigations
under his direction. Senator Aldrich
would not agree to all of it. He
struck out or changed vital language.
Yet what remained of my provision
gave to these persons broad powers
to gather necessary facts to aid con-
gress in tariff legislation. In this
form it passed the senate
But the conference committee
struck out absolutely every word Civ
ing these persons any powers to inves-
tigate and collect the facts, leaving to
the president nothing but the author
ity to employ persons to assist him
in the administration of the maximum
and minimum section of the law
Senator Hale, the senior member of
the conference committee. declared
again and again on the floor of the
senate that the conference committee
had done this for the express purpose
of depriving these persons of any
power whatever to gather facts or to
do any work which a tariff commits
sion could do. And no senator denied
the truthfullness of Senator Hale's
statement as a matter of fact nor his
correctness as matter of law after
he had made his determined assault.
President Taft, by executive con-
struction, has attempted to restore to
these persons he is authorized to en-
ploy some of the powers that the con-
ference committee purposely destroy
ed. But executive construction can
not restore powers that congress de.
AOSAoSSAS ISluSCu ~ Give. ItCu III II
could, another president might con-
strue it differently; and any presi.
dent at any time can discharge the
so-called tariff board
For the members of this tariff board
are not officers of the government;
they are mere employees of the presi
dent, with no higher legal standing
than private secretary or steno
grapher Any trust in America can
refuse to give them any information:
they have no power to compel infor
nation; all they can do is to say that
the president has directed them to re
quest information; and even IL the col
lected information congress could de
cline to receive it upon the ground
that 1t was not authorized by law
Such makeshift will not answer the
needs of American business men, pro
ducers and consumers. We asked fol
a reality; they gave us mockery
We asked for power: they gave u.
palsy. We asked for bread; the,
gave us stone.
A commission of experts as perma
nent as department of the govern
ment. with duties fully prescribed IL
the law itself; commission safe
from the accidents of politics, secur,
from the differing opinions of chang
ing presidents; commission equal tt
that of Germany or Japan-that /,
what the nation demands and tina
is what we will have.
Republican law and administration
has stopped rebating by railroads, ha,
regulated railway rates and establish
ed the principle that the government
can protect the shipper from discrimi
nation, dishonesty and abuse. Repub
lican law and administration has lin
tied the powers of trusts and ende,
forever many of their wicked prae
tees, such as the sale of disease,
meats, poisoned foods and impur
drugs. But much remains to b
. done.
The railways, which are the sci
wants of all the people, which dra,
their profits from all the people, mus
be brought more thoroughly under tn
control of the government of all tn
people. Methods must be found t
control perfectly those mighty comb
nations of capital engaged in moder
industry called trusts. They cannC
be destroyed, for they grow out {
modern industrial conditions and ca
be made to serve the people infinitel
better than the little concerns of
: century ago could serve them. But III
J controlled, the pillage the peopI
: while they are serving them. Uncol
. trolled they will grow stronger tha
5 the nation itself They operat
!, throughout the nation. and no powe
can control them completely excer
| the nation itself.
; The states can not do it-these trus,
} are formed under the laws of state
: which clothe them with their power
: and issue to them letters of marqu
= and reprisaI to sail the seas of trad
r throughout the whole republic, sinl
' ing honest merchantmen whereve
/ they find them and levying tribui
: wherever they CO.
0 They must be brought under tt
: guns OF national authority. strippe
of their unrighteous power and mad
j, to serve the people by honest methot
q and for fair profit instead of beir
i, permitted to rob the people by di
! honest methods and for outraged,
! profits. But no bin bringing the,