The sun., 1910-02-15
'ERAsFNe FhE STArk B0UNDA.

Q HfF# -
To TnR ,EpIloA or Tna sUN-Sir: What
are the Republican oticials. the -male-
factors Of great wealth. ne predatory
and the Republican poll
ticians In Washington driving at1
Republican" officials and politicians
at Washington are emphasi1ed because
democrats have bscome negligible
since the reign Of the Peerless One
began. Only Republicans are now to be
thought OF. Much nowadays is vague
and mysterious, 70t only In recent laws
affecting the corporate industries Of
the country-produotion. manufacture
and exchanges - commodikes-bu in
future legislation regarding interstate
buying aud selling. Here and there you
hear II confidently asserted that con-
trolling persons in corpora Gons once
denounced as predatory" are in the
scheme to put themselves under the con-
troll OF Congress- II the Supreme Court
shall find that they have been guilty OF
violating the sherman ANTITRUST law.
The reason 10 not quite clear unless
the new Federal Incorporation plan Ia 10
be kind Of safety blanket, held by the
four corners such a. firemsn use as .
receptacle for. those in n oity fire who
jump from a fourth story window TO es-
cape the 'devo0rink flames. II any COR
pora tions; it Ia asked, have been really
and wilfulr. predatory and shall be
judicially condemned az Intentionally
ccnspiring unlawfuliy 10 Increase prices
Of food, rairnent, shelter; transportation
or other things OF comfort. why not leave
the n TO die and perish on the si1ewalk'
Putting the business Of she country i'm
the hands OF Federal corporations is not
a new project. Mr.. Garfield, who was
President Roosevelt's frst Commissioners
Of Corpora tions and was promoted by him
to be head OF the interior Department,
commenced IL half a dozen years ago.
The request that Congress- consider the
advisa bility Of enaetine q law for the
legislative regula ton OF interstate COM
merce under q license or franchise" was
transmitted to Congress. Mr.. Garfield
said, with perfect truth 'and frank
ness, that IL the knight sugar case had
been decided as the Government asked
1T would have gone far toward establish
ing the principle that the United States
had control OF all State business" An
amendment OF the Constitution may be
proposed TO annul that decision along
with the income tax decision in the Pol
lock case.
Two years ago at the conference OF
Governors convened by President Roose-
welt, to which he invited Mr.. Bryan. the
latter developed the twilight zone" idea
that most OF the contentious over the line
between the nation and the State ARE
traceable to predatory corporations.
The President responded by adding that
he only wished TO provide sovne effective
popular sovereignty for each corpora
ton" He criticised judicial decisions.
He added that:
In matters that relate only u the people within
the state of course the state 10 70 be sovereign
and II should have the power 10 act n the mat.
ter s such that the State itself cannot act. then
wish on behalf Of all the States that the national
Government should act
He had already urged Congress to
adopt either the plan Of Federal license
or charter. His successor prefers the
latter.
What 10 sought under either plan may
be inferred from arguments which clever
lawyers employed by. the Government
Railway Commission or by the Attorney
General have from time TO time addressed
to the Federal courts. Il is TO be assumed
that they expressed the opinions OF the
Admlnistra ton hy which they were re-
tanned. What they urged on the courts
10 instructive for any one who has the
curiosity TO discern the present drift.
They insisted that the power Of Congress
to regulate includes all instrumentalities
affecting even Indirectly interstate CON-
merce State lines do not hinder. They
impudently claimed that the Supreme
Court had hdiudged in the Northern Sc
curities case that a corporation conduct
ing commerce can with all its internal
be regulated. Even the
dividends ny a State corporation carry
ing on interstate commerce and division
OF profits among owners can be regulated.
say the Government lawyers. The SOL
vency OF the corporations can he cared
for. Congress can, they claim. regulate
an industrial corporation as completely
as q national bank. Economic obstruc-
tions. such as the issue OF shares and bonds
In excess in the way OF interstat 10 COM
merce, are like physical distractions, TO
be prevented or removed by Congress.
Credit and surplus can be controlled.
can be prevented.
Il Ii impossible TO describe national
ism more complete than that which can
be thus accomplished under the inter.
state clause OF the Constitution. State
lines become mere geographical ex-
preston. Freedom of commerce among
the States can he destroyed by Congress.
Tho right to engage in IL becomes sprivi-
lege- subject TO the pleasure OF Congress
There is no apprsciable limit to the power
NJ Congress In prescribing the instru-
that Congress can regulate;
and to what end? What benefit is to be
conferred on the country Whose pock-
cts are to be filleds SAINT HEI EHA.
WAsHINoToS, n. C.. February II.
Pipe Smoker ~ Natural selectioa.