Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1912-02-23

ana supervision which are unnecessar,
81 regards small business. ,-:All bust
ness must be conducted under the law,
and al! business men, big or little, must
act justly. But a wicked big interest
Ia necessarily more dangerous to the
community than q wicked little inter
est. big business in the. past has
been responsible for much Of the spe-
cial privilege which must be unspnr-
tngly cut out OF our national life. !
do not believe In making mere size Of
and by itself criminal. The mere fact
Of size. however, does unquestionably
carry the potentiality Of such grave
wrongdoing that there. should be by
law provision made for the strict super.
vision and regulation Of these great in,
dustrial concerns doing an interstate
business, much as we now regulate the
transportation agencies which are en-
gagged in interstate business. The anti
trust law does good in SO far as it can
be invoked against combinations which
really are monopolies or which restrict
production or which artificially raise
prices. But In SO far as its workings
are uncertain or as it threatens corpor
atoms which have not been guilt OF
anti-social conduct it does harm. More
over, it cannot by itself accomplish
more than trifling part Of the &C.
ernmental regulation Of big business
which Is needed. The nation and the
states must cooperate in this matter.
Among the states that have entered
this field Wisconsin has taken lead
ing place. Following Senator La Fol
lette, number Of practical workers
and thinkers in Wisconsin have turned
that state into an experimental labora-
tory of wise governmental action in aid
Of social and industrial Justice. They
have initiated the kind Of progressive
government which means not merely
the preservation of true democracy, but
the extension Of the principle Of true
democracy into industrialism Us well
as into politics. One prime reason why
the state has been so successful in this
policy lies in the fact that it has done
Justice to corporations precisely as it
has exacted Justice from them.
This is precisely the attitude we
should. take toward big business. 1t
is the practical application Of the prin-
ciple Of the square deal. Not only as
a matter of justice, but in our own
interest, we should scrupulously re-
spect the rights Of honest and decent
business and should encourage it
where its activities make, as they often
do make, for the common good In
other words, our demand is that big
business give the people n square deal
and that the people give square deal
to any man engaged in big business
who honestly endeavors to do what is
right and proper. .:...
On the other Aand, any corporation,
big or little, which has gained its po-
sition by unfair methods and by inter
ference with the rights Of others,
which has raised prices or limited out
put in improper fashion and has been
4 guilty Of delnpralizing and corrupt
practices, should not only be broken
up, but it should be made the business
Of some competent governmental body
by constant supervision to see that II
: does not come together again, save un.
4 der such strict,control as to, insure the
4 community against all danger of rep.
etition Of the bad conduct
u.s.. Control Should Be, Administrative. i.
I5'All business into which the element
! tot monopoly In any way or degree en-
tiers and where it proves in practice
d impossible totally to, eliminate this ele
ment Of monopoly should be carefully
supervised, regulated and controlled by
governmental authority, and such con
troll should be exercised by administra
tive rather than BY judicial officers.
In emphasizing the part Of the ad
/; ministrative department In regulating
combinations and checking; absolute
- monopoly I. do not, of course, overlooi
the obvious fact that the Legislature
and the judiciary must do their part
The legislature should make it 1nort
clear exactly what methods are illegal
and then the judiciary will be in {
better position to punish adequately
: and relentlessly those who insist OF
defylng the clear legislative DEGREES
I do not believe any absolute private
monopoly is justified, but IL our grea
combinations are properly supervised
] so that immoral practices are prevent
ed, absolute monopoly will not come
, to pass, as the laws Of competition
and efficiency are against It.
The important thing Is thls-tha
under such government recognition q
. we may give to that which is benef
icent and wholesome in large bust
. ness organizations we shall be mos
. vigllant never to allow them to crys
tallize into a condition which shall
make private initiative difficult. It /
of the utmost importance that in tn
future we shall keep the broad path o
. opportunity just as open and easy TO
cur children as it was for our father
during the period which has been tn
glory of Americas Industrial history.
; In word, then, our Fundamental
purpose must be to secure genuin
, equality Of opportunity. No NAL
: should receive dollar unless tina
!, dollar has been fairly earned. Ever.
dollar received should represent dol
. lars worth Of service rendered. NJ
:. watering Of stocks should be permit
. ted, and it can be prevented only b.
:, close governmental supervision of al
' stock issues so as to prevent overcap
!, ltalization.
Vo stand for tho rfphta If rronortu