The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-08-08


an Interpretation of what the people
mean by tho constitutions which they
have framed and laws passed by tie
people are nulliied because the courts
say those laws are contrary to the peo-
pies will as expressed in their consti-
tuition there must be a reference to
the people of the public effect of such
decisions under forms securing full de-
liberation," to the end that the people
may rectify this alleged defect In tlieir
constitution by Il popular vote having
all the force Of n constitutional amend
ment. i"Our purpose 10 not to impugn
the courts. but to cmancipate them
from n position whenever they stand
finally In the way of social Justice.
ss' am well aware that every
upholder of privilege. every hired
agent or beneficiary of the special in
terests. including many well meaning
parlor reformers. will denotlnce all this
as socialism or 'n~nnrchy'-the same
terms they used in the pnst In denounc-
Ing the movements to control the rail-
ways and to control public utilities.
Az n matter of fact. the propositions
make constitute neither anarchy nor
socialism. but. on the contrary. n cor
receive for socialism and an antidote
to anarchy"
Constructive Control Of the Trusts.
In addition TO punishment for wrong
doing by the trusts. the imperative de-
mand Is effective and complete regu-
lation. The views of President Van
lHise OF the University OF Wisconsin In
his scientific work Oh trust regulation
are In harmony with the program of
the National I'rogressives. .'I'he prese
ept,s conditions of business cannot be
accepted as satisfactory" The reason
forthis IL explained. in MIR. Roosevelt's
opinion, blythe fact That "those denling
with the subject have attempted to d.
vide into two camps. each as unwlse
as the other" One camp has fixed it's
attention only on the need for pros
perity-"prosperity to the big man on
top. trusting to their mercy to let some
thing leak through to the mass of their
conntrymen below, which. In effect,
means that there should be no attempt
to regulate the %ferocious scramble in
which greed and cunning reap the
largest rewards" The other camp has
SO fixed Its attention upon the injus-
tees of the distribution of prosperity.
''omitting all consideration Of having
something to distribute. and advocates
action which. 1t is true, would abolish
most of the inequalities Of the distri-
button Of, prosperity. by only the I'm
fortunately simple process Of abolish
ing the prosperity Itself" Tile ten
dency, of those now In control OF the
Republican party is to give special
privileges to big business" and to cor
rect the .evil, OF such n purse when
they become CRYING by sporadic law
suits under the antitrust law. The
tendency Of the Democrats. Judged
by the Democratic platform. is to abol-
ish all business of any size or eff-
cheney. on the ground that all bigness
Is badness and littleness and weakness
a sign Of virtue 'Whatais neededris
action directly the reverse Of that thus
confusedly Indicated" gluaYsib bne
There should be applied to all indus
fetal concerns engaged In Interstate
commerce in which there is either
monopoly or control of the market the
principles already adopted "in regulat-
ing transportation concerns engaged in
s,x11. nD,,,,,,<.,,n1 rNl,z ,,tf t,A ,,,
should be kept On the statute book to
be invoked against every big concern
tending to monopoly or guilty OF anti
social practices. At the same time n
national Industrial commission should
be created which should have complete
power to regulate and control all the
great industrial concerns engaged in in
terstate business = which practically
means all of them In this country.
This commission should exercise over
these Industrial cer like powers
to those exercised over the railways by
the Interstate commerce commission
and v the national hanks by the
comptroller OF the currency and addt-
.tional powers If found necessary" The
commission SHOULD have free access
to the books of each corporation and
power to find out exactly how 1t treats
It's employees. Its rivals and the gen
,ral public. Any corporation
voluntarily coming under the commits
sion should not be prosecuted under the
antitrust law as long as it obeys in
good faith the orders of the commits
sion. The commission would be able to
interpret in advance to any honest man
asking the Interpretation what he may
do and what he may not do in carrying
on Il legitimate business" When cor
porations not submitting themselves to
the regulations of the commission or
dearly evading or violating its orders
IRE prosecuted under the anti trust law
and convicted. the commission should
have the duty of seeing that the de
cree of the court is put into effect com
nletely." Only In this way can there
be avoided "such gross scandals as
those attendant upon the present ad-
ministration's prosecution of the Stand
ard Oil and the tobacco trusts a pros
ecution which has merely resulted in
tnCrou cod priCoS tn tha yuIijo ir{,,vy IN