The Oakes times. [volume] (Oakes, N.D.) 1906-current, 1912-02-29

people from deciding for themselves
what governmental action they deem
Just and proper. Constitu.
tion-makers should make it clear be.
yond shadow of doubt that the people
in their legislative capacity have the
power to enact into law any measure
they deem necessary for the better.
ment Of social and Industrial condi.
tions. The wisdom of framing any
particular law of this kind is proper
subject Of debate: but the power Of
the people to enact the law should not
be subject to debate. To hold the
contrary view is to be false to the
cause Of the people. to the cause ii
American democracy.
Aim Of cooo Government.
The ends of good govern.
ment IN our democracy are % secure
by genuine popular rule d nign aver
age OF moral and material weil-oeine
among our citizens 1t mas Deen we'll
said that in the past we have pad
attention only to the accumulation Of
prosperity, and that from nencelorth
we must pay. equal attention to the
proper distribution of prosperity This
is true. The only prosperity worth
having is that which affects the mass
Of the people. hold it to be our
duty to see that the wage-worker. the
small producer. the ordinary consum-
er, shall get their fair share Of the
benefit Of business prosperity. But 1t
either Is or ought to be evident to
every one that business has to pros
per before anybody can get any bene-
mt from it. Therefore l hold that he
is the real progressive, that he is the
genuine champion of the people. who
endeavors to shape the policy alike Of
the nation and Of the several states
SO as 10 encourage legitimate and
honest business at the same time that
he wars against all crookedness and
injustice and unfairness and tyranny
In the business world (for of course
we can only get business put on a
basis of permanent prosperity when
the element Of injustice is taken out
OF it, This is the reason why ! have
for so many years insisted. as regards
our national government, that 1t Is
both futile and mischievous to en-
deavor to correct the evils of big bus
mess by an attempt to restore busi.
ness conditions as they we're in the
middle Of the last century, before rail
ways and telegraphs had rendered
larger business organizations both In
ev1tQh1a and doo@ro hlo
What is needed Is. frst. the recog
milton that modern business conditions
have come to stay. Ia so far at least
as these conditions mean that business
must be done in larger units. and then
the cool.headed and 'resolute deter
nination to introduce an effective
method Of regulating big corporation
So as to help legitimate business az an
incident to thoroughly and completely
safeguarding the interests Of the peo
pie as whole. We are a business
people. The tillers of the soil. the
wage-workers, the business men
these are the three big and vitality i'm
portant divisions Of our population
The welfare of each division Is vitality
necessary to the welfare OF the people
as a whole. The. great mass Of bust
ness Is either small or Of moderate
size. The middle-sized business mel
form an element Of strength which IL
Of literally incalculable value to the
nation. Taken as class, they are
among our best citizens. They have
not been seekers after enormous for
tunes: they have been moderately and
Justly prosperous, by reason of dealing
fairly with their customers, competi
tors. and employees. The average bus
mess man Of this type 10. as rule. 6
leading citizen Of his community. fore
most in everything that tells for itt
betterment. man whom his neighbori
look up to and respect: he is in nc
sense dangerous to his community
Just because he is an integral part ol
his community. bone Of its bone and
flesh of its flesh. His life hbers are
intertwined with the life fibers of hi,
fellow citizens. Yet nowadays many
men of this kind, when they come te
make necessary trade agreements
with one another, find themselves II
danger Of becoming unwilling trans
gressors of the law. and are at a LOST
to know what the law forbids ani
what 1t permits. This is all wrong
There should be fixed governmental
policy, policy which shall clearly de
fine and punish wrong-doing. and shall
give in advance full information to any
- S,,ot xv,ho H4 a..
what he cannot legally and properly
do.
Control Of "Big Business"
So much for the small business mar
and the middle-sized business man
Now for big business. 1t is impera
tive to exercise over big business {
control and supervision which is un
necessary as regards small business
All business must be conducted under
the law. and all business men, big o,
little, must act Justly. But wicked
big interest is necessarily more dan
gerous to the community than
wicked little interest big business'
in the past has been responsible fol
much of the special privilege which
must be unsparingly cut out Of ou1
national life ] do not believe in max
ing mere size of and by itself Grimm
al. The mere fact Of size, however
does unquestionably carry the DO
tentiality Of such grave wrong-doin,
that there should be by law proyisio,
made for the strict supervision ant
regulation Of these great industrial
concerns doing an interstate business
much as we now regulate the trans
portation agencies which are engage,
NSS. !.