Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-04-01


States Rights Doctrine.
The Democratic party always has
been a party of states rights and to-
day, perhaps curiously enough, il is
having trouble TO stand consistently
by its ancient opinions and yet to pass
the antitrust bills In the form which
it desires them to take The bill
which when it becomes a law is ex-
pected to unlock the interlocking d.
rectorates OF modern industry fur
nishes a case in which Democracy is
having trouble to avoid the charge
that it is for states rights in some
instance and not in others.
When Woodrow Wilson was COVER
nor of New Jersey the antitrust bills
known as the seven sisters" were
made into state laws. AS has been
told in these dispatches the seven
sisters" bills form in part the basis of
what are known as the five brother"
bills intended to regulate the trusts
and which are now before congress
for action. 1t is in the application of
the principles OF the seven bills, drawn
to meet the condition largely existing
within one state, to the five bills in
tended to meet a national condition
that the Democrats are having their
worries.
Here is the way that Republican
has put this matter OF the Democratic
difficulty:
The party has used the ancient and
by it revered doctrine Of states rights
in the past to check what it has called
Republican capacities. but now it is
trying to find way to dispose of the
bogy and yet keep it intact for the
uses of the future"
Where the Rub Comes.
In the matter of the measure drawn
to do away with interlocking director
ates, the Democrats are confronted by
question as to whether state banks
can be brought within the provisions
of the statutes which it is proposed to
pass. The party of course wants the
state bank directories separated as 1t
desires those of national banks shall
be, and the question is can the sepa-
ration be accomplished without violat-
ing the doctrine of states rights.
The house committee which Is con-
sidering the case has had Louis d.
Brandeis before it as a witness and
probably as an adviser. Mr.. Brandeis
is now engaged as special counsel by
the interstate commerce commission
in the railroad advanced rate case.
He told the Democrats of the commit
tee that there are three ways by which
they can pass the states rights OBJ
stacle by the flank and yet leave it
there intact for further use. Accord
Ing to Mr. Brandeis congress years
ago established a precedent which
can be used this day to justify the
forbidding of interlocking directorates
of state banks. This precedent was
set by the national lawmakers when
they taxed the currency of state
banks out OF existence.
As a second method of reaching
the states rights matter through the
federal power, Mr.. Brandeis says that
all banking business of necessity par.
takes of an interstate character, or,
in other words, that it enters into in
terstate commerce and that this fact
ought to bring 1t well within the realm
OF the power of congress to act. AS
a third method he says that the mat.
ter can be reached through the right
of congress to declare what matter
shall be carried in the United States
mails. Presumably this means that
the postal privileges can be withheld
from any state bank which declines
to comply with the law forbiddine
the interlocking of directorates.
Make Much of Trivial Subjects.
Members of congress. especially
when they make speeches in the CAPT
tol on what may seem to be trivial
subjects. make every effort TO show
that they are determined this country
shall continue to be a democracy, "a
place of Continued rule by the plain
people with no frills on the ruled OF
the rulers"
1t is a curious fact that senators and
representatives frequently show more
alarm lest the democracy of the peo-
pie be undermined by some little
thing suggestive of luxury or of de.
cadence of taste than they do over
what appears to be the rapid growth
of class conditions in this country and
the rapid concentration of wealth in
the hands of the few The big things
which threaten democracy are over
looked. but the little things are taken
up on high plane and pointed to as
danger signals of a coming crash il
the affairs of the republic.
They have just been having a tire
mendous debate in the senate over
the use of automobiles by government
officials.
One would think from what was
said by more or less eminent senators |
of the United States from the floor OF I
the senate that an official who rides in (
an automobile is tainted with all the /
vicious luxuriousness of Nero. emper. +
or of the Romans On hearing the I
philippics one would think that every +
official who uses an automobile has
under his seat a fiddle and a bow
which he is anxiously waiting oppor-
tunities to use for the making of
music while Washington burns.
would comply as closely as possible
with local sentiment, so they named