The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1916-10-02
pursatory to tho hell Of tho antitrust

V~A oSV0Sy 10 Cu0 Ao1l VI C0V oAIl'Il u0S
law"
I can not find that the t7sads com
mission has so far judic ~.&y passed
upon any case involving unfair meth
DDS of competition in commerce, or
that it has, by its action in any case,
put a stop to unfair methods Of COM
petition or granted substantial relief.
I can find no information bearing
directly on this matter in the first
annual report of the commission of
June 80, 1915. On the 10Th day of
August, last, I addressed and mailed
to the commission a letter asking
for further. information as to it's work.
This information has not yet been
furnished.
Child Labor Law.
Another matter of legislation for
which the Democracy will claim great
credit is the so-called child-labor act.
In reference to this, it can be said
that there are only some three or
four states in the Union that did not
have on their statute books suitable
and adequate. child-labor laws, and in
these few states, where the laws were
imperfect and deficient, have no
doubt but what they would in due
1t is a very serious question, to my
mind, whether this law is donstir
tutional, or if constitutional, whether
it will afford the remedy sought.
voted for it with the utmost reluc-
lance, and to some extent because
was anxious to have the supreme
court pass upon this important ques-
ton for if such legislation is valid,
the limits to which the interstate
commerce clause of the constitution
can be applied are we'll nigh bound
less.
The Shipping Law.
The next matter of Democratic leg
islation, to which I will call your
attention, is the so-called shipping
law passed at the last session OF
congress. It provides for the pur.
chase, leasing, and operation of ships
by the federal government at an
expense of $50,00O,0OO, exclusive of
salaries, to be obtained from the sale
Of so-called Panama bonds. This leg.
islation, the administration claims,
was urgently needed because Of the
scarcity of ocean shipping and the
high rates prevailing in consequence
of the war. 1t is a novel scheme, and
puts the government in direct com
petition with private enterprise and
private effort, and will tend to en-
barrass and retard the growth of ou1
ocean shipping, now on, the high road
to healthy expansion and growth. But
waving all this, pointed out in
the debate in the senate on this bill
that it was utterly impossible for the
government to procure any ships
within the next two or three years.
Panama Canal Bonds.
In providing for the building of the
Panama canal, authority was granted
for the issuance of bonds to secure
funds for that purpose. The cost of
the canal to date has been approx.
mately $375, 1000, 900. The administra.
ton Of the Republican party was 50
businesslike, prudent and economical
that all but $3.50, 100000 of the cost
Of the canal was paid out of the cur.
rent revenues of the government.
Only $1s0,O00,0o0 in bonds were is.
sued. And now the Democratic party,
in their skirmishing around for rev.
enue to meet their extravagant ap.
preparations, has resorted to the
Panama bonds for the purpose OF
buying and operating ships, and for
the purpose of constructing a nitrate
plant for the manufacture of some
power and a lot Of fertilizers. The
Panama bonds were in their origin
devoted to a specific and a sacred
purpose, and now $4,000, 900 of these
bonds are to be devoted to two
schemes of state socialism, the like
Of which could only spring from the
womb Of Democracy intoxicated by
the power temporarily placed in their
hands.
Philippine Islands.
As an incident of the war with
Spain we acquired the Philippine is
lands. The people Of these islands
for more than three hundred years
languished under the despotic tyran-
ny of Spain. Spain had during all
those years failed to develop the
people or the resources of the islands.
She had failed to provide for their
education and had utterly failed to
give them decent government. Such
a government as they had was not a
government of law, but government
of the army and of the monks. We
found these poor people in a most
wretched and deplorable condition,
utterly inexperienced In self-govern-
ment, or in any form Of government
regulated by law. It would have been
still more cruel, In their then con-
dition, to have cast them adrift to
shift for themselves. That would have
lad to cha0aG and 6oatr11ctinn or to