The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-06-20
Regulating Business

During a debate in the upper house
of Congress last Thursday Senator
Kenyon, than whom no other Ameri-
can is less Of an ANARCHIST or socialist,
made some pertinent remarks about
the control Of mouopolies to which Z
every American citizen should give
heed. Senator kenylcn said:
. What is this doctrine of letting all |
business alone? Shall we repeal the ]
meat inspection laws? Shall we repeat
the pure food laws? Shall we repeal
the law governing the railroad rates?'
II do not want to see this govern
ment so into the regulating of all bust
ness; but there is distinct line of
demarcation, and it was laid down
realty hundred years ago, and the
supreme court Of the United States
has sustained it. It is an important
thing, bdcause If this goes on | be-
ieVe you are going to see this prin-
ciple the rock upon which political
parties will split in this country.
"Shall we regulate all business? No;
that would be failure. Regulate
some business? Yes. What husiness2
The business which the supreme court
has said is charged with public use"
"oh, men reply, Then you will re.
gulate the shoes, regulate clothing,
/ regulate all these things" No, you
are regulating monopoly, and if in
regulating monopoly you touch bust
ness, It Is an incident to the regu-
ation of monopoly But if five mea
had all the shoe business of this coun
try practically under their control or
enough Of i to control il, and made
prices whatever they pleased, then
you would be getting a business that
was reaching the point OF monopoly,
and that the government has a right
to regulate.
There will soon come before the
! Senste bill to regulate the coal
business. The senator from New
YORK (Mr CALDER, VINO was chairman
Iof the recon1truction committee, as |
remember his statement, announced
ION the floor that the coal operators of
this country had pilaged the Amer.
can people a billion and a half dol
lars, | may be wrong about the size
of the figures, but they were in the
neghborhoodi a few hundred million
would not make much difference
One Of those great operators indig
nantIy denied the accusation, anc
said the senator from New York was
wrong, that they had not pillaged the
American people over S50o,00o,00o.
I'M tNaitn,sn !, - In DE rkrit,
will ever stand in this country?
wish could appeal to some Of my
friends here whom | think so much OF
and whose wisdom know, when the,
continually talk about ell leg1
lation like this as being socialistic
wish they would 'ook ahead, to thl
country trying to get out OF the sitl
+ alton it is IN 10 diccontent among on
4 people, who arc robbed by syndicate
! who are controlling the anthracit
!, coal, and robbed and pIundered b
the men who ars controlling tn
g market place OF the American IA
g mer, and iikewi Sc controlling in II
h eventuaiity the cost to the consume
"a I'VE ought to hear IN mind, whe
we talk about regulating monopoly ths
there is NJ right IN monopoly 70
u are not destroying property when 20
destroy mononoly: Frd whsn r'~'
oploy gets in the channels Of interstat
d commerce as a great ROCK ana .
% 2tuets IFS few, it can be taken Oh
That Is what we are trying to do h
A. this measure.
II Henry George IN his matohiess wor
N Progress and Poverty says it is M
" kings, nor aristocraeies, but II
n in1og ancc Of the masses that enslavt
the people The eoal operators and a
nc other monopoists 10 the COUNT
win proceed with their easy thin
. just SO long as The people win toIeraf
the operation
Il 10 refreshing however, to hei
Viaorous protest against the pIund,
band coming from SO high Repnblic5
source as Senator Kenyon.