JL
(FEBRUARY 19, 1009
The Commoner.
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loniniislv cuarded and resolutely defended, but
it will be found necessary to add federal legist
linHnn. if tho Standard Oil company has any-
Ithlng like a complete monopoly its withdrawal
ifrom the state of Missouri may result in mcon
SvmilfincG to tho neonle. for they must have oil.
lf there are rival companies in Missouri they
j may be prepared to meet tne new uemanu upon
'them but if they are not prepared, or if they
fcmn.kf tho new demand an excuse for raising
'prices the friends of monopoly will mako the
; extortion an argument in tavor ol repealing tne
slnt anti-trust law. The immediate results
;of the enforcement of the law may thus impress
consumers more than tne protracteu evns wnicn
the law is intended to cure.
Tfc was to nrotect the neonle of the various
states from this very embarrassment that the
democratic national platform proposed congres
sional legislation intended to limit the amount
one corporation can control and thus ensure
competition. The platform fixed the maximum
limit at fifty per cent, leaving room for enough
competitors to insure rivalry.
Tho states can apply the Lame principle; they
can limit the proportion of the business that
one corporation, domestic or foreign, can con
trol. The proportion controlled is the very
essence of monopoly. If, for instance, a cor
poration controls only five per cent of the total
product it can not exercise a monopolistic in
fluence if it controls ninety-five per cent it can.
Just where a monopoly begins no one can say
but a corporation being a creature of law can
be compelled to obey such restrictions and lim
itations as the law-making power may think
necessary for tho protection of the public. Such
a law would be more easily enforced than any
. existing anti-trust law.
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SOME INTERESTING POINTS
A Commoner reader sends a marked copy of
the "Wall Street Journal of December 24. From
an article entitled "Broad Street Gossip," tho
following is taken: ,
"The corner stone of the market is a' sense
of heavenly harmony among the big interests in
control of transportation and industry. The im
portant people of the 'country, who are mostly
congregated. In and about Now York, have been
mixing it up very pleasantly of late in a' social
and business way. Everything is altogether
lovely. All jealousies are forgotten, and cross
purposes are things of the past. Possibly over
indulgence of highly-seasoned foods at some of
those love feasts may have resulted in physical
indigestions but the spirit of affection surmounts
all these recollections. The railroad map of
the United States, especially that part lying west
of the Alleghenies, has been or is being sub
divided amicably. Mr. Harriman' has ceased
to desire to dominate the entire situation and
is willing that Mr. Hill and the St. Paul interests
, may reach out into his trans-Mississippi terri
tory and take such part of the business as he
doesn't particularly desire or can nbt get. As
for the northwestern part of the transportation
came, he is not particularly concerned, for he
is presently to take over the controlling influ
ence of New York Central, of which the North
western is merely an extension. It is also re
cited that Mr. Harriman has already secured an
influential relationship in the Gould system west
and southwest of St. Louis. As for Rock Island
well Rock Island doesn't amount to much in
the grand scheme of readjustment. The Moore
Reid combination only has a' little matter of
14,000 miles of railroad, gridironing every
quarter section of territory lying between the
middle longitudinal line of Indiana and the
Rocky mountains east and west, and Minneap
olis and New Orleans north and south, with a
rumor possibility of grabbing off the Wabash
system east of St. Louis. This bagatelle of a
railroad may or may not come into the harmony
arrangement. If it does, well and good. If it
doesn't, good-bye Rock Island and everybody
connected with it. The ultimate purpose of this
halcyon harmony of heretofore competitive in
terests is to be an act of congress legalizing
pooling, something which the public has been
desperately fighting against for forty years or
more. The public has a foolish idea that com
petition is necessary to assurance of reasonable
rates for freight and passengers. This theory
appears to be on the verge of being superseded
by the more recently adopted proposition that
competition is the very worst thing that can
happen for buyers of transportation. Mr. Roose
velt has apparently -subscribed to the idea and
before the taking of the vote in congress it
eeems to stand very well in Wall Street. Any
how the stock market is being bought aggres
sively in tho full faith that while communism
and socialism aro tabooed, the spirit behind
these cults is about to dominate tho railroads
and tho business situation all to tho increase
in net returns on investments in stocks at cur-
rent quotations."
It will bo seen that some very interesting
points aro made in this Wall Street article.
It is interesting to be told that:
The "Important people of the country aro
mostly congregated in and about New York."
"The railroad map of tho United States, espe
cially (hat part lying west of the Alleghenies,
has been, or is being subdivided amicably."
If the Rock Island doesn't Come into the
"harmony arrangement" then "good-bye Rock
Island and everybody connected with it."
Tho public has a "foolish idea that competi
tion is necessary."
"Competition is the very worst thing that cau
happen for buyers of transportation." "Tho
spirit behind communism and socialism is about
to dominate the railroads and the business
situation."
Surely there is yet a wide field for the patri
otic student of government.
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THIS IS IMPORTANT, TOO
The Philadelphia Record says: "Major.
Mearns,' of the army medical corps, was exam
ined for promotion, and found physically dis
qualified. Therefore he was retired as of the
rank of lieutenant colonel. The president de
sired his company on his African trip, and there
was nothing in the way of an officer on the
retired list obtaining leave to go abroad. But
the president also desired to have Colonel
Mearns make the trip under the most favorable
financial circumstances possible, and the oblig
ing war department by some hocus-pocus put
the doctor back on the active list, with tho rank
of major. The pay of an active major is higher
than that of a retired lieutenant colonel, "but
- Colonel Major, or Major Colonel Mearns, M. D.
will not render any servico to the army; he
will merely provide congenial society for and
look after tho health of an ox-president of the
United States."
Now if the. secret servico can spare sufficient
time from the Tillman typewriter it might, pay
some attention to the remarkable situation de-
scribed by the Philadelphia Record.
IN OTHER WORDS
A Washington dispatch printed in the New
York Tribune, republican, says:
"The president has been advised that a
method of prosecution has been found, and al
though it is too early to reveal the govern
ment's plans, it may be said that the prosecu
tion will bo pushed with energy. The president
is deeply interested in this case, and those
charged with the prosecution realize that they
will earn his gratitude if their efforts are suc
cessful." In other words, If the lawyers hired by the
American government to do public servico are
able to And a means whereby newspapers or in
dividuals may be successfully prosecuted for
lese majeste then they may confidently count
upon smiles from the king. Doubtless there
would be oven more gratitude if these lawyers,
could discover a method whereby Representa
tive Rainey of Illinois could be called to account
for his remarks with respect to the Panama
canal.
v t&y tv tv
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM IN
NEBRASKA
In the Nebraska legislature Representativp
Miller of Custer county has introduced a joint
resolution proposing an amendment to tho state
constitution providing for the initiative and
referendum. Mr. Miller's resolution is a copy
of the Oregon constitutional provision and is as
follows:
Be it resolved by the legislature of the state
of Nebraska that Section 1 of Article 3 of the
constitution of the state of Nebraska shall be
and hereby is amended to read as follows:
Section 1. The legislative authority is vest
ed in a senate and house of representatives, but
the people reserve to themselves power to pro
pose laws and amendments to the constitution
and to enact or to reject the same at the polls,
independent of the legislature and also reserve
power at- their own option to approve or to re
ject at the polls any act of the legislature. The
first power reserved by the people is the initia
tive, and eight per cent of the legal voters may
propose any measure by such potition, and every
such petition shall include tho full text of the
measure so proposed. Initiative petitions shall
bo filed with tho secretary of stato not less than
four months before tho election at which thoy
are to bo voted upon. The second power is tho
referendum, and it may be ordorcd (except as
to laws necessary for tho immediato preserva
tion of tho public peace, health, or safety)
cither by a petition signed by five per cent of tho
lognl votoi-H of the state, or by tho legislature,
as other bills are enacted.
Referendum petitions shall be filed with tho
secretary of stato not more than ninety days
after tho final adjournment of the session of the
legislature which passed tho bill on which tho
referendum is demanded. Tho veto power of
tho governor shall not extend to measures re
ferred to tho people. All elections on measures
referred to tho people of the . tate shall bo had
at the biennial rogular general elections, ex
cept when tho legislature shall ordor a special
eloction. Any measure referred to tho people
shall take effect and become the law when it Is
approved by a majority of the voters voting
thereon, and not otherwise. Tho stylo of all
bills shall be: "Bo it enacted by the people -of
tho State of Nebraska." This section shall not
bo construed to deprive any member of tho
legislature of tho right to introduce any meas
ure. The whole number of votes cast for gov
ernor at the regular election last preceding the
filing of any petition for tho initiative or for
the referendum shall bo tho basis on which tho
number of legal voters necessary to sign such
petition shall bo counted. Petitions and orders
for tho initiative and for the referendum shall
bo filed with tho secretary of stato, and in sub
mitting the same to tho people ho, and all other
officers, shall bo guided by tho general laws and
the act submitting this amendment until legisla
tion shall bo especially provided therefor.
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COMRADES!
What self-restraint PrcBldont-olect Taft and
John D. Rockefeller Bhow'ed the other day when
they met in Georgia! Tho papers reported that'
they exchanged compliments and from the re-'
ports thoy showed no visible signs of displeas
ure, and yet how Mr. Taft must have gritted
his teeth when ho thought of tho "mean trick"
that Mr. Rockefeller played on him by coming
out openly in his support just before the elec
tion; and Mr. Rockefeller must havo glared at
Mr. Taft as his indignation rose within him at
tho memory of Mr. Taft's brutal repudiation of
his support. Or, was the ante-election contro
versy a part of tho play?
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MR. ROOT'S MISTAKE
In his speech of acceptance addressed to tho
New York legislature Senator-elect Root said:
"I am opposed to the direct election of senators
as I am opposed to tho initiative and referen
dum, because these things are based on the idea
that the people can not elect legislators whom
they can trust."
Plainly Mr. Root has tho cart before tho horse.
The purpose of tho election of senators and of
the initiative and referendum is to make it rea
sonably certain that the people can trust 'Clielr
legislators.'
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PAY THE OTHER ONE, TOO
Tho papers report that tho Standard Oil com
pany is threatening to pay its $1,000,000 fine to
Texas In silver dollars, just out of spite. Well,
the silver dollars may not be as easily handled
as silver certificates, but if the Standard will
pay its $29,000,000 fine to the federal govern
ment in silver dollars, it will be accepted and
no questions asked.
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A DELICATE QUESTION
It seems that the United States senate is dis
cussing the methods employed In appointing
United States judges. Be careful, gentlemen,
that is a delicate question! Tho favor-seeking
corporations resent any opening up of that sub
ject and assure us upon their honor that they
only consider the high moral character and pro
fessional ability of tho men whom they recom
mend. r9 t
Between decisions like that of Justice Wright
and libel suits like the one instituted against
the New York World, the Russianization of tho
republic's press seems well along.
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