And State Papers 545 



by the beginning of the twentieth century. At that 

 time it was accepted as a matter of course that the 

 several States were the proper authorities to regu- 

 late, so far as was then necessary, the comparatively 

 insignificant and strictly localized corporate bodies 

 of the day. The conditions are now wholly different 

 and wholly different action is called for. I believe 

 that a law can be framed which will enable the Na- 

 tional Government to exercise control along the lines 

 above indicated, profiting by the experience gained 

 through the passage and administration of the In- 

 terstate Commerce Act. If, however, the judg- 

 ment of the Congress is that it lacks the" constitu- 

 tional power to pass such an act, then a constitu- 

 tional amendment should be submitted to confer the 

 power. 



There should be created a Cabinet officer, to be 

 known as Secretary of Commerce and Industries, 

 as provided in the bill introduced at the last session 

 of the Congress. . It should be his province to deal 

 with commerce in its broadest sense; including 

 among many other things whatever concerns labor 

 and all matters affecting the great business corpora- 

 tions and our merchant marine. 



The course proposed is one phase of what should 

 be a comprehensive and far-reaching scheme of con- 

 structive statesmanship for the purpose of broaden- 

 ing our markets, securing our business interests on 

 a safe basis, and making firm our new position in 

 the international industrial world, while scrupulously 

 safeguarding the rights of wage-worker and cap- 

 7 VOL. XIV 



