The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-07

I @s1A4
 be done under the present laws Il must
 be done. Where these laws come short
 others should be enacted to supplement
 them.
 Yet we must never forget the determin-
 ing factor in every kind of work, of head
 or hand. must be the mans own good
 sense, courage and kindliness. More im-
 portant than any legislation Is the grad
 ual growth of a feeling of responsibility
 and forbearanee among capitalists and
 wage workers alike; a feeling of respect
 on the part of each man for the rights
 of others; a feeling of broad community
 of interest, not merely of capitalists
 among themselves, and of wage workers
 among themselves, but of capitalists and
 wage workers In their relations to each
 other, and of both in their relations to
 their fellows who with them make up the
 body polite. There are many captains of
 industry, many labor leaders, who realize
 this recent speech by the president
 of one of our great railroad systems to
 the employees of that system contains
 sound common sense. It runs as follows:
 Ut Is my belief we can Letter serve
 each other, better understand the rlan as well as his business, when meeting
 face to face, exchanging views, and re-
 alizing from personal contact we serve
 but one interest. that of our mutual prosperity.
 Serious misunderstanding can not oc-
 cur where personal good will exists and
 opportunity for personal explanation is
 present.
 "In my early business life I had expe- rience with men of affairs of a charac- ter to make me desire to avoid creating
 a like feeling of resentment to myself | and the interests in my charge. should | fortune ever place me in authority, and
 am solicitous of a measure of confidence | on the part of the public and our en- | ployes that I shall hope may be war ranted by the fairness and good fellow l ship I intend shall prevail fin our rela- l tionship.
 | But do not feel am disposed 10 grant | unreasonable requests. spend .-.e money l of our company unnecessarily or with out value received, nor expect the days of mistakes are disappearing, or that cause for complaint will not continually occur; simply to correct such abuses as may be discovered, to better conditions | as fast as reasonably may be expected, constantly striving, with varying success, for that improvement we all desire, to convince you there is a force at work in the right direction, all the time fnak- ing progress-is the disposition with which I have come among you, asking your good will and encouragement.
 ''The day has gone by when a corpora ton can be handled successfully in de- flance of the public will, even though that will be unreasonable and wrong. A public may be led, but not driven, and I prefer to go with it and shape or modi- fy, in a measure It's opinion, rather than be swept from my bearings, with loss to myself and the interests in my charge.
 Violent prejudice exists towards cor porate activity and capital today, much of 1t founded In reason, more in appre- hension, and large measure is due to the personal traits of arbitrary. unrea- sonable. incompetent, and offensive men fin positions of authority. The accom- plishments of results by indirection. the endeayor to thwart the intention. if not the expressed letter of the law (the will of the people,. a disregard of the rights of others. a disposition to withhold what Is due, to force by main strength or in- activity a result not justified, depending upon the weakness of the claimant and his indispostlon to become involved in litigation. has created a sentiment harm ful in the extreme and 8 disposition to consider anything fair that gives gain to the individual at the expense of the com pany.
 "If corporations are to continue to do the worlds work as they are best fitted to. these qualities in their rep resentatives that have resulted in the present prejudice against them must be relegated to the background. The cor porations must come out into the open and see and be seen. They must take the public into their confidence and ask for what they want. and no more, and be prepared to explain satisfactorily what advantage will accrue to the public If they are given their desires; for they are permitted to exist not that they may make money solely. but that they may effectively serve those from whom they derive their power.
 Publicity and not secrecy. will win hereafter and laws be construed by their intent and not by their letter. otherwise public utilities will be owned and oper- ated by the public which created them. even though the service be less efficient and the result less satisfactory from financial standpoint"
 BUREAU OF CORPORATIONS.
 The bureau of corporations has made careful preliminary investigation of many important corporations. It will make a special report on the beef industry.
 The policy of the bureau is to accom- plish the pu-poses of it's creation by CO., operation, not antaeonism: by making constructive legislation. not destructive prosecution. the immediate object of its inquiries; by conservative investigation of law and fact. and by refusal to Issue incomplete and hence necessarily inacu- rate reports. Its policy being thus one of open inquiry into, and not attack up- on, business, the bureau has been able to gain not only the confidence, but bet ter still, the cooperation of men engaged in legitimate business.
 The bureau offers to the congress the means of getting at the cost of produc- ton of our various great staples of com merce.
 Of necessity the careful investiration of special corporations will afford the knowledge of certain busi- ness facts. the publication of which might be an improper infringement of private rights The method of making public the results of these investigations affords. under the law. a means for the protection of private rights. The con gross will have all facts except such as would give to another corporation infor- nation which would iniure the legiti- mate business of a connection and de- strov the incentive for individual supe- riority and thrift.
 The bureau has also made exhaustive examination into the legal condition un- der which corporate business is carried on in the various states: Into all judicial decisions on the subject and into the va rious systems of corporate taxation in use. call special attention to the report of the chief of the bureau: and. I earn estly ask that the congress carefully