The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-12-07

AtI We must never forget the deter mining factor in every kind of work, of head or hand, must be the mans own good sense, courage, and kindliness. More important than any legislation is the gradual growth of a feeling of re- sponsibility and forbearance 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 them selves, but of capitalists and wage workers in their relations to each other, and of both in their relation to their feI- lows who with them make up the body polite. There are many captains of industry, many labor leaders, who realize this. A recent speech by the president of one our great railroad sys- tems to the employees of that system contains sound common sense. It runs in part as follows:
 Tt is my belief we can better serve each other, better understand the man as well as his business, when meeting face to face. exchanging views, and realizing from personal contact we serve but one interest, that of our mutual prosperity.
 Serious misunderstanding can not occur where personal good exists and opportunity for personal explanation is present.
 Tn my early business life I had ex- perience with men of affairs of a. character to make me desire to avoid creating like feeling of resentment to myself and the interest in my charge, should fortune ever place me in autho- rity, and I am solicitions of measure of confidence on the part of the public and our employees that I shall hope may be warranted by the fairness and good fellowship I intend shall prevail in our relationship
 But do not feel am disposed to grant unreasonable requests, spend the money of our company unnecessarily or without value received, nor expect the days of mistakes are disappearing, or that cause for complaint will not con tinually 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 making progress is the disposition with which I have come lamong you, asking your good will and encouragement.
 "The day has gone by when cor poration can be handled successfully l in defiance of the public will, even though that will be unreasonable and wrong. A public may be led, but not driven, and prefer to go with 1t and shape or modify, 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 to-day. much of 1t founded in reason, more in apprehension. and a large measure is due to the personal traits of arbitrary, unreasonable incompetent, and offen- lsive men in positions of authority. The accomplishment of results by in- direction, the endeavor to thwart the. Intention. if not the expressed letter of the law (the will of the people,) a dis regard of the rights of others, dis position to withhold what is due, to force by main strength or inactivity a result not justified, depending upon l the weakness of the claimant and his lindisposition to become involved in Litigation, has created sentiment harmful in the extreme and a dis position to consider anything fair that
 gives gain to the individual at the ex- pense Of the company.
 If corporations are to continue to do 1.-the worlds work, as they are best fitted 1 to, these qualities in their representa- tiyes that have resulted in the present
 prejudice against them must be re- Ilegated to the background. The corpor-
 ations 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 lmay 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 constructed by I their intent and not by their letter
 otherwise public utilities will be owned and operated by the public which
 created them, even though the service 4 I1a IacS affiniaY1f and ina rne,IIt Iasq
 satisfactory from financial stand
 point.
 Bureau of Corporations. l The Bureau of Corporations has
 made careful preliminary investigation of many important corporations. It
 will make a special report on the beef I industry.
 The policy of the Bureau is to &C., tcomplish the purpose of it's creation by lcooperation, not antagonism; by nak- ling constructive legislation, not de- Istructive prosecution, the immediate Iobiect of its inquiries; by conservative l investigation of law and fact, and by .Irefusa1 to issue incomplete and hence necessarily inaccurate reports. It's I policy being thus one of open inquiry Unto, and not attack upon, business, the
 Bureau has been able to gain not only l the confidence, but better still, the lcooperation of men engaged in legiti- mate business.
 The Bureau offers to the Congress
 the means of getting at the cost of pro- lduction of our various great staples of