The sun., 1908-05-15
rLET Us HAVE PEACE


US have peace was the prayer Of President
Grant In his first inaugural address
The National Prosperity Association did
we'll to appeal personally to President RooSS-
welt TO promote returning business CON-
hdenoe and TO do II Immediately by an
endeavor 10 forever after hold his peace
at least TO keep tenAble his silence till after
the November elections and while business
men are trying TO borrow money with which
10 start again their industries and refill tho
dinner pals Of labor.
Heis the one man who can give oonhdsnos
to business and can quickly stir again fatal
unrest. At any rate business men think
he 10. He made the late boarding panic by
wild talk which pleased the bad and secured
for him their votes, as was bis object, but
alarmed the good.
Business men do not now fear business
disturbances from anything that Congress
is likely to do in the few remaining days Of
the present session. but they do live In daily,
hourly dread Of message TO Congress from
the President. q speech by him or . news-
paper interview with him, or a new inves-
tigaton begun on his inspiration by the
Department Of Justice or the Interstate
Commerce Commission or the Bureau Of
Corporations.
Business men do not denounoe and have
never denounced an orderly prosecution in
the courts against probable offenders. In
perfect sympathy with business men, Mr..
Simmons said to the President
II the law oficers have knowledge Of violations
Of statutes let prosecutions proceed vigorously and
eIpedltlously before grand juriss end In courts
The association Is unslterably opposed 10 TRIAL by
newspapers. The dishonest corporation. the dis
honest railroad management, should be punished.
But the honest corporation, the honest railroad
management, should he protected.
He uttered what business men feel when
he added
The continuous threatening OF more drastic leg
IslstIon, the nagglng talk OF the demagogue-these
are the influences which are hlng the sdetrackS
with empty cars and shutting down railroad shops
on half time
II Mr. Roosevelt's term Of Office ended to-
morrow and he started Immediately for a
two year killing Of big game in Africa or
India, business unrest would probably cease
and business confidence return.
The reasons given by the association Tor
declaring TO the President 'that the time
has come TO take stock, TO call halt upon
radical, hasty and experimental legisla-
ton designed TO regulate industries, are
unanswerable and conclusive, Had there
been more time Mr. Simmons could have
gone on to explain that the railway reforms
mentioned in the Reagan-Cullom law OF
1887 reasonable rates, destruction Of favor
itism, publication Of tariffs and 20 secret
departures therefrom, the stopping Of re-
bates, preferences and other forms OF undue
discrimination-have afler twenty-one years
Of labor been accomplished.
The new legislation Of 1908, and the con-
stitutionality Of II, haG not yet been passed
upon by the Supreme Court. II has not,
for example. been adjudged that Congress
can delegate to a commission power 10
make schedule Of railway rates, although
it may condemn the unreasonable. There
are said 70 be many cases now pending in
the court that present questions involving
the power Of the commission TO inquire
into and control the capitalization, financing
and expenditures Of State corporations
doing interstate business, and testing the
authority Of the commission TO regulate
anything more than the work Of actual
transportation over boundary lines and
across States as Congress may enact
The jelly should now have time TO set
After the court shall have handed down
its opinions in all the pending interstate
cases the rights to be held and duties to be
performed respectively by the Congress.
the President and the railway commission
on the one hand and the several States on
the other may be seen to have been radI-
caly changed
"Let us have peace while the court de-
liberates! BUSINESS MAN
NPw YoRK. Nav "a