The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-01-31


faeturers' Association of New York, as
sembled at the fifteenth annual banquet
in the Union League Club, Brooklyn, just
where the government and his depart
ment of the government stood on trust
busting,
Mr.. Smith effaced himself in large
measure during the detailing Of these
matters, and dwelt particularly upon
where President Roosevelt stood. Some
of the speakers who followed him did not
agree with the attitude either Of Mr,
Smith or Mr.. Roosevelt.
A gathering of the manufacturers both
of New York and of the larger cities
throughout the State met to listen TO the
speeches Of the members and guests of
the association. President Robert j. Mae
FarIand. of the State Association. acted
as POSTMASTER. James W Van Cleave.
president Of the National Manufacturers
Association. the parent body sat with
President MacFarland at the guests ta-
bic. Others who also had places Of honor
were William NJ. CaIded. President A. ".
Kirschway, Almet Reed Latson, president
OF the Union League club; Henry B. F
Mcfarland, William NJ Carroll, William
II. McElroy. Herbert Knox Smith. Judge
Leroy D. Thoman, and George f. Waldo. I
In brief Introductory speech, Presi- I
dent MacFarlaud reviewed briefly the
progress Of the association during the 4
year past and the trade outlook. particu- /
larry in reference to the recent financial I
stringency. Then he introduced Commits |
sioner Smith as one who had come TO
tell the manufacturers the progress that 4
was being made by the government in /
disciplining the trusts.
Mr. Smith reviewed briefly the litiga- |
tion that had been Instituted within the /
last year by the Attorney Generals Office !
in pursuance with the Investigations OF 1
the Bureau Of Corporations. Then he
drew some deductions from the funda- /
mentals of the trust situation.
Best Friend 10 Success.
Roosevelt is the best friend of busi- /
ness success that the country has to- /
day" continued Mr. Smith, and cheers /
greeted his assertion. "The Presidents |
aim is to maintain machinery of busi- |
ness that is built on merit and sound
principles. and not upon fraud and favor /
lie wants men-men like you-to make I
and sell real commodities. not Htho-
graphed liabilities"
The speaker Went on to say that Presl- /
dent Roosevelt had not started out TO
play the bull in the china shop. but TO /
arouse an enlightened public opinion and
general understanding of the evils that he |
is seeking to correct.
This is not one mans work." continued |
the speaker. Nor it is the work of sew
eral men. II is the work Of d generation. |
The work is not done easily; it cannot be /
done easily. Where there is power fight |
for power is going to he waged That |
fight is on now. You witness the eyi- |
dences of it in the appeals by the cor
porations to popular passion, resorts to |
technical litigation in the courts, subsi- |
died editorials, and bought press agen-
cies.
'The corporations have raised the spe- |
cious I.ea that they should not be prose-
cuted for the crime of individuals l !
know what that means. If the govern |
ment should work on that theory, some |
$l000 clerk would feel the weight of the |
law. and the corporation would go free "
Judge lie Roy d. Thoman, of Chicago |
who was called upon to speak on Dan |
gerous Optimism. said;
IF we tell men that they must do right |
because legislative enactment says such |
and such a thing is right, those men will /
find a way 10 avoid the enactment No |
man is going to do right for any other |
reason than that he knows it is right"
The speaker pictured President Roose- |
welt telling "the man with tie checked /
shirt that perhaps al of the homemade /
things he now uses in his home are sold /
in Europe for less price than they are /
here, but that at the present time he IS /
too busy busting the trusts to bust the |
tariff"
Mr.. Van CIcave Speaks.
President James ". Van Cleave, of the /
National Manufacturers Association. was |
the next speaker. Mr.. Van CIeave said:
The main problem Of American manu- |
facturers in 1908 is TO increase our for
eign trade fast enough and far enough /
to keep our mills busy in bad as well as /
in good times, so that our workers can |
always be fully employed at fair wages.
In times of financial trouble. when home |
consumption falls off. such as we saw in /
the closing months of 1907. and such as,
though to a much smaller degree. is still |
with us, the need for new aud constantly /
broadening markets is especially urgent. |
President Van Cleave gave his heartiest |
recommendation to the bill introduced |
into the Senate by Senator Beveridge |
providing for a Ronpartisan tariff COM |
mission to consider the revision of exist |
ing tariffs. OF this he said:
We want a commission composed of /
men who have made d special study of 1
questions, who will view their /
task not as Republicans or Democrats, /
nor as Eastern Southern. or Western /
men, but as Americans, who want to ad- /
vance the interests of all elements of the /
population. and of ali parties and all To-
calities A tariff based on the report of /
such a commission would blot out par |
tisan lines in voting on the pure food, /
the meat inspection, the national quaran-
tine, and the rate regulation bills of 1906. " |
The speaker said that rather than have /
the tariff revised under any less ideal |
conditions he would have it remain as it |
cfaude ar raraeauf Ia said he