The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1908-02-06
MARTIN ! EAT
MITCHELL
former ;Cssgressnan Deilngs lposs-
vslikn- Cemmsn Hsnesiy d
Oar FoFeiaihefs
POLICIES MUST CONTINUE
Roosevelt Is Conducting q Klndefgar-
Ten In Business norals---EIo-
susni Address
Mr. Chairman ana Gentlemen:--

Mf Chairman ana Gentlemen.-
This meeting has already more than
justified the great expectations of 80
promoters and friends. am sure that
we are to-day making history in the
onward march of true republicanism in
South Dakota. (applause) The idea in
calling this meeting was to bring to-
gether in friendly consultation, repre-
sentative republicans from all parts OF
the state to confer. upon matters of
rtate wide and national Importance,
and especially to make certain in. so
. far as South Dakota can exert an in
fiuence, and that directly, that the sig.
nifcant policies of the Roosevelt ad'
ministration shall continue to be the
policies of this, nation for the immedi-
ate years to come.
What are those policiesf Simply this,
That the principles of common honesty
which your father and mother installed
into your mind when a child shall be
declared and enforced as the law of the
world,--snd that the ethics of the gol.
den rule shali@be recognized as furnish.
ing the proper standard for commercial
transaction between men who are after
all simply brethren in one great com
mon family CT mankind. (Applausel
The odd simple virtues of our fore
fathers are best. (Applause) They en-
tered into the very warp and fibre OF
the constitution. They furnished the
solid material for the foundation of our
institution we are building the super.
structure of the nation, social poiiti'
cal and industrial. Ii
This is the age of industry through
out the world. In the race for com
msreial supremacy. our country has now
fairly distanced Sll competitors. Our
accumulated wealth is greater than
that of any other nation. Our prodne-
tion 'of bread stuff. meats and manu-
faetures is much larger than is re.
quired at home. Our exports are much
greater than our imports. giving us a
large balance Of trade in our favor
annually, making lit easy TO maintain
our gold reserve. This under the law
must not fall Below $150,000, 100000. II
is in fact now $750,O00,000.00. Gap.
plause) 1t is true we are tasting the
effects of stock spectators panic.
lLaughter) The financial ccpters of New
York and chicago Rave become % ae.
eustomed to using large deposits of
western banks that they scarcely know
how to do business without them. The
west is now keeping much Of its money
at home, and the financial centers are
crying out to the government for. help.
But thsse conditions are temporary.
The surplus wealth of the country is
80 great that thesspanics Of the future
will be local In character md Of short
duration.
But the very grcStness Of opr pros.
perity has brought upon us new and
SERIOUS .problems that wiAl require the
best and most niselfish statssmanship Of
the nation to properly solve. How ia
preserve the corporation a.. q necee.
sary factor in our business activies
without destroying the opportunity of
the individual citizen, how to compel
the big. corporations to run under the
law instead Of in violation of it; the
proper use and distribution of wealth;
how to curb the greed Of the strong
and multiply the advantages Of the
weak and how In this-age Of univer.
sal ..commercialism to preserve and
augment the dignity and nobility of
American citizenship.
The Roosevelt administration has been
conducting a kindergarten in business
morals. (Applause9 Some men and some
interests had to be. taught that grand
larceny is no more respectable that
petty larceny. The stock game Of Wall
Street is as disrepptable as the faro
game Of the Bowery.
! Hereafter the game Of business must
not be played with loaded dice. (App.)
The doctrine Of the 'ssquare deal l' ID
to. be applied to the business of the
Nation. A "square deal' is fair
deal for everybody. Hereafter the man
with his ear Of wheat or cattle or gold
ore is to receive the same treatment
as the corporation with Its train load
(Applausel
The evolution Of the big corporation
has been both natural and inevitable
Our great transportation lines, embrac,
ing 100000 miles of railway from
ocean to ocean could have been con.
strueted and operated in no other way
unless the Government had been the
common carrier. Our gigantic strides in
manufacturing and our sharp and sue
!eessful competition with other coun
tries in reaching out after the commerce
of the world could never have beer
achieved if we had been compelled to le
pend upon individual capital and enter
prise alone. The mistake has been
mades not in so freely chartering these
companies, but in turning them loose
among our business activities. wholly
without oticial regulation or control
and without accountability anywhere
for what they might do or not do.
The. great majority have doubtless
been managed decently and honestly
but there are some notorious excep
fions.: When a. great corporation is
mapaged dishonesty, il affords an op-
portunity 10 a few men to aniass enor
mons fortunes at the expense Of stock
holders and the public. The big corpor
ations must therefore be regulated 5oti
on account of the good that il must do
and to avoid the evil Of which it il
capable when misdirected. -
A good beginning has been made in
this direction. Until recently the chic,
evil in our transportation system wa
the practice Of rebates and special priv