The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-12
ST. LOUIS CROWD
SEES ROOSEVELT
President Asked to Cease Pur-
suit of Certain Class of
RaSCaIS.
MOVE IN GAME OF POLITICS
PROSPERITY" ASSOCIATION Ex-
PEcTS TO TAKE A HAND.

Washington, May IA committee
from the National Prosperity Assoeia-
ton Of ST Louis called on President
Roosevelt today to urge his aid in fur
thering their plans for encouraging the
return of prosperity throughout the
country. The committee found the
president cordial in his treatment and
frank in his expressions of willingness
TO aid them in every way possible. A
speech was made by r. G. SimmOnds,
chairman OF the executive committee
OF the association, which was respond
ed to by the president. Mr.. SimmOIds,
upon behalf of the association urged
that a halt he called upon radical,
hasty and experimental legislation, de-
signed to regulate industry"
The Purpose in View.
Explaining The purposes Of the asso-
citation. Mr. SimmOnds said:
The association has been designed
in the first place 10 promote confidence
among our business men, and in the
second through cooperation with you,
10 improve the confidence of all our
own people and the world at large The
association will facilitate interchange
of opinion among the one hundred
thousand nOn-partisan Business Organi-
cations. Business has suffered TOO
much already from demagogic agita-
ton; therefore the association will seek
relief from continued agitation by pro-
fessional agitators. 1t will deprecaJe
the unworthy spirit which arrays class
against class 1t will seek that unity
of brotherhood which you have pro-
claimed
Some Politics in II.
Mr.. Simmonds continued:
A national political campaign is
opening Platforms are TO be adopted.
The National Prosperity association
VIII ask for fair-minded consideration
of business conditions of both parties.
But the association does not believe
prosperity depends upon politics; it is
convinced that business may revive;
that the unemployed may find work;
that the normal volume of trade may
be reached without waiting for the No
vember elections. To that end the as
ISOLATION will address itself"
Presidents Response.
The president responded as follows:
Il am in hearty sympathy with the
avowed object of the National Pros
perity association. 1t is excellent. We
have gone far in uprOOtng abuses
which threaten our national life. Ia
ken as a whole. the standard of hon
esty in our business life has been high
and today the standard is. / believe.
beyond what it has ever been, and
this largely because we have made 1a-
ternined war upon the abuses that
lowered II. AS you have said, the de-
preston and stagnatiOn from which
our country is now happily beginning
20 recover, were not caused by reform
legislation, but by the revelation of
shocking conditions in certain of our
corporations, by reckless operations in !
high finance. by calamity and by GER
tain striking. though, ! believe. excep- |
tional instances Of business and civic |
dishonesty. OF course, all good men !
must agree with you i'm your con-
demnation of unwise agitation.
other Fellows Are Demagogues.
The apathetic acceptance of abuses /
in our governmental and business adj /
ministration is no more dangerous
than the demagogic appeals of profess !
sional agitators to class hatreds. Our
national conscience, | firmly believe, /
has been awakened. We will not and !
cannot go back to the conditions which |
tolerated wrong-dOing. Neither can we /
afford to be led astray by those who |
would embark us in a visionary and /
twisted crusade against corporations /
We should address ourselves TO the !
faithful and honest observance of laws /
of civic righteousness. The welfare CT |
all of us can best be obtained by SIriv- /
ing for a policy which will promote the /
welfare of each of us. We must all &C. /
operate in order that benefit may b. !
derived by the entire nation. Good I
laws make for good government, but I
laws are of no value unless vitaiiIed By /
the people who made them. I
Foundations Laid.
"Our recent legislation has been good /
and II is TO the interest of the entire (
country, especially Of the business in I
terests. that il shall be enforced. Sucn 1
further regulatory legislation as is re 4
quired is merely building up on the /
broad foundation that has been laid II /
'Conceals no menace 10 business any I
more than that legislation which has 4