The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-11-30
ENTRANCE Of HARMON
, PR0v0KES DEMONSTRATION
People Tired Of Hide and Seek
legislation Says Wood
row Wilson

annual conference OF governors, t1t
nrst 10 be held outside of Washing
ton. began a five days session here
tuesday with "a uf the executives
and several first ladies of the states
present.
For several days Governor Wilson
OF Kentucky has made 1t plain that
he would do all in his power to elm.
mate politics from the conference,
and In the preliminary arrangements
mas done So However, at the first
session held in the hall Of representa-.
t'ves or the new state capitol build
ing, there were two outbursts of po-
litical enthusiasm.
One was when Governor Judson
Harmon of Ohio, entered the hall. He
was greeted by slight hand clapping
w1ich was accorded no other gov
ernor. The moment rle meeting adj
1ourned man in the gallery called
for cheers for Mr.. Harmon. With a
frown Governor Wilson raised his
hand and stopped whatever progress
the suggestion might have made. Gov
ernor Wilson had already laid stress
on this feature when in his opening
remarks he said the governors were
called together for conference only,
and that 1t was not house of gov
fernors.' as previous meetings had
been termed.
Governor Wilson then read a let
ter from President Taft, regreting
his absence.
Governor Aram J. Pothier of Rhode
Island responded to the welcoming
addresses Of Governor Wilson and
Mayor Polsgrove of Frankfort, after
which the visiting party and several
leading Kentuckians were entertain
ed at luncheon in private home. At
the later session, Governo)'elect
Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey. de-
llvered an address on The Possibili-
ties OF the Governors Conference"
He said in part:
People Want open Leadership
Il am sure that am not mistaken
when say that the people are call
ing for open leadership, and that they
wish their leaders to be men who rep
resent them all. They are tired OF
the hide and seek of legislation as II
has generally been conducted We
shall not bring clear action out of
confusion until we supply the need
until we assist at the simplihcation
which will inevitably come, when
some one man undertakes in each
state to keep the people informed as
to every chief step of their business
particularly the business Of leglsla
tion, and to challenge all who are en-
gagged In it to submit to the frank
and clarifying process OF debate.
II have already stated our prob
lem in general terms. II is how te
make our states efficient instruments
wisely used in the regulation Of eco
romic conditions. 1t Is the prob
lem OF railway regulation and of the
regulation of the many other vast
corporations. This is in no sense q
private matter Our corporations
are not dealing with individuals sc
much as with communities. II those
who conduct them would look at theil
business from that point Of view ant
condr themselves i'm tlh temper
and I, rit of public servants, there
would, ,e no need of regulation.
so long as they do not, so long al
they transact their business in th'
spirit of those who manage private
public service, regulation will b,
necessary.
Uniform Regulation Needed
Here, then, in more particula
terms, are the large items OF ou
tasks. as we must view them in coun
sci together: for that We seek com
mon principles. common ideas am
aims. at the same time that we rec
ognize that these common principles
must be put into effect in our seyera
states in somewhat different ways il
order to serve local needs and condi
tions. we need cooperation. but ca
wear no straightjacket. The task Q
right regulation. for example, in th
case of common carriers In particular
whose business SPANS score Q
states. is a task in which we must ee
opcrate with one another and wit
the federal authorities
This morning a special train ca
ries the governors to Louisville
where sessions will be held until Sa
nrday.
The governors present are Weeks
Connecticut: Mann, virginia; Pothie
Rhode Island; Kitchin, North Carr
,,ra Fort New Jersey: Noel. Mi
sissippi: yessey. South Dakota; S1a
roth. Colorado: Deneen, Illinois; Ma
shall. Indiana: Hadley, Missouri; No
ris. Montana; Harmon, Ohio; Spr'
I|tah. sloan, Arizona: Brown, Geo
eia. Draper. Massachusetts,; Anse
south Carolina and Wilson Ke