The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-11-03

III
is visible to the eye. 1t has been a
! tremendous factor in our life, a tire
mendous factor for good, though there
have been glaring abuses which prom
erly have been condemned.
1t has been claimed that these
abuses were the direct consequence o,
the gianthood some of these enter
prises have attained Nothing could
be more fallacious. Size is nothing to
the American. with his native eager,
ness to increase his responsibilities
and his ability TO handle them.
Attempt to sweep the country. back
into the old era of competition. the
direct consequence of the vigorous en-
] forcement of the Sherman law, and
there will return the evils of deceit
and fraud in business, violent fiuctua.
! ton in prices, the deliberate driving
to the wall of weak concerns. and the
eventual creation of. monopolies by
survivors
Competition is directly responsible
for the sweat shop, for child labor,
! for UNEMPLOYMENT, for low wages.
and for panic and failure. 1t ex-
emplifies the principle that might is
| right. 1t has no mercy 1t is an in
exorable machine which brushes those
not strong enough to dominate it.
Now let us see the effects of CO.
operation. In modern life competition
! is artificial, cooperation is natural.
Competition produces millionaires and
paupers, cooperation greater equality
in the distribution of wealth
Competition precipitates business
| chaos, cooperation promotes business
stability. Cooperation has decreased
the cost of articles and increased the
wages ard assured the more steady
employment of labor It has reduced
failures and increased trade, domes-
tic and foreign 1t has lessened waste
by utilizing by-products small indie
pendent manufacturers could not
handle.
Under suck circumstances congress
should recognize the new force that is
directing our material life and in a
large. sagacious way provide for its
control.
There is no doubt as to the feasibil-
ity OF federal regulation. For half a
century the government has regulated
the national banks. The railroads are
now under the supervision of the in
terstate commerce commission, which
has the power even to fix rates.
Surely if the banks and the rail-
roads can be successfully regulated,
the same may be done with corpora
tons
There are comparatively few Ameri-
cans favorable to government owner
ship and fewer to socialism Yet the
tide, unless arrested, will sweep us
on those shoals.
Business men have feared the regu-
1 lation would mean the supervision of
| the affairs of their concerns by mex
/ perienced mel. 1t is a fear which just
| ly may be considered. / have pro-
posed to eliminate it by the expedi-
ent of creating business court. COM
posed wholly of business men of ex-
perience and integrity
! To such court should go for final
adjustment any question that other
B wise could not be satisfactorily set
tied.
The court should have a standing in
! the eyes of business men comparable
j to that of the supreme court in tine
eyes of lawyers. It's dignity should be
( SO unquestioned that service upon it
would De the Growing achievement
OF business mans life
Mr.. Perkins does not overestimate
/ the danger that is threatened by the
continual agitation leyeled against the
employer of labor. He sees, as any
one must see who will give fair con-
( sideration to the subject, that the at
as well as the employer. Mr.. Perkins
is not defending the law breaking cor
poration, or the law breaking individ-
ual. He points out that the corpora
ton is the natural outgrowth of the
I transformation made by the advance
Of science and invention
The business problem, as Mr.. Per-
kins points out, is one that commands
the best thought of the nation 1t is
not problem tina should be left al
together to those not Interested to ex-
4 ploit.
The opinions and ideas of those hav-
ing capital invested, should be given
freely and publicly.
4, AS President Taft in his speech at
Waterloo pointed out. we are still in
Z the same boat, all equally affected by
prosperity or adversely
}. MAKING HEADWAY AGAINST DIS
EASE.