Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-05-24
Man Can Hardly Expect to
BE Elected to Office
Without 1t
BUSINESS AND LEGISLATION
Address by Governor Woodrow
Wilson to Publicity Club
at Minneapolis.

4
TO-DAY. Governor Wilson devoted most
OF his address 10 a discussion "a the 1
connections between business and leg
islation. speaking particularly abois
the business interference with legisla-
ton which has created some of the
worst influences in our recent politics.
lie said in part:
The modern world is, of course.
business world. A great man. OF the
older and more fundamental questions
of our politics we regard as long ago
settled. The business of politics is
nowadays business of adjustment, ~
meeting new conditions as they arise
and making law suitable to our chang
ing life The most remarkabla and
influential changes that have taken
place in recent years in America have
been economic rather than political.
Business has bulked larger and larger
and has consequently been more and
more interlaced not only with nation
al policy but with legislative change
the country.
1t is perfectly legitimate OF course,
that the business interests OF the
country should enjoy the protection OF
the law not only, but that they should
b in every way furthered and
strengthened and facilitated by legis-
ldtion The country has no jealousy
hnf
and politics which is a legitimate con-
nection. 1t is not in the least averse
to open efforts to accommodate law
to the material development which
has SO strengthened the country In
all that it has undertaken by supply
ing it's extraordinary life with its
physical foundation.
But the illegitimate connection be-
tween business and legislation are an
other matter Every community is
vaguely aware that the political ma
chine upon which it looks askance has
certain very definite connections with
men who are engaged in business on
a large scale. and the suspicion which
attaches to the machine itself has be-
gun to attach also to business enter
prises just because these connections
are known to exist. If these connec-
tions We're open and avowed, if every
body knew just what they involved
and just what use was being made of
the alliance, there would be no diff.
Guilty in keeping an eye upon affairs
and in controlling them by public
opinion. But unfortunately the whole
process of law-making in America is
a very obscure one There is no high.
way of legislation, but there are MANY
by-ways. Parties are not organized
in such a way in our legislatures as
to make any one group of men avow.
edly responsible fot the course OF
legislation. The bills introduced into
our legislatures are introduced upon
private initiative, either the initiative
of individuals outside the legislature
who desire certain changes in the law
for their own convenience or benefit,
or the initiative of individual men,
bers of the legislatures themselves.
The whole process of discussion, il
any discussion at all takes place, is
private and shut away from public
scrutiny and knowledge. There are
so many circles within circles, there
are so many indirect and private ways
of getting at legislative action that
our communities are constantly un-
easy during legislative sessions.
1t is this confusion and obscurity
and privacy of our legislative method
that gives the political machine it's
opportunity. Apparently nothing but
the political machine can bring order
out OF the chaos. There is no central
force in any legislature which can
/ itself guide the course of lawmaking.
There is no publicity responsible man
or group of men who are known to
formulate legislation and to take
charge of it from the time of its intro
/ duction until the time OF its enact
nent 1t has, therefore. been possible
for an outside force--fhe political ma
chine, the body Of men who nominated
/ the legislators and who conducted the
/ contest for their election, to assume
. the role OF control. Business men
who desired something done by way
of changing the law under which they
We're acting or who wished to prevent
i legislation which seemed to them to
threaten their own interests. have
known that there was this definite
| body of persons to resort to, and they
have made terms with them. They
/ have agreed to supply them with
money for campaign expenses and to
stand by them in all other cases where
money was necessary if in return they
might resort to them for projections or
for resistance in matters Of legisla.
ton There have been times when It
was matter of no surprise to us to
learn that legislatures looked to GER
tain man who was not even member
of their body for the instructions as
to what they were to do with partic-
ular laws, and we have become Gym
ically accustomed to the presumption
that the instructions they received