Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-09-29

10 say that they must be carefully
worked out for the purpose of prevent
ing the political control Of the none
tary situation, or control by the large
banks of Wall street. Such a system
is absolutely necessary for the progress
Of business in this country. We must
have a system in which the merchants
have confidence that IL will be scien-
tificaliy run, and with view only to
the public interest.
Il have thus reviewed four sub
jects in which the action of the gov
eminent has a direct relation to bus
mess and ! have discussed them with
view to the conclusion which I
would now like to state. The evils
which the interstate commerce law
and the antitrust law were adopted
to correct are in the process of be
ing remedied. They were evils that
required hostile legislation to stamp
them out, and need constant vigi-
lance in the future to prevent their
recurrence. The difficulty is that the
indignation caused by the evils
aroused a spirit of antagonism and
bitterness which it is now difficult TO
allay and which manifests itself in
action Of a hostile character when
ever occasion arises. The same
thing may be said of the excessive
tariff. The fact that banking and
currency necessarily concerns banks
and those institutions that gather to-
gether money attracts the hostility
of men in politics, who thrive by
e+f
live chiefly upon the denunciation of
the Industrious, the thrifty and the
successful in business.
APPEAL TO PUBLIC.
Il have considered these points
with a view to an appeal to the pub
lie in behalf Of reasonable, moderate
action and treatment for the purpose
of encouraging the investment of
capital and Of promoting prosperity.
I deprecate vindictive feeling against
railway corporations, against the
competing parts Of trusts after they
have complied with DEGREES of courts
disintegrating them, against a rea-
sonable treatment of the businesses
dependent on the tariff, or against
the solution of the monetary ques-
ton, which appeals to all reasonable
and experienced men.
1--WE in this country are all in the
same boat. Speeches made in one
part of the country to arouse the
people of that region against the en-
terprises or business of another are
made by the blindast men. Let there
be prostration Of business in one
will spread quickly to all the rest.
What makes men happy? What
furnishes shoes and clothes and
good, wholesome food to the family
Of father and mother and children
but prosperous times, in which labor
IS in high demand, wages are good,
sales are plenty, prices are normal,
and everybody IS sharing in the gen
eral prosperity?
In attempting to rid ourselves of
the evils that were growing IN BUSH
ness so as TO put dangerous power
into the hands of concentrated
wealth, we had 10 do many things
that savored of hostility to capital,
at least TO the capital which was en-
gagged in those things that II was
thought necessary 10 enact statutes
10 condemn. am no defender of
those evils. On the contrary. l have
been as strongly in favor OF their
suppression by statutes made effect
i've as anyone; but 1 think we have
arrived at a time when the people
themselves ought 70 acquire sufi-
Gent perception into the operation
Of economic forces to realize that a
sectional prejudice leading to legis-
lation against the interests OF one
part Of the country VIII as certainly
rebound to the detriment OF another
as night viii follow day. We are
in the same boat. We are all tossed
by the same waves. Why, then,
should we allow the political for
tunes OF any man or set OF men to
misiead US into a hostility toward
parts OF the country which is GER
tain TO work injury 70 all?