The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-01
MR.. PERKINS ON BUSINESS.

We have received from Mr.. George
w. Perkins of New York a pamphlet
copy of his address TO the Southern
Commercial Congress at Atlanta, Geor-
gia, last March. Ii is a thoughtful
address, well calculated TO stimulate
action along proper lines in the super
vision Of modern combinations in trade.
in manufactures, and in transport alton.
Mr.. Perkins is in favor Of Federal reg
ulation of interstate operations, and
urges that now is the time TO get it.
elf we unite and work for it now, - he
says, "wo may be able to secure it;
whereas, if we continue to fight against
it much longer, the incoming tide may
sweep the question along either to
government ownership or TO Socialism, -
1T is an encouraging sign of the times
when broadmnded men like Mr.. Per
kins viii stand up firmly and squarely
for Federal regulation, and the unfit
cation of control in interstate business
as distinguished from the fragmentary,
Ineffective, costly. and NeXatious inter
and Territories,
In this address Mr. Perkins summed
up the facts with respect to modern
combination in efforts of various kinds,
and showed how it is that these combi-
nations are inevitable, how easy they
are to effect, how widespread are their
operations, and how inevitable the ten
dency to combine is under our modern
attalnments in instant communication
by wire, and in swift transportation by
rail and by water. The material de
velopment5 Of the time have made com.
binations not only. easy and profit able
but certain. Combining is the natural
result of our modern conditions of com
merce and trade developments.
A number of aphorisms Mr. Perkins
utters are worthy of widespread pub.
iicaton as "The day has come when
wo need statesmenship in business. and
business in statesmauship, p" Monop-
oily. complete and unrestrained under
private ownership or management
would alike be intolerabe under pres
ent conditions of life, - "The old motto.
Honesty is the best policy, in place
of being more or less a beautiful sen
teal reality; "'The question between
capital and labor today is not so much
the amount of wage a man should be
paid as it is whether that wage is "a
fair proportion of the earnings of the
business
Mr.. Perkins is in favor of establish
ing in Washington a Business Court, TO
which our great business problems
could go for final adjustment when they
could not he settled otherwise He
ingtou the Supreme Court TO which is
referred the final settlement Of our le.
gal questions This court is composed.
of course. Of lawyers only, and it is the
dream Of every young man who enters
| the law that he may some day be called
to the Supreme Court bench. If such
call comes ii matters not how Iucra.
tive his practice. he always drops il
for the honor conferred; aud Mr.. Per,
kins asks:
| WHY not have a similar goal for our
business men? Why not have a court
| for business questions on which no man
| could sit who has not had a business
alpirgS with an honorable record? This
woud surely come 10 be regarded by
| business men In the same way That the
| Supreme Court rs regarded by LAWYERS.
| The supervision OF business by such
| body OF men who had reached such
| court in such n way would unquestionably
he fair and equitable 10 business. fair
and honorable TO the public. Further
more. 81 would not take out Of business
| that valuable asset. individual initiative.
| II would leave tho everyday manage
ment oG business untrammeled. aud al
| low men free swing to devise WAYS ana
means TO improve, enlarge. and develop
| our domestic and foreign commerce.
Here is thought that is eminently
| worthy of the consideration of Con.
gress- IT is quite true that business
questions, as business aside from the
| I