The Calumet news., 1912-02-21

'VS'oio puslheSS conditions as they
were In the middle of the last century
before railways and telegraphs had
rendered larger business organizations
both inevitable and desirable.
"FlIntlock Legislation
The effort to restore such conditions
and to trust for justice solely to such
proposed restoration. is as foolish as
II we should attempt to arm our troops
With the fintlocks of Washington's
| Continentals instead of with modern
weapons Of precision. Flintlock leg
! islatlon, of the kind that seeks 10 pro-
hibit all combinations. good or bad,
Is bound to fall and the effort. in so
far as ii accomplishes anything at all.
merely means that some of the worst
combinations are not checked and that
honest business is checked.
What is needed Is, first, the rccog-
pition that modern business conditions
have come to stay, in so far at least as
these conditions mean that business
must be done in larger units, and then
the cool-headed and resolute deter
mination to introduce an effective
method of regulating big corporations
so as to help legitimate business as an
incident 20 thoroughly and completely
safe guarding the interests of the peo-
pie as a whole.
The middle sized business men
form an element Of strength which is OF
literally incalcuable value to the Ma
tion. The average business man of
this type is, as a rule, a leading citizen
of his community, foremost in every
thing that tells for its betterment, a
man whom his neighbors look up to
and respect.
yet nowadays many men of this
kind. when they come to make peces
sary trade agreements with one an
other. find themselves In danger OF be-
coming unwitting transgrcssors Of the
law, and are at loss 10 know what
the law fo-bids and what il permits.
This is all wrong. There should be a
fixed governmental policy. policy
which shall clearly define and punish
wrong doing, and shall give i'm advance
full information to any man as to just
what he can and just what he cannot
legally and properly do.
Regulation of Business.
1T Is absurd and wicked to treat
the deliberate lawbreakers as ON an
exact par with the man eager to obey
the law whose only desire is TO find
out from some competent governmental
authority what the law is and then live
up TO il. 1t is absurd 20 endeavor to
regulate business in the interest OF the
public by means of long drawn law
suits without any accompaniment Of
administrative control and regulation
and without any attempt 10 discriu-
mate between the honest man who has
succeeded i'm business because of rem
dering n service 10 IN public and the
dishonest man who has succeeded in
business by cheating the public.
1T is imperative to exercise over big
business control and supervision
which is unnecessary as regards smal
business. ! do not believe i'm making
mere size of and by itself criminal.
I ilt ii'it iaNi vi oAH's ilONtNtAs No'o
carry the potentiality
Of such grave wrong doing that there
should be a law provision made for
The strict supervision and regulation
Df these great industrial concerns doing
an inter state business much as we
,ies which are engaged i'm inter- State
business.
"r'he antitrust law does good in so
Tar as il can be invoked against conf
binations which really are monopolics
,r which restrict production or which
raise prices. But in so far
as its workings are uncertain. or as
L threatens corporations which have
not been guilty of anti-soclal conduct,
Il does harm. Moreover. it cannot by
Itself accomplish more than trifiins
part Of the Governmental regulation of
big business which is needed The
Nation and states must cooperate In
his matter.
Among the States that have entered
his field Wisconsin has taken leading
place. Following Senator LaFotette.
4 number of practical workers and
thinkers in Wisconsin have turned that
state into an experimental laboratory
Df wise governmental action in aid of
social and industrial justice. They
have initiated the kind of progressive
government which means not merely
the preservation of true democracy. but
he extension of the principle of true
democracy into industriaissm as well as
into politics.
Sauzre Deal is Necessary.
"Our demand is that big business
give the people a square deal and that
The people give square deal to any
man engaged in big business who hon
estly endeavors to do what is right and
on the other hand. any cor
poration. big or little, which has gained
is position by unfair methods and
by Interference with the rights OF 9TH
prs. which has raised prices or limited
output in improper fashion and Deen
guilty of demoralzing and corrupt
practices. should not only he broken
up. but 1t should be made the business
If some competent governmental body
by constant supervision to see that 1t
does not come together again, save un-