The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-09-20

sey did not vote programs OF REFORM
before 1910. They had been voting
them for half generation: but they
did not get them. Every platform was
put out with huge wink. Every plat
form was pust a concession, a blum on
the part OF the men who put them forth
serviceable for the election. but not
TO serve as guide after the election
And l can name In series the particular
corporations In the state OF New Jer-
out that program. III were In New
Jersey I would name them, but am
not going to be impolite enough to
name them outside OF New Jersey.
have named them In New Jersey, and
therefore. IL Is not necessary that
should name them again. Besides.
some OF them have retired from that
business
Very well. then. how are you going
to get a free government? That Is the
point. You are not intelligent IL you
are interested In a party program that
does not begin by Dome suggestion that
will show you that you can get gov
gram. Isn't that plain proposition
What Ii the use OF having ambitious
programs OF social uplift IL there Ism"
anything to lift up with.
Genuine Conservation Needed.
II you cannot get a new partnership
you cannot improve the business. TX
| you cannot get a new atmosphere for
government. you cannot change the &C
4 IL.
frst step is to disentangle II from the
thinNs with which IL has been entan-
gied. What we want IL free enterprise
| for one thing. We haven't got II. Wha'
we want is free smarkets for our labor.
and we have not got them. What we
| want Is free competing water rates,
| for example. that will enable us TO
! handle the ehavier kinds OF our goods.
/ the transportation, without depending
too much upon railway rates We have
not got them and cannot get them as
| things stand now. What we want -
genuine conservation of our natural re-
sources, and we cannot get II as things
| stand now.
Have you noticed that the trouble
about conservation is that the govern
ment OF the United States hasn't any
ling time. IL Is simply standing still.
No Freedom of Enterprtse.
| We know perfectly well that there
| cannot be a workable program until
there IL a free government; and what |
want TO point out TO you, ladies and
gentlemen. In this The center OF all
our economic difficulties ~ that there
is no freedom OF enterprise In the
United States II Will be a long Jour,
| l mean But, i mean. for instance, this:
II you make an invention In particu-
| lar field and require. let Us say. mil
Ito manufacture that thing and get II
on the market and advertise IL and
| try to get the money. you will apply
\ for IL in vain. unless you Will go In
the industries which that Invention
Twill AFFECT.
This is not hypothetical question;
III can city you Instances; III IL Is
large sum OF money that you need;
whistle for H. Make up your mind
lno what the inventive genius and int
tiative Of the American people 10 being
held back by the fact that our INDUS
| trial field IL so controlled that new en-
terprises, new corners. new adventtr-
| ers. independent men are excluded. and
| IL they will not go partners In the
game with those already In controi OF
Il. they will be excluded What does
that mean? What does that mean with
regard TO your sons7 What does that
mean with regard TO the next genera
tion? You have got TO go into this COM
plicated nexus OF the monopolistic con-
| troll in order to make your way along
the routes OF big business In the United
States. ! see men here and there In
this audience nodding their heads when
| I say that. I know they have been up
against IT. and unless we can break
that up there Is going to be stagna-
| ton. For I wan you to remember how
this control was built up.
How system Was Built Up.
| II was built up by competition BY
! free competition: by absolutely unre-
stricted competition. SO that when q
man got big and had a market larger
than the local market. and money
I dependent OF local credit he could
/ squeeze the little man who had only
the local market out OF business by un-
derseiling him q, nnproniaoie rates is:
in other parts OF the country. and so
making II impossible for him to do
| business or IL he found him too little
&c squeeze. he seldom found nm TO big
/ hA ma TAad
two or three times the price OF his
| busisness TO get rtl Of his competition,
| and after he had paid HIM two or three
times the price OF his business. he had
10 pay interest either upon his bonds.
or dividends upon his stock In order TO
| carry on the business which he had
! thus overcapitalized In order 10 control
! IT, and every time you add 10 the In
/ terest account you add to the neces-
sity OF getting high prices from the
| consumer I think that n plain TO
every man who knows anything about
business. IN this audience.
i These are the processes which. be-
cause we did not safeguard the little
FELLOW the big fellow has brought Into
/ existence. The Tigmy hasn't any chance
lin America, only the giant has and
the laws give the giant free life 10
| trample down the pigmy. what I am
interestd In lie laws that VIII give inc
little man a start. that will give him
a chance 10 show these fellows that
he mas Drains enough 10 COmpett VIII
them and can presently make his local
market a national market and his ma.
tional market a world market and put
them to their mettle TO do the business
! more tBtelllgently- nd-economically
and automatically than he can. But
those are not the conditions existing
now.
Attacks Roosevelt Plan.
That brings me TO my point: Any
party that can give YOU free gov
eminent and will give IL to you car
give YOU ali the rest How does the
new third party propose to give yop
free gbvernment? So far as l can dis
cover, IL does not propose TO do IL Al
all for IL proposes not TO protect the
little fellow, hut TO adopt the big fell
low. I underEand that the leader Of
1.-The third party has recently said thai
Inc did not sugEestthis Just the othei
day. that he had suggested IL while NJ
WAS president In one OF his measagei
10 congress during that same Germ o.
the PRESIDENCY In which trusts grw fast
or and more numrously than In AM
other administration we have had. am
that his conclusion was-he does no
say this, but this must be the inferehc'
That his conclusion was that tn
trusts had come TO stay. and that y
was not possible TO put them out o
business: a. was not possible to checl
their supremacy. that all you could a
was TO accept them as necessar evil
land appoint an Industrial commisa OF
which wouid-tell you how othet mel
should be admitted into the held o
Ieompetition. but an industrial commits
sion, which should take care OF tn
tpeopIe of the United States- by iAylni
Lilo these trusts. Now. 20 easy" We be
lftpve -yeN-aFe- fminded OF You
/ maFtal- dutiee you are not Hnalet ole M