Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1912-02-24

get business put on q basis OK perlna
xSant prosperity when the element Of IN
Justice Is taken out of it. This is {,
reason why have for so many yeprs
assisted as regards our national gov
~erument that 1t is both futile and mis-
es2ievous to endeavor 10 correct the
evils of big business by an attempt 20
~nstore business conditions as they
awcre IN the middle Of the last century.
'&efore railways and telegraphs had rem.
sGcred larger business organizations both
sE1evitable and desirable.
The effort TO restore such conditions
and to trust for justice solely 10 such
yroposed restoration Is as foolish as If
we should attempt to arm our troors
~ith the fiintlocks of Washlngton's
Continentals instead Of with modern
'vaeapons OF precision. Flintlock legis
ga1fion of the kind that seeks to pro
h1bit all combinations. good or bad is
bound to fail. and the effort, in 50 far
as It accomplishes anything at an
tcnerely means that some of the worst
.ombinations are not checked and that
Aonest business is checked. What Il
sDeeded Is. FIRST, the recognition that
modern business conditions have come
sgz9 stay, IN SD far at least as these CON
.Ssjtions meat that business must K.
done I'm larger units, aud then the COZ
headed and resolute determination to
Introduce effective method of reg
e7lating big corporations so as TO help
legitimate business as an incident to
thoroughly ind completely safeguard
fig the interest of the people as Il
whole. We are business people The
filters of the soil. the wageworkers
esne business men--these are the three
big and vitality important divisions of
a3ur population. The welfare Of each
division is vitality necessary to the vel
fare of the people as q whole. The
zcreat mass Of business is, Of course.
u1one by men whose business Is either
ANAL or Of moderate size
Should Be Fixed Policy.
The average business man of this
type Is, as rule. leading citizen OF
Sais community. foremost in everything
chat tells for its betterment, man
whom his neishbors look up to and re-
sspect He is In no sense dangerous to
his community just because he is an in
tegral part OF his community. bone of its
bone and flesh of its flesh His life fibers
are intertwined with the life fibers of
; Js7is fellow citizens. Yet nowadays many
men OF this kind when they come TO
snake necessary trade agreements with
A1ne another find themselves in danger
q Of becoming unwilling transgressors
Of the law and are at a loss to know
zxhat the law forbids and what II per
exits. This Is all wrong. There should
&soe a fxed governmental policy, policy
(which shall clearly define and punish
-wrUngdoing and shall give in advance
Sull information to any man as to just
erhat he can and just what he cannot
legally and properly do. vi Is absurd
and wicked to treat the deliberate law
breaker as on an exact par with tito
e. man eager to obey the law, whose only
desire is to find out from some compe-
r cent governmental authority what the
law is and then live up to it. 1t is all
surd to endeavor to regulate business
n the interest of the public by means
Of long drawn lawsuits without any
accompaniment of administrative con
= &roi and regulation and without any
attempt to discriminate between the
II honest man who has succeeded in bust
Eaess because of rendering service to
the public and the dishonest man who
3 has succeeded in business by cheating
che public.
So much for the small business man
and the middle sized business man.
Now for big business. 1t is imperative
10 exercise over big business a control
aysl3 supervision which are unnecessary
sss regards small business. All bust.
z,c-sS must be conducted under the law,
5ai.t all business men. big or little, must
- & Justly. But wicked big interest
u necessarily more dangerous to the
<ssiannunity than wicked little inter.
2Si big business" in the past has
fleen responsible for much of the spc.
al privilege which must be unspar.
aagly cut out of our national life.
-e'o not believe in making mere size g
and lly itself criminal. The mere IA
esoT size. how ever. does unquestionab''
q AIRY the ro,eneiGhty Of such grave
sErongdc.rg that there should be .
Cav proji a. made for the strict sUuC
zlsi,n Md regulation CT these great Z.
rSs<is. con, ems doing an interstd,
2.rOCSGcss, e. Ich as we now regulate the
transportation agencies which are en-
gagged in Interstate business. The anti.
rust law does good in so far as 1t can
he invoked against combinations which
really are monopolies or which restrict
production N which artihcially raise
prices. But in SO far as its workings
are uncertain or rs it threatens corpor-
atiOns which have not been guilty OF
sDtisocial conduct it does harm. More
over, ii cannot by itself accomplish
more than n tri1lng part of the gov
~ernmental regulation of big bushes:
which is needed. The nation and the
atates must cooperate in this matter