The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-02-22
Dat 716aS Tor, if 4: bsfffarnsas. a man man

that SteHs for its beftarment. a man
:, whom his. neighbors look up to and re.
snect, He is In no sense dangerous to
his community ssnsts becausei he is an in-
tegsnh part Of his community, bone of its
bone and flesh OF it's flesh His life fbers
are intFrtwiped with tue life fibers of
his fellow citizens. Yet nowadays many
men or this Kind wien they como to
make necessary trade agreements with
one another find themselves in danger
OF becoming unwilling transgressors
or the law and are at u, loss to know
what the law forbids and what it per
mtts. This is all wrong. There should
be a fixed governmental policy, policy
which shall clearly define and punish
wrongdoing and shall give in advance
full Information to any man as to just
what he can and just what he cannot
legally and properly do. 1t is absurd
and wicked to treat the deliberate law
breaker as on an exact par with the
man eager to obey the, law, whose only
desire is to find out from some compe-
tent governmental authority what the
| u
surd to endaayor to regulate business
! in the interest Of the public by means
OF long drawn lawsuits without any
| accompaniment of administrative con-
, troll and regulation and without any
attempt to- discriminate between the
honest man who has succeeded in busi-
ness because Of rendering n service to
the public and the dishonest man who
has succeeded in business by cheating
the public.
SO much for the small business man
and the middle sized business man.
\ Now for big business. 1t Is imperative
| to exercise over big business control
/ and supervision which are unnecessary
/ rs regards small business. All bust.
ness must be conducted Under the law,
and al business men, big orllttle, must
act justly But a wicked big interest
is necessarily more dangerous to the
community than wicked little inter
est. big business" in the past has
been responsible for much Of the spe-
clal. privilege which must be unspar.
tngly cut out of our national life.
do not believe in making mere size Of
|
Of size, however, does unQuestionably
carry the potentially of, such grave
Wrongdoing that there should be by
| law provision made for the strict super.
vision and regulation OF these great IN:
duStrial concerns doing an Interstate
business. much as we now regulate tho
transportation agencies which are en-
| gagged in, interstate business. The anti
trust law does good in so far rs It can
be knocked against combinations which
really are monopolies Or which restrict
production or which artificially raise
prices. But In SO far as its workings
are uncertain or as it threatens corDor.
ntions which have not been guilty OF
antisocial conduct it does harm. More.
over, it cannot by itself accomplish
moro than trifiing part Of the gov
| ernmental regulation Of big business
| which is needed. The nation and tho
states must cooperate in this matter
! Among the states that have entered
this fel0 Wisconsin has taken i lead
! inS place. Following Senator La Fol
lette, Il number Of practical workers
and thinkers in Wisconsin have turnc }
| that state into an experimental lahct'.
| tory Of wise governmental action il AID
! of social and industrial justice. They
| have initiated the kind of progressive
government which means not mercy
the preservation of true democracy. but
| the extension of the princip}e-o Of true
| democracy into industrialism rs well
as into politics. One prime reason why
! the state has been so successful, in this
policy lies in the fact that it has done
! justice to corporations precisely as il
| has eXacted justice from them.
This is precisely the attitude we
should take toward big business. Il
is the practical application OF the prin-
! ciple of the square deal. Not only as
a matter of justice. but in our own
interest, we should scrupulously re-
| spect the rights OF honest and decent
business and should encourage 1t
where it's activities make, as they often
do make, for the common good. In
other words, our demand IS that big
| business give the people n square deal
and that the people give 4 square deal
to any man engaged in big business
who honestly cndeavors TO do what is
right and proper,
On the other hand, any corporation,
big or little, which has gained IT'S po-
sition by unfair methods and by inter
| ference with the rights Of others.
which has raised ptfc6S or limited out
put In improper fashion and has been
guilty OF demoraliZing and corrupt
| practices, should not only be broken
| I'D. but it. should be madp tho bl11:iross
Of some competent governmental body
by constant supervision to sec that it
does not come together again, save un.
der such styict control rs to insure the
community against all danger Of rep,
et}tion Of the bad conduct.
Control Should Be Administrative.
| All business into which the element