The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-02-22


the people 70 enact the law should not
be subject to debate To hold the
contrary view is to be false to the
cause of the people, to the cause VI
American democracy.
AIM of Good Government.
The ends OF good govern
ment in our democracy are 20 secure
by genuine popular rule a high aver
age Of moral and material welk5eina
among our citizens It has Deen well
said that In the past We have pad
attention only TO the accumulation of
prosperity, and that from henceforth
we must pay equal attention to the
proper distribution Of prosperity. This
to true. The only prosperity worth
having Ia that whick Affects the mass
Of the people. / hold 1t to be our
duty to see that tie wage-worker. the
small producer, the ordinary consum-
er, shall get their fair share Of the
benefit OF business prosperity. But It
either IL or ought TO be- evident to
every one that business has to pros
Per before anybody can get any bens-
DIT from It. Therefore hold that he
to the real progressive, that he n the
genuine champion OF the people. who
endeavors to shape the policy alike OF
the nation and Of the several states
20 as to encourage legitimate ard
honest business at the same time that
he wars against all crookedness and
injustice and unfairness and tyranny
IN the business world Cor OF course
We can Only get business put on q
basis Of permanent prosperity When
the element OF injustice IL taken out
Of IT'D This L. the reason why / have
for 30 many pears insisted, a. regards
our national government. that It Is
bOtl futile and mischievous 10 en-
dgavor 10 correct the evils OF big bus
mess by an attempt TO restore busi-
ness conditions as they were In the
middle of the last century, before radk
ways and tsaegraphs had rendered
larger business organizations bosh In
evftable and desirable.
What is needed is. first, the recog-
milton that modern business conditions
have come to stay. In SO FAR at least
as these Conditions mean that business
must BIO done In larger units, and then
tie cookheadsd and resCaute deter
minatton 70 introduce an effective
method Of regulating big corporations
so 40 to help legitimate business as an
incident to thoroughly and completely
safeguarding the interests Of the peo-
pie az q whole. We are business
people. The ttllsrs OF the soil, tne
wageswoEaaers, the business flnsn.-
these are the three big and vitality I'M
portant divisions OF cur popElataon.
Tho welfare OF each Division Ia vitality
necessary to the welfare OF the people
as whole. The great mass OF bust
ness lie either small or Of moderate
size. The mtdAle-Gised business men
form an element OF strength which 10
Of literally incslc,Lable value to the
nation. Taken as q class, they are
among Our best citizens. They have
not BEEN seekers after enormous for
justly prosperous. by reason Of dealing
fairly with the4r customers, competi-
tors, and employees. The average bus
mess man Of this type is, az rule,
leading citizen Of Ms community, fore
most In everything that tells for lbs
betterment, man whom his neighbors
look up to and respect: he is In no
sense dangerous to his community.
just because he ss ~ integral part of
has community. bone OF its bone and
fiesh OF It's flesh. His life fibers are
|inteTtwined with the life fbers Of his
fellow citizens. Yet nowadays many
men OF this kind. when they come to
make necessary trade agreements
with one another, find themselves In
danger OF becoming unwilling trans
gressoss Of the law, and are at loss
to know what the law forbids and
what 1t permits. This is all wrong.
There should be . Axed governmenkal
policy, poli0y wha4h shall clearly de-
fine and punish wrons-doing, 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.
coatrol OF 'fHig Business"
So much eor the small business man
and the middle-sined business man.
Now for big business. 1t IL fmpera-
tive to exercise over big business d
control and supervision which is IN
necessary as regards small business.
All basiness must be conducted under
the law, and ali business men, big or
little, must act justly. Bat a wicked
big interest is necessarily more dan
gerous to the community than q
wicked little interest Big business.
In the past has been responsible for
much of the special privilege which
must be unsparingly cut cat Of our
national life. / do not believe in max
ing mere size Of and by itself orirnin-
al The mere fact OF size, however.
does unQuestionably carry the no.
tentiahty OF such grave wrong-doing
that there should be by law provision
made for the strict supervision and
regulation Of these great Industrial
concerns doing an interstate business.
much as we now regulate the trans
portation agencies which are engaged
in interstate business. The antitrust
law does good in SO far as it can be
invoked 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 1t threatens cor
porations which have been guilty of
anti-social conduct, it does harm.
Moreover, it cannot by itself accom-