The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-08-06


So warfare 90 destroy big business u
foolish because II can not succeed and
licked because IL ought not succeeu
Warfare to destroy big business does
comes out ON top. so much as II hurts
all other business which, in such n war
fare, never comes out on top
with tho growth OF big business
came business evils Just as great. II
IN these evils OF hiE business that hut
the people and iniuTe all other bust
ness. one OF these wrongs is oYercap-
italigation which taxes the peoples
tiOn OF prices TO the unsettlement OF all
normal business and to the peoples
damage Another IN interference I'm the
making Of the peoples laws and tho
running OF the peoples government IN
the unjust Interest OF evil business
Getting laws that enable particular In
terests 10 rob the people, and even 10
gather criminal riches from huma
health ana life Is still another
An example or ruch laws ls the In
far1ous tobacco legislation OF 1902
which authorized the Tobacco Trust &C.
continue 20 collect from the people the
spanish war tax. amounting 10 a score
or millions OF dollars. but to keep that
tax Instead OF turning II over TO the
government, as II had been doing An
other example Is the shameful meat
Hesitation, by which the Beef Trus,
had the meat II sent abroad lnspect ed
by the government so that foreign
countries would take it's product and
yet was permitted 20 sell diseased
meat TO our own people II Is incredi =
bic that laws like these could ever get
on the nations statute books The In .
Visible government put them there; and
only the universal wrath Of an enraged
people corrected them when. after
years. the people discovered the out
RACES
II Is 10 yet Just such laws as these
and 10 prevent the passage OF laws tu
NIssV - l. - -.
statute books general laws which will
end the general abuses OF big business
that these few criminal interests cor
rupt our politics. Invest In public orr
Gals and keep In power In both parties
that type Of politicians and party man
ayers who dc base American politics.
Behind rotten laws ana preventing
sound laws stands the corrupt boss;
behind the corrupt boss stands the rob
Der Interest: and commanding these
powers Of pillagc stands bloated human
greed. II * this conspiracy OF evil we
must overthrow IN we would get the
honest laws we need IL Is this invis-
ible government we must destroy II
we would have American institutions,
other nations have ended the very
same business evils from which we
suffer by clearly defining business
wrongdoing and then making It Grim
iunl ofense, punishable by imprison
ment. Yet these foreign nations en-
courage big business Itself and foster
All honest business. But tleN 10 mol
tolerate dishonest business, little or
big
what, then. shall we Americans do
Common sense ana the experience of
ne world SAYS that vs.. ought 10 Keep
the good big business 5oes for ms and
stop the wrongs that big business doe
10 MS, Yet We have done just the other
thing. We have struck al big husins "
Itself and have not even aimed 70 striltt
AT the evils of big business Nearly
twenty i've years ago congress passed
"A law 10 govern American business In
the present time which parliament
passed In the reign OF King James a.
govern English business In that time.
For quarter OF 81 century the courts
have tried to make this law work Yet
during this very time trusts grew
greater In number and power than In
the whole history OF the world before
and their evils hourished unhindered
and unchecked. These great business
concerns grew because natural laws
made them grow and artificial law ~
war with natural war could not stop
their growth. But their evils grew
faster than the trusts themselves be-
causr avarice nourished those evils and
no law OF any kind stopped avaricc
from uourishlnR them.
Nor is this the worst. Under the
shifting Interpretation OF the Sherman
law, uncertainty and fear is chilling
the energies OF the great body %
honest American business men As the
sherman law now stands. no two bust
ness men can arrange their mutual ar
fairs ana he sure thar they are not
law breakers. This Is the main hin
drance to the immediate and per-
manent revival Of American business
n German or English business men.
with all their disadvantages compared
with our advantages. We're manacled
by our sherman law, as IL stands, they
soon would be bankrupt Indeed. for
eign business men declare that, IL their
countries had such law. SO admins
tered, they could not do business at all.
Even this Is not all BY the DEGREES
81 our CouSts, under tss Sherman law,
the two mightiest trusts on earth have
actually been licensed In the practical
outcome. to go on doing every wrong
they ever committed. Under the de.
crecs OF the courts the oil and Tobacco
Trusts still can raise prices unJustlY
and already have done 80. They still
can issue watered stock and surely Will
do So They stu can throttle other
business men and the United Sta.Is
Cigar stores Company now ls doing so.
They sim can corrupt our politics and
this moment are indulging In that prac-
tice.
The people are tired OF this mock
battle with criminal capital They do
not want TO hurt business; but they do
want TO get something done about the
trust question that amounts to some
thing, What good does IL do any man
10 read In his morning paper that the
courts have dissolved" the Old Trust.
and then read In his evening paper
that he must thereafter pay higher
price for his oil than ever before? What
good does IL do the laborer who smokes
his pipe To be told that the courts have
dissolved" the Tobacco Trust and yet
find that he must pay the same or q
higher price for the same short weight
package OF tobacco? Yet all this is the
practical result. OF the suits against
these two greatest trusts In the world.
Such business chaos and legal para
doNes as American business suffers
from can be found nowhere else In the
world Rival nations do not fasten
legal ball and chain upon their bust
ness--no. they put wings on its flying
feet. Rival nations do not tell their
business men that IL they go forward
with legitimate enterprise the peniten-
tlary may be their goal. NO. Rival
long as they do honest business their
governments Will not hinder but VIII
help them.
But these rival nations do tell their
business men that II they do any evil
that our business men do, prison bars
await them These rival nations do tell
their business men that III they issue
watered stock. or cheat the people IN
any way prison cells will be their
homes
Just this is what all honest American
business wants; just this Is what dis
honest American business does not
want. just this is what the American
people propose TO have: just this the
pledged the people that we would give
them; and just this important pledge
the administration, elected on that
platform reDudiated as IL repudiated