Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1912-02-22

~ mseAs0s wAleA under the oonsti-
tution viii automatically prevent tho
people from deciding for themselves
what governmental action they deem
Just and proper. Constitu.
ticn-makers should make 1t clear be-
yond Shadow Of doubt that the People
in their legislative capacity have The
power to enact into law any measure
they deem necessary for the better
ment Of social and Industrial condi-
tons. The wisdom OF framing any
particular law of this kind is proper
subject Of debate: but the power of
the people to 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 Of
American democracy.
Aim Of Good Government.
The ends Of good govern
ment In our democracy are to secure
by genuine popular rule high aver
age Of moral and material well-being
among our citizens. 1t has been well
said that in the past we have paid
attention only to the accumulation of
prosperity, and that from henceforth
We must pay equal attention to the
proper distribution Of prosperity. This
is true. The only prosperity worth
having is that which affects the mass
of the people. l hold 1t to be our
duty to see that the wage-worker, the
small producer. the ordinary consum-
er. shall get their fair share Of the
benefit Of business prosperity But 1t
either is or ought to be evident to
every one that business has to pros
per before anybody can get any bene-
At from It. Therefore hold that he
is the real progressive, that he is the
genuine champion Of the people, who
endeavors to shape the policy alike of
the nation and Of the several states
so as to encourage legitimate and
honest business at the same time that
he wars against all crookedness and
injustice and unfairness and tyranny
in the business world (for Of course
we can only get business put on a
basis Of permanent prosperity when
the element Of injustice Is taken out
Of IT'D This is the reason why have
for SO many years insisted, as regards
our national government, that It is
both futile and mischievous to en-
deavor to correct the evils Of big bus
mess by an attempt to restore bust
ness conditions as they were in the
middle Of the last century, before rail-
ways and telegraphs had rendered
larger business organizations both in
evitable 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 be done In larger units, and then
the cool-headed and resolute deter
mination to introduce an effective
method Of regulating big corporations
so as to help legitimate business as an
incident to thoroughly and completely
safeguarding the interests Of the peo-
pie as q whole. We are business
people. The tillers Of the soil, the
wage-workers. the business men
these are the three big and vitality Inn
portant divisions Of our population.
The welfare Of each division is vitality
necessary to the welfare Of the people
as a whole. The great mass Of bust
ne. is either small or Of moderate
size. The middle-sized business men
forv, nm claimant ~ ohray,ukh ,,,hloh a.
Of literally incalculable value to the
nation. Taken as class. they are
among our best citizens. They have
not been seekers after enormous for
tunes; they have been moderately and
Justly prosperous. by reason Of dealing
fairly with their customers. competi.
tors, and employees. The average bus
mess man Of this type is. as a rule. a
leading citizen Of his community. fore.
most in everything that tells for its
betterment, man whom his neighbors
look up to and respect; he is in no
sense dangerous to his community
just because he is an integral part OF
his community, bone of its bone and
flesh of its flesh. His life fbers are
intertwined with the life fibers 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
gressors of the law, and are at loss
to know what the law forbids and
what 1t permits. This is all wrong
There should be fixed governmental
policy, a policy which shall clearly de
fine and punish wrong-doing. and shall
give in advance full information to any
man as to Just what. he can and jus.
what he cannot legally and properly
do.
Control Of "elg Business"
So much for the small business mar
and the middle-sized business man
Now for big business. It Is impera
tive to exercise over big business &
control and supervision which is un
necessary as regards small business
All business must be conducted under
the law. and all business men. big o,
little, must act Justly. But O wicked
big interest is necessarily more dan
gerous to the community than /,
wicked little interest. big business
in the past has been responsible FOL
much of the special privilege which
must be unsparingly cut out OF on,
national life. do not believe in max
ing mere size Of and by itself Grimm
al. The mere fact of size, however
does unquestionably carry the po
tentiality of such grave wrong-doinl
that there should be by law provision
made for the st.ict supervision anl