The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-02

and south. The great valley of the
MisstsslpPi In TO be the home of teens
ing industries and Of ceaseless conn
merce. And then l wonder sometimes
IL II will not be colder still In the
norihs&aterH- saetipu-of- this country
where Boston is situated. Those east
winds. OF which they are fond. will
not bring them increasing commerce.
"erhaps, but they will hear the throb
of that great heart in the center of
the continent. whic is sitting the Gen.
ter OF gravity which Is throwing into
different the course of the blood OF
the great commercial world. Does
that strike you rs something happen
ing In America that you cannot sit
still and neglect? Hadn't you better
whistle to the lobster?' Don't
whistle to the dog. but whistle to the
lobster. II you think II will do any
good. but l have never entieed lob
ster by whistling.
Must Adjust business Laws.
TheIe Ii another new question In
America. and that is the question OF
buesiness. Business is IN situation
in America that II was never in be-
ore; 1t In in a situation to which We
have not adjusted our laws. Our laws
are still meant for business done by
individuals: they have not been sat
tsfactorily adjusted to business done
by great combinations. and we have
got to adjust them. ] do not say we
may or may not, | say we have got
to. there Is no choice. II your laws
do not 1T your facts. the facts are not
injured, the Law Ia damaged; so much
the worse forthe law, because the law,
unless l have studied IL amiss, Is the
expression Of the facts in legal re guia-
ticn. Laws have never altered the
facts. laws have always necessarily ex-
pressed the facts. adjusted interests
as they have arisen, and changed to
one another.
When before, in the history OF
America, We're the Congress of the
United States and the Legislature of
every State called upon In every ses-
sion to Intervene in the regulation of
business? Never before our own
age.
Now why is all this happening
Why has business taken on a new
aspect in America? Why does 1t wear
face with which We are only by
degrees becoming eamiliar? For a
very interesting Jason. A very
diminishing circle OF men exercise
u control In America with which only
the government itself can compete,
/ am not one of those. ladies and
gentlemen. who speak Of the interests
in big letters as il they were enemies
of mankind. | know the natural his
tory of the interests, and they grew
just as naturally as an oak grows;
some of them grew just as naturally
as a weed grows.
] am not here to enter an indict-
ment against business. No man in
diets natural history. No man under
takes to say that the things that have
happened by operation of irresistible
forces are immoral things, though
some L.cn may have made deeply
immoral use of them. | am not here
to suggest that the automobile be de-
stroyed because some fools take JOY
rides In 1t. want to catch the fools,
| am not here. in other words, TO
suggest that the things that have
happened to us must he reversed, and
the scroll of time rolled back on it.
self. To attempt that would be futile
and ridiculous | am here to point
, out as clearly as | can what / be-
+lieve to be the facts, and what most
of you know TO he the facts, because
some of you have been considering
these things longer than ] have. and
l have no doubt that you have seen
things clearer in twenty years than
| have seen them in twenty months.
! am not talking about things distant;
| am talking about things that / have
! seen with my eyes and handled with
! my hands.
Few Control Commerce.
Now these things, il you will allow
me to express them briefy---and to
| express them briefly means to express
them mperfectiy--these things
amount to this, that a comparatively
oil f1...- af aTn
raw material of this country; that q
comparatively small number of mer
| control the waterpowers that can bt
! made useful for the economical pro-
! duction of the power to drive oul
| machinery also entirely: that tina
/ same small number of men. hy agree
. ments handed around among them
/ selves. control prices, and that tina
| same group of men control the larger
| credits of the country
| Do you know that nobody can un.
| dertake the larger kind Of under
/ takings without their approval ana
I consent? There are very few mer
who can afford to stand up and tel
you that. because there are very
| haven't any note in bank. live with
/ in my income and | cannot he pan
.shed for what I say. But | know
| perfectly we'll. and l have been tolt
~ mefs wt1o dared not speak abov'
/ their breath with regard to II foi
! fear they would be punished, that
| could not start a great enterprise IN
| this country that needed million o.
| more of money to start II unless
| made an agreement and com binatior
\ with certain gentlemen who contro
> she great credits of the country.
Now / am not hot in mJ mine
against these gentlemen. They usee
/ the opportunities which we accorded
them, and they have got us. Some
/ Of tnem are Just as patriotic, dust 4.
! pubic spirited, lust as honest as an,
lnan in America. But when you hays
/ got the f1iafxet III r5n,ur MIND, doe,
/ honesty obige you to turn the palm
! UPSIDE down and empty II? Ii yos
| huvo got rhe market IN your han(
t and believe that You understand tins
interest OF the country better thar
! anybody else. Is it patriotic to let Il
| go?
| | was trying to analyze the othel
Jay what a Republican Is. | do no
want to say anything about that grea
/, body of my fellow countrymen il
/ various parts Of America who hass
l. formed. the bad habits eaf voting ts.v
! Republican ticket. They are not the
men l am talking about but the Re.
/ publican leaders, the men who es.
t.illish the ideals and policies of thai
| party. how would you describe them
Why. | would say that they are mer
who actually believe that the onl,
! men whose advice 1t Is safe 10 TAKE
| with regard to the happiness anc
| prosperity of America are the men