The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1912-09-24

leaders OF the Republican and Pro-
gressive parties are saying less about
high prices. They dare not, or will
not, go straight at the cause Of high
prices in this country In the remedies
which they propose. Government reg.
ulation will shield monopoly as we'll
as guide II, and regulation is not
freedom.
THE net result is that both these
parties have to all intents and pur.
poses abandoned the central issues
CT the campaign. The Democrats
alone are bold enough and far.sight-
ed enough to see that they must
tackle frankly and directly this ques.
tion. Upon what principle shall tariff
duties be laid and by what means
shall monopoly be prevented?
"They understand the interests OF
the country quite as well as the gem
tlemen who have played providence
to those interests for their own ben.
eft understand them, but they see
them from another point Of view. and
they suspect this human providence
and distrust II. They see as clearly
as anyone else sees that business
must In our day be done upon q
great scale, but they know that there
Is a size which is natural and a size
which is unnatural in business.
THE size which IL unnatural IL
built up upon certain kinds Of agree.
ments. certain kiLd Of practices, Ger.
tain understandings, VIII regard to
control. certain combination Of badly
developed with better developed fac.
tories and mills, which are seldom
economical, and whose object is not
efficiency. The right and wholesome
kind of size comes from natural
growth, from the development of a
business managed with brains, with
| the closest study OF efficiency and
economy, with sort OF statesman.
like knowledge of the markets Of the
world, and that kind Of size no wise
or well.iDformed man fears or Is jeal.
| Gus of.
| Monopoly Is Inefficient.
Monopoly is always in the long
run weak and inefficient, and the
leaders of the Democratic party know
perfectly well that they are serving
the business interests Of the country
much better, much more intelligently,
than the leaders of either of the
other parties, because they mean so
to regulate competition and free the
conditions of business in this coun-
try. as to substitute the efficient for
the merely powerful.
1T Is futile to stand for the causes
Of our present wrongs and weakly
propose to control and moderate the
results, and yet that Is all that our
opponents suggest. They even pro-
pose to remedy the results by the
very means by which they were pro-
duced, namely, the partnership of the
government In the management OF
big business. l, for my part, can
never bring myself to accept the pro-
posal that the government by regula-
ton shall act through the trusts for
the people.
"The contract between the govern
ment and the people in such a case
IL too remote and indirect. This is
no way in which to restore the conf
dence of the people. It Is only way
in which to provide the people with
new guardians, guardians interested
above all things in making profit
out of their guardianship, a political
profit, be it observed, as well as an
economic profit.
Trusts Enemies OF Labor.
"And this is the kind of govern.
ment which the working people OF
this country are asked to look for the
betterment Of the conditions which
surround their lives, and for the reg.
ulation of their wages. The biggest
!. trusts in this country are well known
to all the working men of America
to be the most powerful and the most
!, successful enemies of organized la
bor They have sought at every
turn, and often successfully sought
to crush it. | wonder II, when 'regu
lated by the federal government
they will be more friendly to organ
lied labor than they are now! | won
der what the regulation is to accom-
| Dllbu lOT tNC Woi hihe sh. Seo-
the instrumentality of those who
, have been their most successful op'
ponents!
For, after all. the attitude OF gov
ernment towards labor lies at the
heart of almost everything that con
Germs us as nation. A nation may
be said to consist Of those who dc
its daily labor. and America has al
ways boasted That she was the home
of free labor, that all were welcome
to come to her shores and partake OF
, her unbounded opportunities.
"Shall we Substitute for this dream
and ambition Of ours a regime under
which great regulated monopolies
shall be forever the chief patrons oi
labor? Shall we not, on the contrary
assist to set our laboring men free
by placing them in field Of varied
enterprise, controlled by no man, BY
, no set Of men, by no government
where they can look about for oppor