The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1912-01-05
is too large to be treated as a play
thing for politicians.
OUR DOMESTIC PROBLEMS.

dDly DrlnS With 1T much political eX-
element and intense discussion and
feeling as respects many subjects OF
profound interest 1t will be well for
us to believe that these excitements
and discussions can be promote more
perfect rules and customs for the guild
ance of our national life. If the plain
average citizen can hold this view he
will find politics more interesting and
he will have a principle of his own by
which to test and measure public dis
cussions of all sorts. Take, for ex-
ample, the tariff question. Can we,
upon the whole, deal with that ques-
ton in a broader and better way in
the future than in the past? We can
not hope to provide ourselves by one
sudden effort with an ideal kind of
system for obtaining the necessary
amount of public revenue. We cannot
expect, on short notice, after more
than half a century of high protective
tariffs, to abandon wholly the protec-
tive principle. But we can at least
decide to abandon the log-rolling me-
thod of making tariffs. We can adopt
the principle of careful and gradual
revision, one schedule at time, Civ
ing due notice to all interests that
are affected and always allowing a
reasonable interval of time if tariff
changes would otherwise harm any
particular industry. This principle
seems to have been fully recognized
by the present Democratic house of
representatives, and by the best senti-
ment OF the country, Republican as
well as Democratic Furthermore
when the Democrats shall have scaled
down the excessive duties of the
Payne-Aldrich tariff the country will
insist upon treating the subject in the
years to come from the scientific bust
ness standpoint rather than from that
OF political parties.
In the great problem of bringing
business enterprise into harmony with
wise and just laws, there is oppor-
tunity for earnest and nationwide dis
cussion. In Canada, in France, in Ger
many, in England, the great bankers,
industrial capitalists, and railroad
magnates, seem to be respected and
leaned upon as props of the govern
ment and of the economic life of the
people. In this country all such men
seem to be in dread of Indictment as
criminals. So far as we have been
able to observe, the business men of
America who head large corporations
are OF the same moral fiber as those
whose enterprises are on a smaller
scale. Furthermore, we are not ready
to believe that American business men
are, upon the whole, less desirable
citizens than the leading business men
OF other countries. Mr. Taft and this
administration have been constantly
demanding that business men make
their conduct square with the law.
We cannot find fault with such adj
monition. But if men live under laws
which they do not understand,-and if
men of good intentions are in danger
of being prosecuted for law violations
when they have earnestly sought to
obey the law and have begged the Of
ficials who are enforcing the law to
assist them in obeying tive have a
situation in which it would seem that
there is more need of reforming the
laws than there is of reforming the
conduct of the business community.
Whatever may have been true in
times past and gone, we have no great
corporations remaining in this coun-
try that feel themselves superior to
just laws, or that desire to live hence
forth as laws unto themselves. They
would like to see sound and sensible
laws enacted, and would like to con-
form their practices to just rules that
would recognize the nature of mod
ern business methods and undertake
ings 1t will probably be seen that the
one important and permanent gain as
a result of the prosecution of the
Standard Oil and Tobacco trusts has
been the full acceptance, without mem
tai reservation, by every business man,
of the principle that government is not
merely a coordinate affair when it
touches business institutions, but the
government is Of necessity superior to
those business corporations which it
creates and protects. Thus the VIC
tory of the government in it's prosecu-
lutions worked out as a consequence.
Review of Reviews
Salmon Ranch to Trade