New-York tribune., 1912-02-22
Taking "A Charter Of Democracy" tor his
Subject He Advocates Its Policies
at Ohio Convention.
IA FOILETTE'S WORK PRAISED
Initiative, Referendum, Direct Election OF oenators Recall
of Judges as Last Resort, and Government Control
Of Big Business Planks of His Platform

WUdIIUTUW
to shape the policy alike of the nation ana
of the several states so as TO encourage
legitimate and honest business at the SaIne
time that he wars against all crookedncSs
and injustice and unfairness and tyranny
I'm the business world 0or, OF course we
can get business put on a basis OF perma-
nent prosperity only when the element OF
Injustice is taken out OF it,. This Is lhe
reason why / have for so many years IN
sisted as regards our national govern
ment that il is both futile and mischleN3us
to endeavor 10 correct the eVis ol ps
business by an attempt TO restore business
conditions as they were in the middle OF
the last century. before railways ana tele-
graphs had rendered larger business ORGAN
izations both inevitable and desirable. ne
effort to restore such conditions ana 10
trust for justice solely to suCh propOsSI
restoration is as foolish as II we sh0uid
attempt to arm our troops with the flint-
locks of Washington's Continentals IN
stead of with modern weapons OF precision.
FlintIock legislation, of the kind that seeks
to prohibit all comblnations, g0ou OF Dau,
is bound to fail, and the EFFORT, In so lar a.
It accomplishes anything al all merely
means that some of the worst combinations
are not checked and that honest business
is checked
Modern Business Conditions to Stay.
What is needed is. first, the recogni-
ton that modern business conditions nave
come TO stay, in so tar at leasL as
these conditions mean that business niuee tha
be done In larger units. and then lhe
cool headed and resolute determination 10
introduce an effective method OF regulating
big corporations so as TO help leSllIhats
business as an incident TO thoroughly ana
completely safeguarding the interests OF
the people as a whole. We are business
people. The tllers of the soil. the wage
workers, the business men-these are tne
three big and vitality important DIVISIONS
of our population. The welfare OF each
division is vltally necessary 10 the Wellare
of the people as a whole. The great niass
whose business is either small or OF mod
crate size The middle sized business men
form an element Of strength which Is OF
literally incalculable value TO the hatloIl.
Taken as a class. they are among our best
citizens They have not been seekers after
enormous fortunes; they have been mod
erately and justly prosperous, Dy reason
of dealing fairly with their customers
competitors and employees. They are satls-
fled with a legitimate profit that VIII pay
their expenses of living and lay Dy some
thing for those who come after ana lne
additional amount necessary for the better
ment and Improvement OF their plant the
average business man OF tins type is, as
rule q leading citizen OF his community
foremost I'm everything that tells for its
betterment, a man whom his neighbors
look up to and respect ne is IN no sense
dangerous TO his community, just because
he is an integral part OF ms community, t
life fbres are intertwined with the lie
dbres Of his fellow citizens. Yet nova
davs many men Of this kind when they
come to make necessary trade agreefnsIts
ger Of becoming unwilling transgreSsors
of the law, and are at a loss TO KNOW
what the law forbids and what II permits;
This is all wrong. There should be hXcd
policy, policy which shall
clearly define and punish wrongdolng ana
shall give in advance full Information 10
any man as to Just what he can ana lust
what he cannot legally and properly do.
II is absurd and wicked 10 treat the de-
liberate lawbreaker as on an exact par
with the man eager to obey the law.
whose only desire is to find out from some
governmental authority what
the law is and then live up to II. II Is
absurd to endeavor 10 regulate business IN
the interest of the public by means or
long drawn lawsuits without any accom-
paniment of administrative control and
regulation and without any attempt 70 dis-
crjminate hstween the honest man who has
succeeded in business because %, ot rGnSeT T,nSns;
man who has succeeded In business D!
cheating the public.
Must Control Big Business.
So much for the small business man and
the middle-sized business man.. Now Tor
hie business II Is imperative TO exercise
over big business a control and super
vision which is unnecessary as regards
small business. All business must De con
Quoted under the law. and all business men.
bIg or little. must act justly. But wicked
Nc interest Is necessarily more dangerous
to the community than wicked little In
responsible for much Of the special priv
ilege which must be unsparingly cut out
of our national life. | do not oelieVe IN
making mere size Of and by itself criminal
The nero fact Of size, however, does un-
ouestionably carry the potentiality OF such
grave wrongdOng that there should be by
law provision made for the strict super
vision and regulation OF these grett lndns-
- nf ffy an N hIginnCE
much as We now regulate the transporta-
tion agencies which are engaged In inter
state business. The antitrust law does
good in so far as II can be invoked against
Combinations which really are monopolies
ar which restrict production or which
artlfcially raise prices. But in so iar as its
workings are uncertain, or as II threatens
corporations which have not been guilty
of anti-social conduct. II does harm. More
over, II cannot by itself accomplish more
than trifiing part OF the governmental
regulation of big business which Is needen
The nation and the states must cooperate
in this matter Among the states that have
entered this field Wisconsin has taken a
leading place. Following Senator La Fol,
lette a number of practical workers ana
thinkers in Wisconsin have turned that
state into an experimental laboratory OF
wise governmental action in aid OF soelai
and industrial justice. They have lmtlaten
the kind of progressive government ~@tnUn @
means not merely the preservation OF true
democracy, but the extension OF the prlh-
ciple of true democracy into industrialsm
as well as into politics One prime reason
why the state has been so successfui III
this policy lies in the fact that II has done
Justice to corporations precisely as IL mas
exacted Justice from them. Its Public Jun
ties Commission in recent report an
swered certain critics as follows
ITO be generous to the people OF the
state at the expense of justice TO the car
riers would be a species OF oInciai' pils anu
age that ought TO hold the perpetrators pp
nN oil
deed. we have no idea that the 'people OF
Wisconsin have the remotest desire 10 Ge-
priVe the railroads OF the state OF ausht
that, in equality ana GOOD cohstlenoe, .l,p
their wishes cannot be gralihee py inns
commission
Apply the Square Deal, !
This is precisely the attitude We should
take toward big business. IL Is the pTacu-
cal application OF the principle OF the
square deal. Not only as matter Oh Jusss, Jus
tlce. but in our own interest. we snouiu i
scrupuousy respect the rights oI nVnes.
and decent business and should encouIaee
il where it's activities make. as they otten
90 make for the common good. III IL IoI
the advantage of all OF us Wnen business
prospers. Ii Is for the advantage OF All ol
ul 10 have the United States become the
leading nation in international trace, ano
we should not deprive this nation, we
should not deprive this people. OF the M
struments best adapted to secure such N
ternational commercial supremacy III
other words. our demand is that big busl-
nese gives The people square deal ana
that the people give a square deal TO any
man engaged In big business who honestiy
endeavors 10 do what Is right and proper
ON the other hand. any corporation, pls
or little which has gained It's position Dy
unfair methods and by interference wun
the rights of Others, which has raised prices
or limited output in improper fashion anu
heen guilty OF demoralizing and corrupt
practices should not only be broken up, out
il should be made the business OF some
governmental body by conssaut
supervision 10 see that It does not come to-