The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-20

If we awoke tomorrow TO find that the
strange force which we call electricity
was no longer at our command TO use,
that IL had suddenly vanished from our
control. and that the telegraph and the
telephone we're silent and useless, does
any man think that a single so-calleo
trust could do business day after tomor-
row?
"Tamper With the tariff all you Will,
the trusts will remain, But do away
with intereommuncation and the trusts
will disappear
Times have changed with lightning
like rapidity. In less than one mans
lifetime we have leaped from the day OF
the canal boat to the day of the ocean
grayhound from the day of the stage
coach to the Twentieth Century Limited,
from the day of no telegraphlc communi-
cation TO the day of the wireless; In short
from decentrafzed society 10 centralized
society. County lines, state lines have,
commercially speaking, been wiped out.
We are all on one common trading
ground. Any merchant can reach out
as far as he likes The lines are cross
ing here, there. everywhere; not only
crossing but clashng. and We are faced
with the imperative necessity of getting
on together or going down together.
Example of the Wireless
For a long time the wireless peo-
pie besought our government at wash =
ingtcn to regulate wireless telegraphy.
They pointed out TO our government
the utter confusion that was resulting
from allowing anybody at all TO set
UP a wireless instrument and use {
on his own account. Our government
laid no attention to the appeals; they
allowed matters to drift. Suddenly the Ii
tanic sdisaster occurred. Nearly all the
wireless instruments on our Atlantic
coast began working and the confu-
sion was so great that no information
could be had regarding the disaster.
In a very few days the wireless people
again went to Washington and instant
~ everyone. from the President of the
United States down, woke up and said
'Of course, wireless telegraphy must
be regulated Rules were Immediately
adopted to regulate it and today tho
wireless system is under close federal
regulation.
Must the commercial world wait for
a disaster titanic in proportions before
ii can have the proper sort of regu-
letions. regulation that eliminates the
evils the people suffer from and pre-
serves the advantages the people should
benefit from?
THE foregoing are a few of large
number of glaring Inconsistencies that
are facing commercial America today.
In my Judgment they exist because
they have to do with strictly practical,
everyday business problems, and We
as a people, have been attempting to
solve them through men of theory. men
without experience.
Our present condition is chiefly the
business mans fault, for 1t is bust
ness mans problem and he has utterly
neglected 1t for his every day bust
ness affairs. He has let the politics,
t.fr IL.
care of itself. The game of business
has been so fascinating, SO all-absorb-
ing that it has consumed his entire
interest and we find ourselves all Of
sudden faced with problems on the
proper solution of which depends not
only our prosperity but the prosperity
of those who are to come after us.
Optimism With One Proviso
"As to our commercial future, / am
an optimist, a decided optimist, with
one proviso, namely, that American
business men will awaken from their
lothargy, realize the causes that are
today moulding public opinion, see
their duty and do it.
Mistakes have been made and in
many cases, in place of frankly ad-
mitting them and conscientiously set
ting about to rectify them, our bust
ness men have defended them and per-
sisted in repeating them. In many
cases corporations and individuals have
put their backs to the wall and fought
every inch of the way, only to be
beaten own ignominiously in the end.
This attitude is very shortsighted. 1t is
not the attitude that man employs in
the conduct of his own business unless
he is courting failure. for in his own
business his success largely depends on
his ability to see ahead. to read tile
signs of the times, to scent changing
conditions, not only to meet them
promptly but actually to anticipate
them. Such a course means success.
Why should we not follow it in the
matter of dealing with public opinion
How inconsistent to use foresight III
our business affairs. to know that it
brings success there and then pursue
just the opposite course in the handling
of public affairs.
Changes are coming more and more
rapidly, largely, in my judgment, be-
ca use of the unfortunate attitude that
the business world has taken toward
the public in general. Our business
men must study more carefully the
questions that the people are studying
must meet public opinion at least halt
way and in advance of it's action, rath-
er than fight it all the way and all
the time; must show a spirit of cooper
tllOh IdtHCl lndn a SPlIit VI OPpOSi-
.tion.
Indifference as to Lawmakers
I'VE have been wholly absorbed in max
ins dollars. We have left the question
o, making legislation to almost any mar
who could not make anything else, sc
men who do not know the difference be
tween blight and bloom. Our legisla-
lures and national Congress are fun OF
men who are there because they have
sought the job for their own pecuniary
benefit rather because the job has sought
them for the country's benefit. The bust
ness men of the country are largely to
blame for this condition. We have come
almost to look upon politics as some
thing to be despised and to keep away
from. Our forefathers did not have this
view. They were mayors of their cities
governors of their states. members of
their legislatures Our country in their
time built wisely, and if our country
ir our time is not building wisely it is
largely our own fault, for we are in es-
sentially a commercial age.
'rThe political questions of the day are
largely commercial questions. We are
at peace with the outside world. We
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