South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-09-09
CONG. BRYAN
Tells HOW BEST
DEVELOP ALASKA
Does not Believe in Throwing
Open Resources to Private
Exploitation and MonopOIi-
zatiOn-- Must Restore Com
petition

WASHINGTON. Sept. 9.-Congress-
man J. W. Bryan of Washington has
succeeded in jimmying into the con-
gressional debate a real speech. When
the urgent deficiency bill was before
the House. the Washington congress-
man seized the opportunity afforded
him by a discussion OF the life saving
service in Alaska TO put into the re-
cord some pertinent remarks on the
Poindexter- Bryan pIn Tor the immed-
late development Of Alaska. Il be-
heve that the people of the United
States have decided once and for all
that the resources of Alaska shall not
be thrown open 10 private exploita-
ton and mOnopolizatiOn,' said Bryan.
= do not believe that Alaska will ever
be opened until II is opened in the
right way; that is, until its develop
ment serves the whole people instead
Or few private capitalists"
Mr.. Bryan said that three methods
OF dealing with the great industries
OF the country are under discussion
restoration Of competition, federal re-
gulatiOn OF the cOal-mining industry
Ia the Territory through competition
by the government The bill provides
l4I5ls lldL no coal ldnuS OF QepOSlIS IN
Alaska whatsoever shall hereafter be
sold In fee simple. 1t provides that
One-half Of the coal lands and depOs-
It's shall be reserved for the use of the
government exclusively and the other
half mad available for lease TO private
lessees. The lessees are TO mine coal
In competition with the government
and with one another This is to be
done under certain stipulated condi-
ton. These conditions provide against
RdulteratiOn of coal, against unneces-
sary waste Of coal, and against al
forms of injustice TO labor. An eight
hour day is required, a minimum
wage is fixed, and child labor is pro-
hibited. An adequate system Of
housing and gerenal living conditions
Is required. Compensation to injured
employees and also industrial insur-
Rnce is made compulsory.
These provisions relate to govern
ment service and 10 all the lesses. The
government is a competitor and the
private lesses as competitors are sub
1ect TO the same conditions. They all
have to obey the same rules of the
game. This makes the conception of
1alr competition absolutely definite"
Functions of Sort.
Explaining how such competition
will WORK out Mr.. Bryan took up the
question as to the two functions of
the government. THE government,
through the mining service, he said,
acts simply as a competitor and not
rs regulator. The government,
through the President or his agents,
acts as a regulator and in no way as
a competitor. That is the President
IS charged with making all rules and
regulations governing both the opera
uons of the mining service and of all
the lesses. His agents, acting as in
spectOrs, see that all the provisions of
the bill are carried out. The Presi-
dent or his agents acts as umpire in
the game Of competition. The min
ing service is one Of the participants
In the game. It is essential that these
two functions be kept separate. one
trouble in modern business to-day is
that they are not kept separate. The
participants in the game of competi-
ton in modern business make their
own rules as they go along, and the
man who is willing to make the most
lax rules IS the man who wins or
forces his competitors TO descend to
the level of the rules that he has
made.
AduIterating Product
"A competitor who is willing To
Rdulterate his product in order to
make more profits either forces his
competitors TO adopt the same meth
cd. or else so out Of business The
competitor who is willing 10 employ
child labor. to leave his machinery
unsafeguarded, to work his employees
as many hours as he can force them
To work, to press down their wages tc
the lowest possible point, TO adulter-
ate his product, 10 resort to any and
all means TO drive his competitors
out of business. either forces his com
petitors 70 descend 10 his methods OF
else get out OF business II by such
methods he can sell at lower price
he viii get the market and his rival:
must either meet his methods or sue
comb. Thus the many small mer
are eaten up by a few big men and
competition merges into private mon
OpOly just as certainly as daylight
merges into darkness. Thus there
develop trusts of the character OF
Standard oil and the American Tobac
co Company. which have 10 &c
through curious process called be
ing dissolved with results we'll known
Under this bill the rules OF the gam,
viii be laid down by Uncle Sam. anC
he Will enforce them not only by be
ing "A competitor himelf and settinl
the standard. but, If necessary, by re
vocation of the lease Of any Jesse,
who violates the rules"
After thus showing how the evil
OF competition can be eliminated, Mr.
Bryan showed how under his bill tn
interests of producer and consume
would be made Identical. This
done by means of the division between
consumer and wage Garner Of any di
vidend earned on the operations. Tn
share of the consumer is proportions,
60 the amounts purchased during tn
year and the hare of the wage earn
er is proportioned 20 his wages o.
salary. More efficient operation
would thus mean higher wages 10 tn,
workers and at the anne time decreas
cd price 20 the consumer The slim
illus of self interest would be used {,
increase efficiency. and both wage
worker and consumer would benefit.
THURSDAYS BIG ATTRACTION At