The Washington herald., 1914-06-21
A SereneIy Confident President.

The country can but admire the confidence of Presi-
dent Wilson in his judgment of what is good for
the nations industry and business. He remains un-
shaken in his determination to keep Congress in ses-
sion until his whole program of trust legislation is
carried out in spite of the warnings of the great in
dustrial and commercial interests and in defiance of
the opinion of Representative Underwood the leader
of his party the floor of the House The President
has conferred with Mr.. Underwood and ordered full
steam ahead He has all the courage of his con-
vctionS and dares risk the overthrow of his Con-
gress next November in standing by them.
President Wilson evidently believes that he has the
support of the smaller business men of the country
and finds justification of his in the messages
of approval which he has received from them and
which he made public yesterday Doubtless there are
many loyal Democrats among the smaller business
OF the country whose faith in the Presidents
policies will remain mistaken until the evidence Of
their failure is presented in irrefutabe, if costly,
form.
But the representatives of the great industrial and
commercial forces upon which the prosperity OF the
country vitality depends and who view business as
far aloof from partisan politics. base their verdict
that the country needs rest from experimental leg
islaton upon the evidence of closed mills crippled
railroads, hundreds of thousands of unemployed,
enormous decreases in savings deposits and clearing
house operations, heavy declines in exports and in
creases in imports and vast shipments of gold abroad
Secretary of Commerce Redheld ected to the cita-
tion of the month of April proof of the havoc that
has been wrought in our foreign commerce. and now
come the figures for the month of May showing i'm
ports aggregating SI63.673S6, compared with SIsS-
723ZI3 in May, 1913. while exports for May, 1914
aggregated $I57.4o6.572 decrease of S3364o22S, as
compared with May 1913
Perhaps the smaller business men who applaud
the President imagine that all these disturbing condi
tons do not affect them, that they will only injure
big business, thereby giving for rejoicing But
in country OF the magnitude of the United States
there must inevitably be big business upon which to
greater or less extent small business and the great
army Of bread-winners are dependent. 1t is not de-
MED that business needs regulating but the opinion is
almost unanimous that it has had all it can stand at
present and if the regulating process carried out
TO the point OF ruin it means ruin for all.
The Senate, far. gives no sign of baking at
the command of its taskmaster, and as it is not
likely to enact legislation in the undigested state in
which ii was received from the House. Congress will
doubtless be compelled remain in Washington until
far into July at least while aspirants for their seats
are improving the opportunity home. While meekIy
yielding their PrerogativeS to the will of Woodrow
Wilson, who takes unto himself the powers of Senate
and House as well as President. members seemingly
ignore the fact that the voters will not place all the
responsibility the White House for the evil re-
suits Of injurious legislation