Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-04-28
PENROSE DEMANDS
BUSINESS SAFETY
Asks That Attacks and Harass-
ment Of Business by Admins
tration Cease
Special 10 The Telegraph

Pittsburgh, April 2s.-Declarations
that harassing attacks on business
must cease were made by Senator
Boies Penrose at the Americus Club
dinner last night and cheered to the
echo. The Senator remarked on the
absence of confidence and charged
that the Democratic party had bum
gled.
Senator Penrose in part said:
Probably in no other country in
the world in time of peace has the
business, commercial and industrial
system received the rude assaults and
attacks to which our American busi-
ness, commercial and industrial sys-
tenn has been exposed. 1t is even
doubtful whether in ordinary civilized
warfare business could have been more
ruthlessly shaken. 1t is extraordinary
that we have survived and that the
country Is even enjoying a measure
of prosperity.
MOT only has much been done al
ready to undermine the foundations of
prosperity, but the uncertainty as to
what may be in store tends still fur
ther to retard and curtail all enter
prise. Confidence is absent.
I'VE are having too much govern
ment from Washington. Congress has
presented to it more bills at each ses-
sion than a generation could dispose
of. We are suffering from excessive
legislation and we are not governed
by majority of the people"
The Senator then reviewed the
method of amending the Constitution.
each State having one vote, and showed
that five large States have q larger
voting population than thirty-six that
might amend the Constitution to the
serious disadvantage of the whole
people.
Continuing, he among other things
said:
I'VE were assured before the last
presidential election by the leaders of
the party now in power, and by the
standard-bearer of that party espec-
tally, that no legitimate business IN
terest would suffer in the revision of
the tariff. So great had been our
prosperity, and for so long a period
had it endured, that the majority of
the electors forget the experience of
the past prior to 1895. 1t was the
general opinion among the heads of
industries and among the employees
that the foundations of our industrial
greatness were so deeply laid that no
ordinary adverse legislation could
choke or undermine them.
"Lulled into a sense of security by
the assurances of political leaders the
great Republican party, under which
of prosperity became divided for the
time being and the Democratic party
was again restored to power without
any great amount of apprehension
The desire which always prevails for
a change contributed to the result.
New Tariff a Menace
Notwithstanding the reelection
assurances, however the country soon
awoke to the fact that the tariff was
being revised upon very radical free
trade lines and with strong sectional
bias; and we are now realizing an in
dustrial depression. not sudden and
precipitate, as has happened often
heretofore under like conditions. hut
as sure and as steady in it's progress
in its destructive course as the de-
scent of a glacier on the mountain
side.
'Innumerable Investigations have
introduced an espionage into every
business house and every corporation
office such as hardly would have been
tolerated in the darkest days of Rus
sian despotism.
"A multitude of bills are pending in
Congress regulating and curtailing in
every conceivable way and degree the
activities of business. Some of them
are part of the plans of the Demo-
cratic majority controlling the gov
ernment for enactment into law.
Much legislation is inevitable, and the
uncertainty Of more to come has near
ly paralyzed enterprise in the United
States to-day"
In closing an eloquent tribute to
Grant, Senator Penrose said:
"How fortunate it was for the Re-
public to have, at time which seemed
to be Its death agony, a commander