The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-05

Some bewildermcnt seems To he felt
in Congress over the abstinence of bust.
ness interests In face of the feast of
legislation which is preparing for the
spread Of Government interference
with interstate commerce. Apparently
the idea In Congress has been that
business men would rush to the Capt.
tol to tell what they knew about trade
and industry and express their opin-
ions rs 10 the enactment of new anti
trust laws \ note OF surprise Is struck
in the Congressional comment on the
failure of business witnesses to offer
themselves for sacrifice at the hear
ings on the pending measures. but the
explanation is simple. II leaves no
room for establishment and does not
involve an assumption that business
approves In advance any laws that
Congress chooses TO pass.
All the amnesty offered to business
by President WILSON'S message intro.
ducing the Administration programme
Of trust legislation would not pre-
clude Attendance on the Congressional
hearings by the representatives of cor
porate affairs. Indeed, it should pro-
were it not for the fact that the enl
of antagoniSm between Government and
business advertised by the President
is capable of Interpretation as II recOg-
milton Of the surrender by business to
the purpose of politics to frame laws
in accordance with the power to place
them on the statute books. rather than
in accordance with the ideas of bust.
ness experience. This construction Is
impressed on business minds by the
wide contrast between President WILL
SONS message on trust legislation and
the subversive character of the bills
which have been presented as Admin
istration measures.
Apart. however, from the fact that
business men may he imbued with n
certain sense Of futility, so far as con.
Germs any effort to participate in the
new law making Of the day, 1t Is not
wonderful that they do not seem at
tracted to the Congressional witness
stand when the nature Of the current
political revolution In business condi-
tions is carefully considered. The pro-
jected measures for the further sub
lection of business enterprise to gov
ornamental control, for the increasing
transfer of the essential prerogatives
Of ownership Of private property from
tho owners to their political masters,
seem to be based very largely on the
notion that business men are dishOn-
est and that their dishonesty can be
guarded against only by asserting the
pure control Of politics over trade and
industrial activity.
OF course the political profession
Is otherwise when politicians are con-
frOnted by business individuals. Ex-
ceptions are made then In favor Of
little business rs compared with big
business, and so far as regards big
business men themselves they are told
that 1t Is not their own conduct which
is in question but the system in which
they are Involved. AS II matter OF fact
the new business bills pending In Con-
gress are, like much OF the important
legislation OF last year, based on the
fundamental assumption Of crooked
ness in business, that American bust
ness men will be crooks II they have
opportunity, IA corollary being that
deviation from the straight line in
rreasrs In proportion 10 the size Of
business.
Was anything else implied In the
administrative features Of the tariff