Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-09-28
WE NEED WISE LEADERS

WE NEED WISE LEADERS
IN view of the continued assaults OF
the Wilson administration upon the
legitimate business interests of the
United States there is little wonder
that there should be serious apprehen-
sion regarding the outcome. For a
time many optimistic persons were in
clined to look upon the dangers as
merely phantoms, but even these are
now ready to admit that the running
Of industries on half time and the
many signs of industrial distress, the
difficulty of financing enterprises and
the abandonment of plans for eXpan-
sion are concrete examples of substan-
tial ills. Recently F. A. Vanderlip,
one of the most clear-headed finan-
ciers in the United States, said:
We seem to be without leaders
wise enough to answer such ques-
tions so that their conclusions Will
views. Thus we have many con-
flicting opinions. For myself, I can
only say that the political current
to travel with tremendous speed,
seems to me liable to land us in
thorough going disorganization of
business and industrial life. Those
currents may be engendered and
guided by forces partially sincere
and honest, but only partially, and
even when those forces are sin
cere and honest, they are frequent
ly ill Informed as to facts and lack
ing in sound understanding OF great
economic principles.
Mr.. Vanderlip has put into force
full language the thought of many
business men and manufacturers who
look with serious apprehension upon
the continued theoretical legislation at
Washington. Starting with an ill-di-
gested tariff measure, which has de-
pleted the revenues of the government
many millions, there is now precipi-
tated upon the country proposition
to increase the burden of taxes to the
extent of $1O5,000,O00, alleging a
necessity growing out of conditions re-
sulting from the European war-a
staggering war tax when we are at
peace.
But standing together the business
and the workingmen and all who have
observed with increasing distrust the
persistent experimenting Of the gov
ernment at Washington will put an
end to all the doubt and uncertainty
by an overwhelming expression of
their views through the ballot box in
November.
A distinguished historian evidently
foresaw the era of paternalism ush-
cred in by the Wilson administration
when he declared:
The great increase of govern
mental authority, which the era of
regulation demands, will apparently
accrue almost entirely to the Fed
eral Government to the EXCLU-
SION of State and LOCAL govern
ments. And it WILL Furthermore,
break another precedent of Democ-
racy and accrue to the executive
rather than to the legislative.
Change is everywhere demanded
and not long ago member of the
United States Senate declared that
Every step of human progress is
the abandonment or condemnation
of that which went before. There
Is the keynote of much of our loose
political thinIking-Every step of
human progress is the abandonment
or condemnation of that which
went before.
This is evidently the theory upon
which the whole Wilson propaganda
is based-what has gone before is to
be abandoned. But the sober, thought
full people of this country are not go
ing to much longer permit the theor-
lists to work their own ways and up
set the traditions and all that which
is best in our system of government.