The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-01-22
The President $ Message.

When President Wilson delivers a message to |
conoress he wastes no time in denuncation or in
criticising present conditions. He goes ahead
straightforwardly to offer his constructive policy
But if one will analyze his constructive sug-
pestions he will find them very often to rest on
the most complete condemnation OF present US
ages in government or business. The very radi-
calness and sweeping comprehensiveness OF his
program itself takes for granted the existence
of very unjust conditions. This is even more
true of the recent message than of the four pre-
ceding ones The assumptions which the mes
sage is based will startle conservative the mo-
nent he considers them
For one thing, Mr.. Wilson assumes in this
last message, which concerns itself with regula-
ton of business, that new legislation must come
in response to the pressure of the publlc's de-
mands In other words, it will not be as the re-
suit of group of "hystericaP' congressman but
of the conditions which have been so widespread
as to drive the people of the nation to asking for
a change This is in sharp contrast to the attl-
tude of Mr. Wilson's predecessor, who viewed
with suspicion the demands of the masses.
The president likewise assumes that there has
been in the past conflict between the govern
ment and business. The moment thinks of
this he realizes how startling is the condition
which now obtains if the president is right. What
snail we say OF naClOn III WHICH COIpOIdtc UuSl-
ness interests are at loggerheads with the laws
of the land This throws rather lurid light on
those charges so frequently made of the lawless-
ness Of labor.
Mr. Wilson also takes for granted that "big
business" is erected on monopoly, and that these
monopolies have been built by sharp practices.
In this the president links hands with many of
the most radical agitators.
In regard to the railways, the greatest single
industry, perhaps, in existence, the president is
equally radical. He goes on the assumption that
the present methods of financing railroads are
wrong and that the private owners of the sys-
TENS are no longer capable of managing the
finances of their own business but must hand it
over into the hands of federal commission.
Another working principle which he adopts
and which throws light on the assumptions on
which his administration is built is that the one
way to restore competition in industry is for the
federal government to regulate business.
Mr.. Wilson also assumes that the ambiguity of
the Sherman antitrust law is responsible for
many of the confusions which have in the past
so added business conditions. With the under
lying principle of that law he is in complete
agreement, if we read Alright the significance of
his utterances.
1t might be noted in passing that the admin
larger amount of business control into the hands
of the courts. To extend the functions of the
Sherman law can mean nothing less than that.
The president also holds to the Rooseveltian
doctrine that blame for the inustices of big bust
ness can be fixed on the shoulders of individuals
The assumption underlying his utterance
concerning the ability of those individuals have
to gain redress from wrongs committed them
by corporate business is of the most startling
of all. Mr.. Wilson takes for granted that as
thing are private individual of COMPARE
lively small means has means at hand of
getting justice before the law when great in
dustria concern has wronged him. If the presi-
dents assumption here is sound one, surely it is
time we all awakening to the fact that the
nation which launched itself on the principle of
equality before the law has drifted far from it's
path.
But most important of all the assumptions
lying at the base of the new message is that in
which the president takes it for granted that the
economic principles on which our business sys-
tenn is established are sound and just Over
and over he assures his hearers that our eco
nomlc system is light in it's fundamental struc-
ture. This, we believe, is the most important
public statement yet made by our chief execu-
tive because it definitely lines him up with the
reformer who would readiust rather than with
the revolutlonaries who would reconstruct This
utterance should accomplish much to dis
pei the cloud of ambiguity which has hung over
the present regime and which has so much both
cred the business interests
Final Examinations Again
In our issue for Monday night the following
paragraph appeared at the conclusion of an edi-