Polk County news-gazette. (Benton, Tenn.) 190?-191?, 1914-07-16

tive Is to destroy II. They are alb
soluteiy blind to the facts OF history.
Unlimited competition has proved
one Of the greatest curses Of modern
civilization. II was unlimited COM
petition which created the great
trusts. exactly as Il created the
s~eat-shop and IL chiefly responsible
for child labor. The New Freedom
is merely the exceedingly old freedom
which permits each man to cut his
neighbor's throat
The ProgressiVes are Of the TWEEN
tieth century. They face the facts
Of today. They are not afraid OF pow
er, either in business or in Govern
ment. Their program will allow busL
ness concentration In so far as such
concentration gives social and econo-
mic efficiency and good service. But
1t will also give the Government fun
power to see that business concentra-
ton does serve these necessary ends,
and that 1t is not used for unfair COM
petition or for monopoly, or for the I'M
fair treatment Of labor or for any 9TH
or anti-social end.
This Is the only tenable position on
the trust problem. for It faces the
facts, and does not try to urn back
the bands Of the clock. By long and
disa pointing experience we have had
several cardinal facts hammered into
US.
FIRST: We cannot and do not want
to destroy all corporations; we must
have large units to do our work.
SECOND: We cannot make every
man compete with every other mani
we cannot go back to 1850, still less
to 1850.
THIRD: We cannot destroy mono
poly by attacking all forms Of concen-
tration whether monopolistic or not.
FOURTH: We cannot destroy real
monopoly by attacking its legal form.
We must find out and take away the
real economic basis Of monopoly,
which is a very different thing.
FIFTH; We can get no effective
results through the courts, with their
slow and restricted procedure.
SIXTH: We must encourage hon.
est business, and allow that business
concentration which will give the pow
err necessary to serve US. This policy
of the encouragement Of decent bust
ness is as important to the welfare
of our people as is our other policy
of effective warfare against corrupt
and unfair business.
SEVENTH: There must be coop
Grafton among business smen, among
wage-workers and among farmers.
Our program recognizes the facts
OF today. we must have business
power to do our work. We Progress
sives are not afraid Of power. We
know that power can be controlled to
good ends and Is necessary for great
ends. we know this IL true in BUSH
ness, as in government, and that no
other position is possible for the mod
er4G ate.
we cannot -cSatFol our great Nation
al businesses without power sonal'
power. But the Democrats dare not
,,se power themselves, or let anyone
else have IL. Their trust program, as lt
stands today ls made futile by this
fear.
The real business problem Is the
question OF that great mass OF corpora
tions which are neither monopolies on
the one hand, nor individual business
es on the other. Here is the truth
that so many overlook. If we view the
whole area Of our business, we find at
one end, covering a small section, q
Part of our business which Is still
sinai! and individual. We find at the
other end, and also covering a small
section, certain great businesses when
ere substantially monopolistic. But, IN
between these two extremes, and COW
ering by far the largest area OF our
total business, Is a mass OF corpora
tons, having a greater or less degree
of business concentration, but not
Individual, on the one hand, nor In
any sense monopolistic, on the other
We have had now twenty-four years
experience with trying to regulate
business by destruction. The result
has been nearly fiat failure. The ad.
ministratlon proposes policy OF FUR
ther destruction. even more unintei'
lIuent In conception. and certain to be 4
more futile In performance, than the
existing policy which It amends.
The only alternative is the Progress.
sive plan, which is sane, effective and
fair. We propose to provide a strong
Commission, getting prompt action by
direct administrative process; with
power in that Commission to attack
directly all unfair and oppressive forms
OF competition; power in that Com.
mission to take case OF monopoly,
find out what Is the real business cor
nerstone of its monopoly, and then
bring the full strength Of the Govern
ment directly against It. We propose
to do away with all unfair practices
by big business or little business.
We propose heartily to encourage hon.
est business, and, to give full scope
to efficiency, provided the efficiency Is
used for the benefit and not to the de-
triment of the people as a whole.
From all of this 1t follows that we
have a right to ask good citizens,
men to whom the honor OF America
In international matters, and the we'll