Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1914-01-09
Peace with Honor

Cnlcago, WOODROW Wilson asked
for their cooperation in these
words:
| have made promise which I
regar5 as intimately involved
with my essential honor. | can
serve only one master, and no
group of individuals can speak
for my master. | am a trustee
for the prosperity of the United
States in council, and the council
that is not common council. the
council that does not include
you, is imperfect council, is
council which will mislead.
Won t you come in? Have YOU
not come in? Is it not your bur
pose to re-establish economic
freedom in the United States?
Aren't we all in the same boat?
Can't | enlist you tonight in the
common enterprise? There is no
bright prospect otherwise.
MIR. Wilson is no longer plead
ing in vain for the cooperation
of business. His appeal no long
er falls on deaf ears. More
significant even than the volun-
tary dissolution of the American
Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany, or the general banking
acceptance of the new Currency
law, is the action of ]. P. Nor
gan and his partners in retiring
from the directorates of twenty
seven corporations, followed in
turn by George f. Baker.
There is at present no law
specifically aimed against the in
terlocking directorates that have
been the veins and arteries of
the whole trust system. But Mr.,
Morgan frankly recognizes the
apparent change in public
sentiment" and yields to the un-
written law of this sentiment.
i 1t is needless to say that if
Big Business will but follow Mr..
Morgan's creditable example in
recorganizing this public senti-
ment, the tru-t question will be
settled without further distur-
bance, and the country will enter
upon a new era OF industrial
peace and prosperity.
! For thirty years Big Business
hasbeenat war with theAmerican
people. 1t under took to set aside,
all the experience of history and
all the traditions of the English
speaking people in order to
establish monopoly upon throne
ot-Induskrial despotism. Privi-
lege battled against democracy
for the spoils of conquest until
the very principles of free
government were in jeopardy.
Out of this warfar came spirit
of class antagonism and class
hatred that spelled disaster to
the Nation, for the prosperity
and welfare of everybody had
been left at the mercy of any
chance demagogue who could
appeal successfully to public
passion.
Senator Root described the
situation accurately in his re-
markable speech to the New
York Chamber of Commerce,
Nov. Fl, 1912, when he said:
| There are hundreds of thous-
aGds of people outside the great
industrial communities who
think you are den of thieves;
there are hundreds of thousands
of people who think that the
manufacturers of the country
are no better than SET of con-
fidence men.
And Senator Root might ap-
propriately have added that
what these hundreds of thous-
ands thought of the manufacture
ers was flattering in comparison
with what they thought of the
great captains of finance, trans
portation and the like, of whom
Mr.. Morgan and Mr.. Baker are
the representatives.
If Woodrow Wilson has
brought the country to the end
of this conflict, it is the most
important achievement since
the construction of the Southen
States. With the trust question
settled in accordance with public
opinion the issue will be as dead
as secession. Business will no
longer be at the mercy of govern
ment, and government will no
longer be at the mercy of bust
ness. When the industries of
country are conducted in ac-
eordancee with the public senti-
metn OF the country, industry
IS eman!clpated from political
olackmail, the community is
esmanclpated from privilege,
demagogy is without an occupa-
tlon and no honest mans daily
bread Is the playing of political
ae lt;a or financial piracy.
what men have greater
.