Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-01-09
Peace With Honor.

In an address delivered January II, 1918.
TO business men Of Chicago, Woodrow Will
son asked for their cooperation in these
words:
Il have made promises which regard
as intimately involved with my essential
honor. can serve only one master, and
no group Of individuals can speak for my
master. am 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
misiead. Won't you come in 2 Have YOU
not come in 7 Is it not your purpose to re-
establish economic freedom in the United
Statesf 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, says the New York World,
is no longer pleading in vain for the CO.
operation Of business. His appeal no
longer falls on deaf ears. More significant
even than the voluntary dissolution of the
American Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany, or the general banking acceptance
OF the new currency law, is the action of
}. P. Morgan and his partners in retiring
from the directorates of 81 corporations
followed in turn by George F. Baker.
There is at present no law specifically
aimed against the interlockine 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
unwritten law Of this sentiment.
1t is needless to say that If Big Business
will but follow Mr.. Morgan's creditable ex-
ample in recognizing this public sentiment,
the trust question will be settled without
further disturbance. and the country will
enter upon a new era of industrial peace
and prosperity.
For 80 years Big Business has been at
war with the American people. It under
took to set aside all the experience of his
tory and all the traditions of the English
speaking people in order to establish mo-
nopoly upon throne of industrial despot
ism. Privilege battled against democracy
for the spoils of conquest until the very
principles of government were in jeopardy.
Out OF this warfare came a spirit of class
antaeonism and class hatred that spelled
disaster to the nation, fer the prosperity
and welfare of everybody has been left at
the mercy of any chance demagogue who
could appeal successfully to public passion.
Senator Root described the situation &C.
curately in his remarkable speech to the
New York Chamber Of Commerce, Novem-
Der Fl, 1912, when he said
There are hundreds of thousands of
people outside the great industrial commu-
mites 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 conf
dence men,"
And Senator Root might appropriately
have added that what these hundreds of
thousands thought of the manufacturers
was flattering in comparison with what
they thought of the great captains of
finance. transportation and the like. of
whom Mr.. Morgan and Mr.. Baker are the
representatives.
II Woodrow Wilson has brought the
country to the end Of this conflict, il is
the most important achievement since the
reconstruction Of the Southern States
With tho trtaf onaattop .a,.iol 4. ...-a
ance with public opinion the issue will be
as dead as secession Business will no
longer be at the mercy Of government, and
government will no longer be at the mercy
of business. When the industries of a
country are conducted in accordance with
the public sentiment of the country, indus
try is emancipated from political black
mail. the community is emancipated from
privilege, demagogy is without an occupa-
ton and no honest mans daily bread is
he playthine of political agitation or
financial piracy.
What men have greater stake in the
industrial peace that is now offered by an
honest. sincere President than the men of
whom Mr.. Morgan is the typeH And what
men have more to lose by continuing a
class war that for years has been driving
the country on toward Socialism, Long
ago the rebellious States came back into
the Union. 1t is time that rebellious bust
ness came back too, accepting in the spirit
in which it is offered the Presidents policy
Of peace and justice under the law.