Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-02-05

terror But there Is one thing about
ana that is the consciousness that a
whole nation gets that they must all
act as unit for the nation; and when
peace is as handsome as war there
will be no war. When men, | mean,
engage in the pursuits OF peace in the
same spirit of self-sacrifice and Of
conscious service of the community
with which at any rate the common
soldier engages In war, then shall
there be wars no more. You have
moved the vanguard for the United
States i'm the purposes or this asso-
citation Just little nearer that ideal.
That Is the reason ] am here-be-
cause / believe that.
There is specific matter about
which for one want your advice.
Let me say If | may say II without
disrespect that / do not think you are
prepared to give it right away, You
will have to make some rather eX-
tended inquiries before you are ready
to give 1t. What / am thinking Of
is competition in foreign markets as
between the merchants OF different
nations.
81 speak Of the subject with a GER
tain degree of hesitation because the
thing farthest from my thought Is
taking advantage OF nations now dis
abled from playing the full part Of
that competition and seeking sud
den selfish advantage because they are
for the time being disabled. Pray
believe me that We ought TO eliminate
all that thought from our minds and
consider this matter as II we and the
other nations OF the world were in
. l.. EiT m 81 "A "a H.
merce. There is a normal clrcum-
stance OF commerce In which we are
apparently at disadvantage
"Our antitrust laws apparently
I say apparently because ! sec the at
torney general is present and | am
not sure | am right-the antitrust
laws Of the United States apparently
mako II lille gal for merchants In the
United States to form combinations
for the purpose OF strengthening
themselves in taking advantage OF the
opportunities OF foreign competition.
That is q very serious matter for this
reason: There are some corporations
and some firms for all | know, whose
business Is great enough and whose
resources are abundant enough to en-
able them to establish selling agencies
in foreign countries, TO enable them
to extend the long credits which In
some cases are necessary in order To
Keep the trade they desire; which en-
ables them, IN other words, 10 organ
ize their business I'm foreign territory
in way which the smaller man can
not afford 10 do. Ills business has not
grown big enough 20 permit him to
establish selling agencies. The export
commission merchant. perhaps, taxes
him "A little bit too high to make that
an available competitive means or
conducting and extending his busl-
ness. The question arises, therefore
How are the younger and weaker cor
poratiOns going TO get foothold as
against the combinations which are
permitted, and even encouraged by
foreign governments, in this very field
OF competition?
American merchants feel that they
are at very considerable disadvant-
age In contendlng against that The
matter has been many times brought
to my attention, and ] have each time
suspended Judgment. because I'm this
matter I am from Missouri and
want TO be shown this: / want to be
shown how that combination can be
made and conducted in way which
won't close il against the use OF ev-
eryhody who wants 10 use II. com
blnation has a tendency to exclude
new members when a group OF men
get In control OF good thing they
do not see any particular point I'm
letting other people into the good
thing.
what | would HE very much TO
be shown, therefore is a method OF
CO. operation, which is not q method
Of combination, not that the two
words are mutually exclusive, but we
have come to have a special meaning
attached to the word combination
Most Of our combinations have
safety lock and you have 10 get the
combination 20 get In. | want to
know how these cooperative meth
DDS can be adopted for the benefit OF
everybody who wants to use them,
and ] say frankly II ] can be shown
that. ] am FOR them.
III / cannot be shown that. ] am
against them and / hasten TO add
that I hopefully expect that ] can be
shown"
The president said that lie hopes
the organization would take steps to
discover the opinion Of the small
merchants and bankers in the cOun-
try districts on the subject
"As a matter Of fact" he contin-
ned. you do not have time 10 think
in city. 1t takes time to think.
You car get what you call opinions
by contagion in a city and get them
very quickly, but you do not always