Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-04


Il have asked myself, before I came
here tonight, what relation you could
bear to the government Of the United
States and what relation the govern
ment could bear to you. These ar.
two aspects and activities of the gov
eminent with which you naturally
come into most direct contact.
Dept. Of Agriculture
THE first is the governments power
Of inquiry-systematic and disinter-
ested inquiry-and its power Of scien-
tific assistance. You get an illustra-
ton Of the latter for example, in the
department of agriculture. Has it &C.
CURED to you / wonder that we arc
just upon the evbe Of time when
our department of agriculture will be
of infinite importance to the whole
world?
'"There is shortage of food in the
world now. That shortage will be more
serious a few months from now than
1t is now. 1t is now that we should
plant a good deal more. 1t is necessary
that Our land should yield more per
acre than it does now. 1t is necessary
that there should not be 4 pillow nor a
spade idle in the country, if the world
is to be fed; and the methods of our
farmers must feed upon the SCIENTIFIC
information to be dirived from the State
departments Of agriculture and from
that tap root of all, the United States
department of agriculture.
'"The object and use of that department
is to inform men of the latest develop
ments and disclosures of science with
regard to all the processes by which
soils can be put to their proper use and
their fertility made the greatest possible.
Commences Need
Similarly with the Breau of Standards.
it is ready to supply those things by
which you can state bases for for the
scientific processes Of business. The
government of the United States 10
very properly great instrumentality
Of inquiry and information. One thing
we are just beginning to do that we
ought to have done long ago. We ought
long ago to have made bureau Of for
eign and domestic commerce. We ought
long ago to have set the best eyes Of
the government out in the world, where
the opportunities and openings for
American commerce and American gen.
ius are to be found. Men were not sent
ct as the particular agents of any set
of commercial industries in the United
States, but who were eyes for the whole
community. But there were other ways
of using the government of the United
States, ways that have long been tried,
though not always with conspicuous
success or fortunate results. You can
use the government of the United States
by influencing it's legislation. That has
been very active industry, but it has
not always been managed in the inter-
est of the whole people. 1t IS very in
structive and useful for the government
of the United States to have such means
as you are ready to supply for getting
a sort of concensus of opinion which
proceeds from no particular quarter and
originates with no particular interest,
because information is the very founda-
ton of every right existing in legisla-
ton
Men on the inside of business know
how business is conducted and they can
not complain if men on the outside make
mistakes about business, if they do not
come from the inside and give the kind
of advice which is necessary. The trou-
BILE in the PASTOR I think the thing is
changing very rapidly-has generally
been that they came with all their bris-
ties out They came to see, not what
they could accomplish, but what they
could prevent.
Must Pool interests
What has got to pervade US like a
great motive power is that we cannot
and must not separate our interests from
one another, but must pool our interests
A man who is trying to fight for his sin
gle-hand is fighting against the communi-
ty. and not fighting with it.
There are a great many dreadful
things about war, as nobody needs to be
told in this day Of distress and of terror
But there is one thing about war which
has a very splendid side, and that is the
consciousness that 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, l mean, engage in the pursuits of
peace in the same spirit of lf-sacrifice
and of conscious service of the commu-
nifty with which. at any rate, the COM
mon soldier engages in war, then shall
there be wars no more. You have NOV
ed the vanguard Of the United States in
the purpose of this association just
little nearer ideal. That is the reason
I am here-because I believe that There
is specific matter about which I, for
one. want your advice. Let me say, If
may say it without disrespect, that I do
not think you are prepared to give it
right away, You will have to make some
rather extended inquiries before you are
ready to give it.
Anti Trust Laws
"Our antitrust laws apparently make
it illegal for merchants in the United
States to form combinations for the pur-
pose of strengthening themselves in TAX
ing advantage of the. opportunities of for
eign cooperation That is very serious
matter for this reason: There are some
corporations and some firms, for all 1
know, whose business is great enough
and whose resources are abundant
enough to enable them to establish SELL
ing agencies in foreign countries, to ena-
BILE them to extend the long credits which
is some cases are necessary to keep the
trade they desire. which enables them,
in other words. to organize their business