The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-01-30
President Says Mists of Suspi-
ciOn Are Blown Away.
Era of Confidence Succeeds the
Era of Suspicion.
MUST OBSERVE THE RULES
There Will Be Fair Play In
Business Hereafter.
The Public Will Know What Is
Going Forward.

Washington, Jan. 3O-Another conf
dent prediction that the country soon
will enter upon a new era OF enter
prise and prosperity was voiced by
President Wilson in speech before the
convention of the American Electric
Railway association.
Speaking to business men and
through them to the world of business
generally. the president outlined what
the Democratic congress has tried to
accomplish through its trust legislation
and declared that while test period
would be required to determine wheth-
err the correct remedy had been applied,
he believed the maze of Interrogation
points, which had checked enterprise
for twenty years had been cleared
away.
With q common understanding re-
garding business reached, he said,
henceforth nobody is going to be sus-
picious of any business just because 1t
is big. He gave some of the rules of
the game which he thought ought to
he followed. heading the list with pub
licity-"not doing anything under
cover
Il have always maintained that the
only way in which men could under
stand one another was by meeting one
another said the president. IF be-
lieved all that 1 read in the newspa-
pers, I would not UNDERSTAND anybody.
/ have met many men whose horns
dropped away the moment l was per-
mitted to examine their character.
The Presidents, burden.
~ for one have never doubted that
all America was of one principle. /
have never doubted that all America
believed IN doing what was fair and
honorable and of good report. But the
method, the method of control by law
against the small minority that was
recalcitrant against these principles
was thing it was difficult to deter
mine. And it was very great burden
let me say, to fall upon a particular
administration of this government to
have to undertake practically the whole
business of final definition. That il
what has been attempted by the con-
gress now about to come to a close.
In the first place / feel that the
mists and miasmic airs of suspicion
that have filled the business WORLD
have now been blown away. I believ.
that we have passed the era of suspic
ion and have come now into the ers
of confidence. Knowing the element
We have to deal with, we can dea
with them: and with that confidenc,
of knowledge we can have confidenc,
of enterprise. and that enterprise il
going to mean this: Nobody is hence
forth going to be afraid of or suspic
ious of any business merely because i
is big.
Public Should Know.
The era of private business in tn,
sense of business conducted with tn,
money of the partners mean of tn,
managing partners-is PRACTICAL,
passed, not only in this country but al
most everywhere. Therefore, almos
all business has this direct responsib
ility to the public in general. We ow,
a constant report to the public, who's
money we are constantly asking for il
order to conduct the business itself.
Therefore. we have got to trade no
only on our efficiency, not only on tn
service that we render. but on the con
fidence that we cultivate. There is
new atmosphere for business. Tn
oxygen that the lungs of moderl
business takes in is the oxygen of tn
public confidence and if you have no
got that your business is essentially
paralyzed and asphyxiated.
There have been times-I will no
specify them, but there have bee
times-when the field looked free bu
when there were favOrs received fror
the managers of the course, whe
there were advantages given, insid
tracks accorded, practices whic
would block the other runner, rule
which would exclude the amateur VIII
wanted to get in. That may be FIRE
field, but there is favor, there is PAL
TALLY, there is preference, there
covert advantage taken of somebod