The Washington times., 1915-04-29
GEORGE W PERKINS
ASKS COOPERATION
AT TRADE CONGRESS
Attacks Present System Of
Government and Demands
Business Craftsmanship.
CITES COAL AND IRON DEAL
Wants Laws for Nation Made
According to Needs and Not
Politics.

MUSKOGEE, Okla, April S.-George
w. Perkins address was the feature or
today's session of the Southern Com
mercial Congress Mr.. Perkins said In
part:
Fifty years ago this month great
reconstruction period began In this
country. Every man fully realized 1t.
for the causes we're so dramatic that
they made deep impression. Not only
a new South but a new nation was
born.
To-day we are in the midst Of another
great reconstruction period; but do we
realize lido we comprehend its causes,
its effects?
Relations Centralized.
..Intercommunication by electricity au-
tomatically centralizes social and indus
trial relations. The advent of elasticity
sounded the death knell of individual
ism and heralded the birth Of co-opera-
ton. 1t drew men together into one
mighty family and just as the family
living under one roof must cooperate
IL it would be happy and prosper. so
men living and working under present
day conditions Of intercommunication
must cooperate II they would be happy
and prosper.
be the keynote. the spirit, the watch
word of the great new electrical world.
The South has recently had two
striking illustrations of what co-opera-
tion on large scale can do. l refer
IN COM
pany and your cotton difficulties OF last
fall.
Approved BY President.
THE Tennessee coal and iron trans
action, Is l have said. was approved at
the time by the Republican President in
office. No question has ever been raised
as to the satisfactory nature or the
business results accomplished. Inc
South has not complained, the North
has not complained, capital has not
complained. labor has not complained.
consumers have not complained; never
theless, shortly after the transaction
was put through Democratic politicians
began to complain. They instigated in
vestigations and tried their best to up
set the transaction. Finally the next
President in offiCe-a Republican-trled
to upset the transaction by bringing a
poration itself, citing the purchase OF
the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company
by the Steel Cooperation as one of the
principal reasons why the corporation
should be dissolved and claiming that
the transaction was illegal under the
Sherman law. Here we have one Presi-
dent-a Republican-believing the trans
action proper and the very next Presi-
improper.
Cotton Deal Cited.
"In the case of the cotton transaction,
manner in which it was carried through
and of the fact that the Secretary of
the Treasury approved a plan by which
bankers should not loan money to cot
ton planters unless said planters would
agree to curtail their acreage of cotton
planting for the following year
ITO the layman there would seem to
be no possible doubt that this cotton
transaction was direct attempt to
restrict output, and we are told that
the Sherman law particularly aims to
prevent restraint of trade; so that, not
withstanding the fact that the cotton
transa ction referred to had the approval
OF the Democratic Administration, how
does any one know that Investigations
and indictments will not follow in con-
nection with this matter as soon as
another ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Demo-
cratic or Republican-comes into power?
Granted that 1t was a proper procedure.
what guarantee have we that the next
man in office will take the same view
OF the case?
No Set Precedcnts.
"What ! am trying to point out is that
the laws of our land are such at tho
moment that no man can find out what
he can legally do in business matters;
no lawyer. court or President can ten
him: and while his transactions may
clearly be proper. both morally and n
nanciafty, the laws ara so vague that
one Government official can take one
position regarding them and another
Government official take exactly the
opposite position; and the courts can
40 and are doing precisely the same
thing.
II ask you hard-headed business men
ridiculous, absolutely stupid? How can
our country proceed with business and
prosper while such chaotic conditions
exist? How can We expect to embark
on new and large undertakings under
such conditions? New enterprises. new
undertakings that mean so much TO
any country and to general business
cannot and will not be started until this
uncertainty is removed. We are told
that the CLAYTON law will facilitate
Middle law, for, in my Judgment, the
only business 1t will facilitate Is the
business of the lawyers.
A Vital Need.
"A proper settlement of the great
economic questions that confront this
country today Is just IS important. just
as vital to the future prestige Of this
country and to the future prosperity OF
our people, as was a proper settlement
OF the great questions that brought on
our war of l7I6 and our internal struggle
The men of 1915 and the men of 1861
were keenly alive to the vital importance
OF the problems that confronted them
and which they had to solve. They were
self-sacrificing enough to give not only
Of their time. thousht and money. but
patriotic enough to give even their lives
and their sons lives TO a solution el
their problems. Are We of today as
selt-sacritcing, as patriotic as they
were? How many OF us are willing tC
DO a little less foI our pockets and a
n&tle more for our people?
Just now We are in the midst of al
AFFAIR where a sad lack of businesl
craftsmanship Ia bringing industrial
chaos to all sections OF our country.
refer 20 the new tariff. In place of be-
ing made by ports on the subject, by
men capable OF making tariff alOne
scientiic and reciprocal lines, Il has beer
made oil mir pf n,aF taIing have paGU