Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-06-26

wa, Iowa, under the Act Of Congress OF
March 8, 1879.
Foreign representatives: Cone, Lor.
/ enzen & Woodman, Mallers bu'i vnrs
Y Chicago; 225 Fifth Ave., New 1orH
City; Gumbel Bldg, Kansas City, MO.
CLEAR AWAY THE MtsUNDER
STANDING.
Hon. Elihu Root In an ADDRESS Pc
fore the Union league club OF fnlia
delphia. made a speech that is worth
any mans time to read. The follow
ing extract from 1t Is plain:
"when we elected Mckinley in 1896
and again in 1900, it was the business
men Of the United States who con
trolled the election. 1t was the gener.
al the almost universal awakening OF
Judgment on the part of men VINO
carried on the great production and
commerce and transportation anu
f1nance in the business of this mighty
and prosperous country, which electeo
mckinley and inaugurated and MAN
tanned the policies of his admlnistra'
ton. .,oo
The scepter has passed from the pusl'
ness man. The distinguishing cnarac'
teristic of recent years mas peen the
conduct of the government o, .ne
country by mon who have but nttle
concern with the business of the coun.
trv nv men who distrust the man OF
business. who suspect the man OF pusl.
ness. Measures relating to the great
business and the small and multltuolh-
ons business of the country have Deen
framed and put into effect unoer ~
fluences which have rejected the Volce
az those whom they most lmmeulalely
affect. The railroad mans testlmohy
ne what legislation there shoulo De
oractinp railroads has been rejected
because he was party in interest,"
mo bankers testimony about nnance
has been rejected because he was
nar+v in interest. The manufacturer
to.tinony about manufacturing mas
heen rejected because he was party
~ interest. The merchants testimony
aho,,t commerce has been rejected De
causa he was a party In interest. Inc
shin owners testimony about the mer-
chant marine has been rejected DE-
cause he was a party In interest,".
Know,edge of the business affalrs OF
the country has disqualified men from
taxing any part in the conduct OF the
Increasing participation of the govern.
noent in the control and direction OF
business affairs.
"Now this has not been accidental.
y hos been development OF the 1eel-
NO of the whole country. 1t has Deen
tn some degree sectional, but not IN
+ha did way. The men concerned IN
. yr,culture, in the main, have come 10
svsnect and misunderstood the men
concerned in business in the main:
This ia the distinguishing feature OF
h+his great change which has occurred
sinca we elected Mckinley.
az has had several causes. 1t has
hoen nartlv because of the old hatred
~ waaith. Those parts of the country
a. which all of the people have been
- comparatively small means nave
b.an Alied with men who came to hate
+he rich in the great industrial COM
,,,,,ritiea in the north and east. Or
nnuraa need not tell you that this
hatred of wealth Is more tnan nan
mere vulgar worship of wealth.
"Rut to the farmer on the prairies OF
Tho vest or the cotton fields of the
south, it seems as II the 1cn men OF
The eastern cities were living In heav-
en- at his expense.
another element Of this change
has been an entire or an almost entire
failure Of understanding of the pro-
cesses, the conditions, the require
ments and the results of the vast and
complicated business by which the
wealth of the country is created and
maintained. Under simple conditions
va all understood each other. Every
man of the community understood in
general about the life, the business
and affairs Of the other men in the
same community. But life is so COM
nlicated now, the affairs Of this great
country are so involved, that there is
very little real understanding by one
community Of the affairs of another.
Does the man who raises crop of
wheat In Dakota really understand the
complicated machinery by which his
wheat goes onto the breakfast table in
Europe, and the price comes back to
him? So, through feeling of envy
Of the greater wealth Of the east and
north. Of these industrial communities
and through misunderstanding there
he's come about feeling of adverse
interest instead Of the feeling of COM
mon interest that Is so essential to the
prosperity and perpetuity of country.
And that feeling has had its result In
q series Of laws and in the method OF
administering those laws. We have
the interstate commerce commission
following every step taken by the great
transportation companies. Under
stand, am not now criticising these
laws. am citing them as elements
stating them as facts; but forming e]e-
ments in general condition to which
they lead. We have the interstate
commerce commission keeping tab on
the railroads. We have the central
reserve board of the treasury depart
ment and the Office of the comptroller
tof currency following every move Of
the banks. We have the new trade
commission which is empowered to go
into your factories and mills and in
quire into your personal affairs for the
purpose of seeing whether you con-
for,,, r., that va ORC and jndnfinfto sfap