West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-04-01

Elihu Root Is the latest and most |
distinguished convert to Woodrow
Wilson's doctrine that business de-
preston 10 psychological" and that
the greatest need of the country is to
clear away the misunderstanding
that exist
This was the burden of Mr.. Roots
speech at the Union League club in |
Philadelphia Tuesday night. Back of
all business troubles he finds a feel
ing OF adverse interests rather than
of common interest" This feeling did
not come about because some particu-
lar men have been elected to Office and
other men have failed" IL Is the pro-
fuct OF what Mr.. Root calls new
kind OF sectionalism'' under which
business men have been eliminated
from consideration In the control of
government because they are parties
at interest"
II Is Mr.. Roots solemn opinion that
THE country cannot live and prosper
under this MISUNDERSTANDING" and
speaking as a Republican to a Repub-
lican audience in the most reaction
airy Republican community I'm the Uni
ted States. he frankly admitted that
merely electing a Republican Presi-
dent in 1916 will not be enough"
THE men who are doing all these
things to business are good and pa
triotic Americans, but they do not un-
derstand." The way to make them un-
derstand is for business men them
selves to become vocal" to talk.
agitate and explain" ito try to make
the people understand that business is
honest, it is fair, II is just" thereby
saving the country from the impend-
Ing dangers of bureaucracy under
which the people of the United States
shall become subservient to power"
and our love for independence and
individual effort shall be suppressed
and killed"
Mr. Root is right when he says the
country has come to distrust business
influences In government. But that
is not the fault of the country. II is
the fault rather of the business inter
ests which so shamefully prostituted
their power to private profit when
they were once admitted to the coun-
ellis or government. When Mr.. Root
| reminded his hearers that sit was the
business men OF the nation who con-
trolled the election" when Mckinley
was elected in 1896 and in 1900, he
| should also have reminded them that
the abuses of this control were re-
sponsible for the reaction that made
business pariah in politics. Bust
ness is still paying the penalty for it's
reign OF Hannaism, and the astonish-
Ing thing is that a man of such acute
intelligence as Elihu Root should adj
wise another dose OF Hannaism to cure
| the disease.
What the country needs is not a
business mems agitation against gov
eminent, as Mr.. Root thinks, but lit
tie more public spirit on the part of
private business in adjusting itself to
the country's standards of economic
| justice. There is now practically no
hostile agitation against business
All that has ended. Government by
denunciation has ceased. Not in 20
years has the demagogue played so
| small a part in political affairs or
welded so little influence. Mr.. Root
believes that the country is ignorant
| OF business, and hence all this trouble.
| The actual fact is that business is still
| ignorant of the country and is terror
lied by ghosts.
The country has done what IL set
out to do-make business accept the
law of the land and conform thereto.
1t was ten years after this determine
ton became apparent before business
would believe that the country was
really in earnest. Now that the task
has been accomplished, business is
still years behind the political calen-
dar. IL is living under the admins
tration of Woodrow Wilson but thinks
1t is living under the administration
| OF Theodore Roosevelt II has not
caught up with the times.
The country is in a mood for "the
rest and peace and reinsurance" for
which Mr.. Cleveland pleaded. The
kind of agitation that Mr. Root coun-
| sells on the part of "the men who elect
ed Mckinley" would provoke counter
agitations and accentuate the misun-
derstandings and distrust which he
deplores. What business needs most
OF all is to stop worrying about poll
tics. and go to work. That is the psy-
Geological cure for its troubles.-New
York World