The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1915-04-24
THE "kEYNOTE" SPEECH FOR
1916.

In a speech before the Union League
Philadelphia, recently, Elihu Root
said in part:
"The sceptre of control has passed
from the business man and the distinc-
tive characteristic OF the government
in recent years has been the conduct
of affairs by men who have but little
concern in the business of the country.
The men who control the Govern
ment today are the men who have been
fighting the tariff and the trusts and
railroads so long that when they came
to administer the Government they
could not rid themselves of an under
lying hostility to American enter
prise.
The reason why business does not
start booming is becaues doubt and
uncertainty are in the hearts Of Amer
leans, who fear the consequences of a
Government hostile to business.
All this regulation, inspection and
inquiry is dangerous.
Strike for the perpetuity of the I'm
ion for the continuation of freedom
anG foI the foundations of Justice"
Commenting upon Mr.. Roots speech
the Philadelphia Ledger said editor
tally:
"Elihu Roots Union League
speech was a summary of what the
nation is thinking at the present
time. satisfaction with the Ad-
ministratlon is widespread and
deepseated. The party in power
has devoted itself for years to stir
ring up the hatred of the poor
against the rich. No Jack Cade
ever made more unblushing eff
forts to hold the mob by the offer
of the loot of the rich.
Power and responsibility sober
men, an dthe Democracy has tried
to forget its old errors, but its
thinking is so saturated with hos
tility to al successful enterprise
that Congress has found itself un-
able to deal with business ques-
lions in business way. 1t has re-
fused to accept assistance of bust
ness men in framing business leg
lslaton, because it has been de-
clarlng for generation that the
way to frame a business law is to
ind out what the business men
want and then give them the OPP
posite
Mr.. Roots emphasis upon the
business incapacity of the Admin
iStratlon was none too strenuous
And his declaration that the coun-
try was determined to have
change corresponds with the con-
illusions Of all other observer. The
conditions that prevail now are
very much like those which pre-
ceded the campaign of 1896. The
Democracy, then, was bowling down
to the false gods of free silver and
initiation, and the business men of
the nation decided that if national
bankruptcy was to be avoided the
Democracy must be kept out of
power. Party loyalty was subor-
dlnated to business honor, and in
every great commercial centre De-
mocrats and Republicans worked
shoulder to shoulder for sound
money and Mckinley. in spite of
the fact that Mckinley had once
been tanned with the free silver
heresy.
The Democracy today snot at
lacking the gold standard. but its
policy is attacking the very struc-
ture of business itself Some anna
tours who do not know the differ
ence between sight draft and a
Texas zephyr have been laying
down rules intended to make big
business little, because. forsooth,
every man who is richer than any
other man is liar and a horse
thief and ought to be in prison. The
Republican party has been infect
ed with the same germ. Mr.. Taft
boosted that he had proved that
the antitrust law had teeth in it
but he also proved that the teeth
did nothing but tear and rend with
out effecting any cure of what he
was pleased to call business evils.