The broad ax., 1916-04-15

r Of a prominent New
York newspaper.
Government is a BUSINESS, and a
BIG BUSINESS.
Seagoing and overland commerce
taxation, tariffs, rate regulation, mo-
nopoly regulation, the mails and par
cells posts, conservation Of resources,
development and maintenance Of wa
terways, the huge payrolls Of Govern
ment employees, the courts Of justice,
the national revenue collectors and pO-
lice. the army and navy-what are all
these but pure business problems, de-
handing the same trained and capable
business executive direction that any
great business concern demands?
What board of directors would think
of hiring a professor Of Sanskrit 30 be
president Of a great railroad?
: What huge shipbuilding or engineer
ing concern would select per1patedc
stump orator or lyceum lecturer to
direct its activities?
BIG Business Men Needed
Big business concerns seek big bust
ness men with big business brains to
be executive chiefs.
Now, here is this big business cor
poration in which every one Of US, big
and little, is a stakeholder United
States of America.
1t is the BIGGEST BUSINESSCON-
Germ the world ever saw.
And what do we do every four years
by way Of selecting a head for this
wonderful, gigantic business concern?
Why, we always select a man who
has never shown enough business abn-
ity to run a one-horse draying concern.
In the fifty years that have elapsed
since Abraham Lincoln died not one
of the eleven Chief Executives OF this
colossal business corporation called the
United States has had the SLIGHT
EST BUSINESS TRAINING or any
acquaintance with the complex, varied,
ramifying and interrelated problems Of
finance, production, transportation and
world exchange upon which depend the
welfare and prosperity Of the whole
people and of each individual citizen
Hindrance of Prosperity.
Is it any wonder that our national
business is one long serial story OF
stupid HINDRANCE OF PROSPER
ITY, stupid depression Of commerce
and trade, stupid opposition to the for
ward impulses of business cooperation
and consolidation and Of wasteful and
criminally extravaganza expenditure OF
the peoples money to the tune OF thou
sands of millions?
Is it any wonder that we WASTE
each year an amount Of money that
would fortify our coasts, stock our
magazines with ammunition, equip our
navy properly and SECURE BEYOND
| ANY POSSIBLE DANGER the safety
Of our country?
Suppose that just once, by way Of
experiment, we gently, but firmly and
positively, set the whole lot Of PROBES
sional politicians, horn-blOwing ora
tors, brief1ess lawyers, pretty phrase
makers, theoretical schoolmasters and
all that sort ON a shelf in the back
woodshed and put q BIG, BRAlNf'
CAPABLE, EXPERIENCED BUSl-
NESS MAN, who has done big things
well all his life, in the chair OF the
President of the United States?
What do you think about this, ein-
zens?
For an Idea, Not an Individual
The views expressed in the above
editorial are exactly the views held by
THOUSANDS OF INFLUENTIAL
BUSINESS MEN throughout the coun-
try. As an outgrowth of this sentiment
there has been formed an organization
called the Business Mems PreSidentai
League, which has for its object tne
exploitation of an idea instead OF an
Individual. What it seeks to orinS
about is the nomination of candldale
for president WHO CAN BE ELECI-
ED: also to prevent action next JUDE
at Chicago that would be party SUI
eide.
An All Round Business Man
To win next November the Repue
Iican party must DESERVE TO WIZ
That means we must have candluA.o
who first of all merits and cOmmann',
the confidence of the business men u
the nation. Among the prominent ms !.
mentioned as candidates who Wou'I
meet this demand is General ColenA =
du Point, of Delaware. Du PonL :
distinctly a business man. de -
, been everything, from a MINER VIZ
ing with a pick and shovel, to tne -
rector of one of our greatest indusu
corporations. He has built ana
aged railroads and Is banker alI ~. .
farmer. In every line his acnv uIT
; have been SIGNALLY SUCCESS -
and no man has had a more varieu :
perience to equip him for the ~
dency. He Is the kind OF man .sh
, could save to the taxpayers Oh ~.
country the three hundred r-'lnUn "A
lars that the late Senator Aldricn ~
were wasted annually In runmns
public business.