South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-11-03


work we'll Are they living under the
proper physical conditions a yeo-
pie stunted in their growth or ar
rested In their vitality or hampered
in their physical growth does not
work we'll The roots OF business,
my fellow citizens. lie deep down In
the hearts and thoughts and daily
lives OF the people who crowd about
Us every day on the streets and on
the country side
And the thing that has disturbed
the thought Of "a great many men in
recent years in this country is that
the general body of the people has
got the impression that they are be-
ing exploited. that they are being
used. that their vitality is being
drawn upon in order that Others
might prosper and they get the
crumbs from the table.
Opinion il Vital.
What i am constantly remind
ing myself Of is that opinion is just
as much a fact as any law of physi-
cal nature. If IL has been wrongly
created il can be altered. but un-
iii it is altered IL is something TO
deal with"
The president declared it was
high time we define what we
mean when We say progressive
policy 30. Men have discovered, said
the president. that these things un-
derlie politics-'these feelings, these
conditions OF daily life with which
obscure men are struggling, these
burdens that obscure women are
carrying"
The whole law OF life for bust
ness" ne said. "is the life Of pro-
gression. Stand still and YOU will 90
TO seed. stand still and you will de
cay. Now, one OF the things that has
been the matter with American
business has been this. / am not
saying this in any spirit Of indiCt-
ment. But the real trouble is that
it has been under the direction of
too small a body Of men. We have
short hand expression for that
small body. We call IL Wall street.
Now, that is not fair because there
are men in and about Wall street,
who have a great deal OF vision and
wisdom and public spirit and who
don't intend 20 do anything but
public service in the things they are
undertaking. lit is not a fair term.
| but we have adopted it-and we
will have TO use it, Because. there
are other men in Wall street who
have no vision; who have no thought
except of their own interest; who
have no care for any part of gov
| eminent except 10 control it; who
arc not interested unless they are
| consulted who do not believe that
/ il is safe to do anything without
| consulting them; who do not be-
! lieve that there is anybody outside
! of Their circle, who knows enough
\ TO conduct anything that exceeds
! the limits of a single parish.
You know why the world Ions
| ago, saw, though not all parts of il
have acted upon the perception,
/ that a government that is cOncen-
I trated in the hands of too small a
group of men is a bad government
not because the men are always
| bad. but because they 90 bad soon
er or later; and because more inn
portant than that, they don't know
enough-they are not in touch
with enough parts of the great and
various bodies which they are try
ing 20 direct.
81 have been told again and again
| that fl was a mistake for me not 10
cali into counsel, i'm public affairs,
| the men who constitute what we
/ have agreed TO call Wall street
And I have again and again said
/ this: If they would come in a spirit
! of cooperation, they would be more
7 than welcome. But they always come
/ i'm a spirit of resistance, not only.
| but advising alterations in the plans
which would defeat the plans. l am
/ speaking by the book This is not
| generalization. They have a subtle
| genius for proposing seemingly Inn
material changes which would even
| tually lead TO the defeat OF the main
objects of the legislation proposed.
/ DO YOU wonder that 1 do not call
/ them into consultation, and yet /
\ tell YOU again that they Will be well
/ come the moment they come TO CO.
operate. and they will not be well
come until then"