New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-26

III IS, III way, u NdIlOHdl uioSASN'N ~
US, my fellow citizens, that we are pay
ing studious men, capable OF UNDER
standing anything and of conducting
any business, iust about one-third OF
what they could command in the held
of business; and il is one Of the adj
mirable circumstances of American lie
that they are proud TO serve the gov
eminent on a pittance.
"There are such men in the Bureau
of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
They have been studying the foreign
commerce of this country as 1t was
never studied before and have been
making reports so comprehensive and
so thorough that they compare 70 their
great advantage with the reports OF any
similar bureau of any other govern
ment in the world, and have found TO
my amazement that some of the best OF
those reports seem never 10 have been
read. II needed the catastrophe and
the tragedy of this war to awaken
American business r1en TO the fact that
these were the things which they must
know and know at once.
an addition TO that, there was re-
Gently created the Federal Trade Com
mission.
zone Of the functions Of the Federal
Trade Commission is TO inquire with
the fullest powers ever conferred upon
a similar commission in this country
into all the circumstances OF American
business for the purpose of doing for
American business exactly what the De-
partment of Agriculture has so long
and with increasing efficiency done for
the farmer. Here are created search
ing eyes OF inquiry 70 do the very thing
that it was imperatively necessary and
Immediately necessary that the country
should do-look upon the field OF bust
ness and know what was going on.
Non-Partisan Tariff Inquiry.
an the third place, you know that we
have just now done what II was COM
mon sense to do about the tariff. We
have not put this into words, but do
not hesitate to put IL into words.
1--WE have admitted that on the one
side and on the other we were talking
theories and managing policies without
a sufficient knowledge of the facts upon
which we were acting, and therefore
We have established what is intended
to be a non-partisan tariff commission
10 study the conditions with which
legislation has TO deal in the matter Of
the relations of American with foreign
business transactions.
Another eye created 10 see the
fects,' and am hopeful that ! can find
the men who will see the facts and
ttate them, no matter whose opinion
those facts contradict.
"The Tariff Commission is going 70
look for the facts, no matter VINO Is
hurt, so that we are creating one aIIer
another the instrumentalities OF knowl-
edge, so that the business men or TINS
country shall know what the field OF
the worlds business is, and deal with
that field upon that knowledge,
"You know, there was introduced IN
the House of Representative recently
a bill, commonly called the Mepo Dill
for the purpose Of stating II as the
policy of the law of the United states
that nothing in the antitrust laws no"
existing should be interpreted 70 IN
terfere with the proper sort OF CO.
operation among exporters.
Foreign Field Different.
"The foreign field is not like the
domestic field. The foreign held Is
full of combinations meant TO be eN-
elusive. The antitrust laws OF the
United States are intended to prevent
any kind Of combination In the United
States which shall be exclusive OF new
enterprises within che United States
any combination which shall set up
monopoly in America.
But the export business IS very
big business, very complicated pusl,
ness, very expensive business. anu
10 ought to be possible, and 1t Will De
possible and legal, for men engaged IN
exporting to get together and manage
it in groups, so that they can manage
il at an advantage instead OF at as
advantage, as compared with foreign
rivals, not for the purpose OF eNclu
sive and monopolistic combination, Dut
for the purpose OF cooperatloh-ah anu
there is a very wide difference there.
"There can be no jealousy of that,
and if there had been time ! can say
with confidence that this bill which
passed the House OF Representatives
would have passed the Senate OF the
United States also. So that any obsta-
Gle that ingenious lawyers may hnd IN
the antitrust laws will be removed.
Statutes Should Stand.
81 was a lawyer once myself-before
I reformcd-and ! can divide hair
'twixt north and northeast side, but
do not think it is worth while, ana
do not think that statutes are the
places for ingenuity. A statute IS IN
tended to lay down broad and com
prohensive and national policy, and 1t
ought to be read in that light. But
there would be no fun in punctuation
if you had to read it that way.
There must be cooperation, not only
between the government and the bust
ness man, but between the business
men. Shippers must cooperate, and
they ought TO be studying right now
how to cooperate. There are great
many gentlemen in other countries who
can show them how, and they ought to
look forward, particularly, TO caring
for this matter, that they have vehicles
in which 10 carry their goods.
ave must address ourselves imme-
diately and as rapidly as possible to
the recreation Of great American
merchant marine. Our present situa-
ton is very like this: Suppose that a
man who had 4 great department store
did not have any delivery wagons and
depended on his competitors in the
same market TO deliver his goods to his
customers.
"You know what would happen. They
would deliver their own goods first, and
they would deliver yours only if yours
were TO be delivered upon the routes
followed by their wagons.
THAT is an exact picture Of what Is
taking place in our foreign trade at