The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1916-04-21

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
GELS posts, conservation Of resources,
development and maintenance Of wa
terways, the huge payrolls Of Govern
ment employees, the courts Of justice,
lice, the army and navy-what are all
these but pure business problems, de-
manding the same trained and capable
business executive direction that any
great business concern demands?
What board of directors would think
Of hiring q professor Of Sanskrit to be
president Of a great railroad?
What huge shipbuilding or engineer
ing concern would select peripatetic
stump orator or a 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 stockholder-the United
States Of America.
It is the BIGGEST BUSINESS CON-
Germ the world ever saw.
And what do we do every four years
by way Of selecting head for this
wonderful, gigantic business concern?
Why, we always select man who
has never shown enough business abil-
ity to run 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 eStravagant expenditure OF
the peoples money to the tune of thou
sands of m.lnoas?
Is 1t 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 DANGEI, the safety
OF our country?
Suppose that just once. by way of
experiment. we gently. but firmly and
positively. set the whole lot OF profess
sional politicians. horn-b,owing ora
tors. briefess lawyers. pretty phrase
makers. theoretical schoolmasters and
all that sort on Il shelf In the back
woodshed AMI put BIG. BRAINY.
CAPABLE EXpEnlENCED BUSI
NESS NAN. who has done big things
well al his life, I'm the chair Of the
President OF the United States?
What do you think about this. citi-
ZensI
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 On outGrowth Of this sentiment
there has been formed an organization
called the business Mems Presidential
League. which has for its object the
exploitation of an idea instead of an
Individual. What 1t seeks 10 bring
about is :hc nomination Of Il candidate
for president WHO CAN BE ELECT
ED. also 10 prevent action next June
ut Chicago that would be party sui
eide.
An All Rund Buoiness Man.
To win Ecxt November the Repub-
ilcan party must DESERVE TO WIN.
That means we must have candidate
VIM uiSl VI
the confidence Of the business men Of
the nation. Among the prominent men
mentioned as candidates who would
meet this demand Is General Coleman
du FONT, OF Delaware. Du Pont is
distinctly q business man. He has
been everything, from a miner, work
ing with pick and shovel, to the d.
rector Of one Of our greatest Industrial
corporations. He has built and man
aged railroads and is banker and q
farmer. In every line his activities
have been SIGNALLY SUCCESSFUL,
and no man has had more varied ex-
perience to equip him for the Presi-
dency. He is the kind Of man who
could save to the taxpayers Of this
country the three hundred million dol
lars that the late Senator Aldrich said
were wasted annually In running the
public business.