Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-11

of it is that few men cannot deter
mine the interests of a large body Of
men, and that the only way to deter
mine them and advance them is to have
representative assembly chosen by
themselves get together and take COM
mon counsel regarding them. And do
you not notice that in every great oc-
cupation in the United States there Is
beginning to be more and more of this
common counsel, and have you not
noticed that the more common counsel
you have the higher the standards are
that are insisted upon?
Il attended the other day the con-
gress of the advertising men, and their
motto is Truth and fair dealing in
what you represent your business to
be and your goods to be- I have no
doubt that IN every association like this
the prevailing sentiment is that only
by the highest standards mean the
highest moral standards-can you
achieve the most permanent and salts
factory business results. Was that the
prevalent conception before these as
sociattons were drawn together? Have
you not found the moral judgment of
the average man steadies the whole
process and clarifies it? Do you not
know more after every conference with
your fellows than you did before?
Value Of Common Counsel.
"I never went into a committee of
any kind upon any important public
matter, or private matter so far as
that Is concerned. that did not come
out with an altered judgment and,
knowing much more about the matter
than when I went in, and rot only
knowing much more. but knowing that
the common judgment arrived at was
better than / could have suggested
when I went in. That is the universal
experience of candid men, and If II
were not so, there would be no object
in congresses like this.
And yet, whenever we attempt legis-
lation, we find ourselves in this case:
We are not in the presence of the
many who can counsel wisely, but We
are in the presence of the few wno
counsel too narrowly. and the thir
that we have been trying to break
away from is not that these gentlemen
who constituted the narrow circles OF
advice should be excluded from the
advice, but that they should be asso
ciated with hundreds of thousands of
their fellow-citizens.
Il have had some say that I was not
accessible to them, and when / in
CURED into it l found they meant that
did not personally invite them. They
being invited, and they did not care to
come, if they came upon the same terms
with everybody else, knowing that
everybody else was welcome whom l
ndu the time TO CONFER Win.
Am l telling you things unobserved
by you? Do you not know that these
things are true? And do you not be-
lieve with me that the affairs of the
nation can be better conducted upon
the basis of general counsel than upon
the basis of special counsel? Men are
colored and governed by their occupa
tons and surroundings and their hab
its. If l wanted to change the law radi-
cally, l would not consult lawyer.
Would Consult Rank and File.
'If wanted to change business meth
DDS radically, I would not consult a
man who made a conspicuous success
by using the present methods that 1
wanted to change. Not because / would
distrust these men. but because l would
know that they would not change their
thinking overnight, that they would
have to go through a long process of
acquaintance with the circumstances
of the time, the new circumstances of
the time, before they could be convert
ed to my point of view. You get a good
deal more light on the street than you
do in the closet. You get a good deal
more light by keeping your ears open
among the rank and file of your fellow
citizens than you do in any private con-
ference whatever. 1 would rather hear
what the men are talking about on the
trains and in the shops and by the fire.
side than hear anything else, because l
want guidance and I know l could get
it there, and what 1 am constantly ask
ing is that men should bring me that
counsel, because l am not privileged to
determine things independently Of this
counsel. l am your servant, not your
ruler.
"One thing that we are now trying
to convert the small circles to. that the
big circles are already converted to,
is that this country needs a merchant
marine and ought to get one. i have
found that l had a great deal more
resistance when / tried to help bust
ness than when / tried to interfere
with it. / have had a great deal more
resistance of counsel, of special coun-
sell when / tried to alter the things
that are established than when I tried
to do anything else. We call ourselves
Il liberal nation, whereas, matter
of fact, we are one of the most con-
sentative nations in the world If
you want TO make enemies, try to
change something. You know why it
is To do things today exactly the
way you did them yesterday saves
thinking 1t does not cost you any
thing. You have acquired the habit,
you know the routine: you do not have
to plan anything. and it frightens you
with a hint of exertion to learn that
you will have to do it a different way
tomorrow.