Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-05-02

for It on the largest scale, we drifted
into it sternforemost, having shown
ourselves helplessly unable to pro.
vide In the smallest degree to make
our vast strength effective"
Col. Roosevelt reiterated his prev.
i0usly-uttered opinions regarding a
need for larger army and navy and
pointed to conditions in Europe and
Mexico as illustrating he country's
needs In this respect.
Discussing industrial preparedness,
Col Roosevelt declared that without
1t 'there can be no full preparation
for military service"
"Unless our industries are highly
efficient" he said and moreover are
trained for this particular work in
advance, the penalty will inevitably
be paid in the shape OF dreadful loss
Of life among our soldiers. Such a
need cannot be met by government
owned and managed plants, although
there should be some such to serve
as checks and regulators. The need
is to train, to educate many business
firms by means OF giving them orders
in time OF peace for the various things
which the government would need in
enormous quantities in time Of war.
there should be a survey Of the pro-
ducng resources Of the country and
the development and practical work
ing.out In time of peace OF plans for
minimum annual educational orders
to be placed by the army and navy
with thousands of firms widely distri-
buted geographically, and the enroll
ment in time Of peace OF the skilled
labor which it is necessary to keep
on the job in time Of war. We shall
need organized business in time of
war just as in time Of peace. Our
duty is to- encourage it, but also to
see that it's activities are for thu
benefit Of the whole country. The
government should provide AGAINST
excessive profit making, in time Of
war; and it can only do this as Sc
quence to reasonable encouragement
Of the many private plants which in
the event of war could be trusted to
do public business. These plants,
through some such system as the an.
nual educational orders above refer
red to, could be made ready for eff
cient munitions work in time Of war.
The government encouragement could
be also used to secure as one Of its
features those things for labor which
it is most necessary to secure; proper
working and living conditions and
provisions for insurance compensa'
ton against sickness, accident and
old age.
Not one step has been taken by
Congress to help secure these indus.
trial conditions. Not one step has
been taken to secure the nationalist.
ton OF industry in time Of war. Tho
railroad business in particular. In so
far as interstate commerce and every
thing directly or indirectly connected
with it is concerned, should be made
a national matter, with a national To-
corporation law, and the whole power
OF regulation (which should itself be
part of a process Of encouragement)
lodges in the Federal Commission, the
purpose being to encourage the busl'
ness in every legitimate way, while
also seeing that It is managed In the
interest of the public no less Of the
investors, managers and wage.work-
ers. We can have no national econo.
mic program until we make ourselves
really nation. National needs can.
not be met BY conflicting locality &C.
tions. This is the age Of cooperation.
Surely if we really are business
people this means that there should
be cooperation and not hostility be-
tween the government and the mighty
agencies through which alone modern
business, especially international
business, can be managed. Let the
government regulate the corporations;
but let this regulation be an incident
OF hearty cooperation with them, to
secure their well-being and also the
well-being of those who work for them
and Of those for whom they work.
CAPITAL must be organized on large
scale just as labor must be organized
on a large scale; but, both forms OF
organization must justify themselves
by showing that they are not only
beneficial to themselves but to the
people as a whole.
NO torn OF government will sur
vive unless it can justify it's exist
ence. Boosting about democracy
won't make democracy succeed. We
are the greatest democratic republic
and we are false not only to our own
country but to democracy everywhere
if we do not seriously endeavor to
show, ny our actions and success, that
' with Ut the many men can make
nation as efficient as elsewhere ma
lions have been made efficient by
few men.
I'VE cannot afford to leave this
democracy Of ours inefficient. II We
ob it awill assuredlv some day go
down in ruin. We cannot afford to
tolerate with cynical Indifference the
pork-barrel theories Of government SO
dear to the hearts of politicians al
the baser sort With a wealth of
billions of dollars, and a population OF
one hundred million, we cannot afford
to be in condition Of utterly un-
stable social and industrial eQuili-
brium, nor to see our sons grow up
stepped in sporot of mere selfish
individualism, without self-control or
discipline or sense of cooperation, or
firmness of purpose. We have great
individual capacity. This we must
AHNk