Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-10-25
HOW WILSON BUILT Up
BUSINESS OF COUNTRY
Administrations Record Reviewed
by MISUNDERSTANDING
VrOoman.
MISTAKES OF PAST uNDoNE
Total Estimated Wealth of United
states Has Increased From $751;
70O,OOO,0OO In 1912 to $22S,O OO,-
100000 at Present Time.
by CARL vR00MAN.
Assistant Secretary OF Aprlcul,u,

"H"tnnt secretary OF Agriculture.
What is the attitude OF the Wilson
administration toward business? Is It
unfriendly. captious tyrannical and
Hlndictive, as is being assorted by the
walking delegates OF high finance?
Or Is 1t sympathetic. friendly and help
ful? In other words. has the admin.
istration's attitude been destructive or
constructive? Has II utilized the
mighty machinery Of government for
the purpose OF thrOttling or Of pro-
noting American business?
Witness the well-remcmbcred vogue
Of the Roosevelt big stick" and the
futile and farcical grand stand plays
ut trust busting" which marked the
Taft regime. Compare this noisy but
barren beating of the bush with the
quiet achievements of the Wilson ad-
mtnistration in the same field. Mr..
Wilson neither began any war OF words
on the corporate giants OF the time. nor
started any costly and futile campaign
or corporation batting or destruction.
lie Quietly set all his forces i'm motion
TO lnauguratc an era OF business re-
construction along legitimate lines.
The result has been that II large por-
ton Of the business world has been
quietly adapting it's methods and pur-
poses to the higher standards of the
new freedom.
MUCH DONE TO BOOST
LEGITIMATE BUSINESS
1t Is not easy to measure the i'm
portance Of the fact that. while fewer
special faroTs have been granted to
special interests during Tie present ad-
ministration than during any other re-
cent administration. more actually has
n
boost legitimate business. big and little,
urban and rural. than was accom-
plished by any half-dozen preceding
administrations
II is difficult to conceive how the
discriminating American business man
can regard az other than friendly AN
administration which has given him:
The Federal reserve act. which rem
ders future money panics impossible.
and insurcS TO every American business
man. in lean years as well as fat years.
In war times as we'll as in piping
times Of peace all the credit to
which he is Justly entitled:
The Federal Trade Commission.
which furnishes gratuitous expert as
sistance to corporations endcavoring TO
organize and operate on basis Of eff
fciency and fair dealing:
The Underwood tariff act which put
the nccessarics of life on the free list.
reduced or abolished the tariff on raw
materials, and opened wide our ports
To foreign commerce. both import and
export:
The Tariff Commission. which. so far
as is humanity possible, will take the
tariff out of politics and make full
provision for every real need OF -hmcri-
can business and industry:
The war risk insurance law. without
which our foreign commerce during the
past two years would have been
crippled and cut of:
RIGHT Of ENTRY
INTO GERMANY
The Bureau of Foreign Trade Ad-
visors in the state Department, which
secured from the allies the right II
entry into Germany for nearly 1000
900 bales of cotton during the present
war, with the result that the price Of
cotton in this country was practically
doubled:
a staff Of commercial attaches in the
Department OF Commerce. who are
boosting American business in the
markets OF the world:
The rural credit act-thc farmers
financial magma charta;
The Alaska railroad act. opening to
development important agricultural
and mining districts OF Alaska:
The ship-purchase act. laying the
foundation for the rehabilitation Of the
American merchant marine;
The Alaska coal-lcasing act. cncour-
aging the development of Alaskan coal
fields:
The agricultural extension act. dem
onstratinG the most effective scientific
farm methods in every rural COM
munity in the United States in Drac-
teal way that is adding HUNDREDS of
millions OF dollars every year to the
farmers profit and to the nations
prosperity:
The amendment to the Federal re-
serve act, permitting the establishment
Of branch banks in foreign countries
and American depend cnccs.
ONLY POWER DEVOTED
TO ARTS OF PEACE;
For three years President Wilson has
been endeavoring TO undo the mistakes
commerce and industry of this country
upon n sound. permanent basis. by in
creasing the productivity OF labor and
giving justice to the worker and the
consumer as well as to capital and
managerial skill. If he succeeds in
this effort, America at n stride will
become the dominant Industrial, finan-
cial and moral force on our planet.
#