Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-08-19
"Timid" America.

"Tlmio' America.
Editor Kennebec Journal:
| Speaking before the Worlds Sales
manship Congress at Detroit on July
10th. President Woodrow Wilson said
some very pleasing things; and when
viewed in the light of we'll known
facts they become very amusing
things.
| For instance he used the following
language: America of all countries
| in the world, has been timid and has
not until within the last two or three
years provided itself with the funda-
mental instrumentalities for playing a
large part in the trade of the world.
America, which ought to have had the
broadest vision of any nation, mas
raised up an xtraordinary number OF
provincial thinkers, men who thought
provincialiy about business, men who
thought that the United States was
not ready to take her competitive part
| in the struggle for the peaceful con-
quest Of the world"
James j. Hill, now of honored men,
cry, conceived a transportation COM
pany that should circumnavigate the
globe and was progressing rapidly
when the government interfered ana
prevented the consunmation Of his
dream. Does the President of the
United States libel the memory OF
James ]. Hill as a provincial thinker
and actor or does he criticise the gov
ernment of the United States for the
part it took? A more specific state
ment is respectfully requested.
| E. H. Hartman conceived trans
portation system that should extend
from New York City to the Pacific
Coast, southwark across Mexico,
across the Isthmus, across Central
America, and across South America,
but the government supplemented by
death prevented contamination. Will
the President Of the United States
please designate the object Of his
criticism? Is it Mr.. Hartman or the
Government?
The Standard Oil Company did cir
cumnavigate the earth. 1t conveyed
its products across the continent in
tank cars and pipe lines, carried 1t
beyond all seas in tank steamers, took
it pretty much the entire length of the
Andes mountain ranges, on the backs
of caravans of llamas, two thousand
miles up the Yanktzee River by boat
and thence for thousand miles in
land on the backs of coolies to the
very heart Of China, but the courts
dissolved it because other concerns
had not done the same thing, but had
left 1t an unprovincial monopoly. Yet
the constituent COMPANIES that for
merly comprised the Standard Oil
Company are still rendering the ser
vice which the President seems to de-
fire and without governmental inter-
ference. Is the Standard OH Com
pany big enough and unprovincial
enough to suit President Woodrow
Wilson. or does he classify the men
back Of it as among the "extraordi-
nary number Of provincial thinkers
who have thought the United States
not ready to take her competitive
part in the struggle for the peaceful
conquest of the world" Shall it en-
large and extend its operations or quit
entirely? Will the President please
be more specific?
The International Harvester Com
pany, as it's name implies, undertook
to carry American perfected agricul-
tural implements across all seas anu
under all skies and to anticipate the
Injunction with which the President
closed the speech referred to go out
and sell goods that will make the
world more comfortable and more
happy and convert them to the princi-
pies Of America" Does President
Woodrow Wilson approve or disap
prove of the International Harvester
Company or does he approve Of the ef-
fects Of the government to limit its
operations? Will he please specify?
| The United States Steel Corporation
claims to have sought in a quiet and
unobtrusive way to be unprovincial
and finding it impossible to compete
in overseas transportation against
subsidized ships Of other countries
that are ever ready to carry domestic
freight at nominal rates and fire.
quently gratis, charging extra for con-
veying American products, purchased
ships that it might put the products
Of American labor or the Western
coast OF South America. up into
Alaska and Vancouver. but 1t too
found itself in the tolls Of judicial
proceedings instituted by the govern
ment. The fact that it was able to
show itself guiltless did not prevent
the government, under the direction Of
our orator President from prosecuting
an appeal with the avowed intent to
force the United States Steel Cor
poration to be provincial in both
thought and conduct. Will the Presi-
dent please square his actions in the
premises with his speech at Detroit, or
square future speeches with his acts?
The great packing houses and the
United Fruit Company have each
sought to be provincial. but the for
mer has not escaped the courts nor
has the latter avoided the watchful
eye Of the ubiquitous army Of high
ealaried inspectors. investigators and
prosecutors. Does the President in