The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1916-04-29

BIZ Blu SlNESS.
Seagoing and overland commerce
taxation. tariffs, rate regulation, mo-
nOpoly regulation, the mails and par
cells posts, conservation of resources.
and maintenance Of wa
terways, the huge payrolls of Govern
ment employees, the courts Of justice,
the national revenue collectors and DO
lice. the army and navy-what are all
these but pure business problems, de-
handing the same trained and capable
business executive direction that any
great business concern demands2
What board Of directors would think
Of hiring a professor Of Sanskrit 10 be
president of a great railroad?
What huge shipbuilding or engineer
ing concern would select a peripatetc
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 rs, 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 a head for this
wonderful, gigantic business concern?
Why, we always select a man who
has never shown enough business abfl-
ity to run a 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 1t 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 extravagant expenditure Of
the peoples money to the tune Of thou
sands of millions?
Is it 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 DANGER the safety
OF our country?
Suppose that just once, by way OF
experiment, we gently, but firmly and
positively, set the whole lot Of PROBES
sional politicians, horn-blowing ora
tors, briefiess lawyers, pretty phrase
makers. theoretical schoolmasters and
all that sort OH a shelf In the back
woodshed and put a BIG, BRANY'
CAPABLE, EXPERIENCED BUsl-
NESS MAN, who has done big things
well all his life, in the chair OF the
President of the United States?
What do you think about this, Gu
Gems?
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 an outgrowth Of this sentiment
there has been formed an organization
called the Business Mems Presidential
League, which has for its object tne
exploitation of an idea instead OF an
Individual What it seeks to 0r1ns
about is the nomination of candidate
for president WHO CAN BE ELECI-
ED, also to prevent action next june
at Chicago that would be party SUI
eide.
An All Round Business Man
To win next November the Repup
hcan party must DESERVE TO WIN
That means we must have canoluA.'
who first of all merits and commanu.
the confidence of the business men "
the nation. Among the prominent Ws.
mentioned as candidates who "ou'D
meet this demand is General CoIen
du Pont. Of Delaware. Du Pon.
distinctly a business man. DE -
been everything. from a miner WI =
ing with a pick and shovel. to tns ~,
rector of one of our greatest induSH
corporations. He has built anu a.
aged railroads and is banker - -.
farmer. In every line his acuT1T
have been SIGNALLY SUCCESS
and no man has had more yaris g.t
perience to equip him for the ~ "a.
dency. He is the kind Of man n tss
could save to the taxpayers s,,, ?, sot
country the three hundred r-'lliCn "a "a
bars that the late Senator Aldrlcu. "A
were wasted annually In running