The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-10-23
WHEELING 1NTELL.GENCEB

| the realty OF forces that operate In the
! winds nnd III" water currents and IN the
, mov"m"n; If the stars. And that IL
f, what "" rs q nation have 80 far refused
Ia do We will not confess tho reality OF
! Tho most Obvious social forces.
! W. must face tho tAcl that the Anglo
! French Alliance was substantially beaten
TO the bottom of its economic strength
! Il, thu moment when we began 10 fight.
! and therefore hat d"InE as the EnS lIsh
and rrrch have dune IN economic matters
! Is no, a promising prescription for tho
; winning Of the war.
We must face what the English people,
with their new ''NatioaGl' party dedt-
Gated /" Reform and Defense" are he
. ginning 10 fAce--tha fact that Internal
reconstruction cannot be postponed until
! after the war. II has been amply shown
that business mon do not lack patriot
ism. And y.t Secretary Ian" might as
well "whiSli:. down Il rain barrel as
spend his beautiful language IN eHhort-
ing convention o; business rlrn-cach
; wrestling in the moral and physical tolls
OF our actual business Systcm-t" con-
Sdtr tho lilies and take no thought for
profits.
In our actunl corporate organization
Of BUSINESS every Industrial executive
stands in Il fliuciary relation To his In
vesiors. and. in view " tho mounting
costs Of production. the pressure OF cnlE.
pc,It"rS lnd the general precariuusncss
rt the business structure. t. IL morally
impossible that he should be careless OF
profits.
Mr.. Lane SAYS: We have shown that
we can mako money; now let US show
|. that W.. can make war" Excellent. The
only trquple Is that tho business machine
is not yet geared {" make war. II Is
Scared IN mako money. 1t Is adjusted In
every wheel and cor H. sustain and Ill
crease the incomes 81 the investing class.
1t should he obvious to 50 well-vlsi"n"d
. a man as Mr.. Lane that II is lmposS!hl"
, 10 do wonderful things in tho way "t
making money. and wonderful things in
war making, with tho same kind Of
working system.
nm privileged TO know something OF
the mental character OF the Secretary "f
the Interior, and | am sure he under
stands that In order TO make war effect
lively. il Is necessary that the business
system 10 mndernized. that II he sup
piled with new and powerful eenters ct
financial coulrnl and that these be uper-
ated not t. make money for Il class. hut
10 make goods for the country. fio un-
cdrstands how bad business can hc heat
! en- by good business and hig business by
business that is still higger--Hnd wiser.
! lie knows that the individual cannot
change the rules OF the great game, that
the individual ~ II victim Of the rules
and that they can b. altered - more
! social purpose only Ivy IL powerful social
impulse directly by masteriul and mag
unanimous men.
II Is rcGrettahle that Mr.. Lane did not
say plainly nj Atlantic City what he
knows; that IN speaking Of dangerous
domestic discomfort no did not point out
the solid reason why st. Faui does not
come to terms with Atlantic CITY and
show how. through swift business re-
organization. We may get out OF that
| drift toward Hoc !al'stic encrvation which
has thrown France. England. Italy and
Russia, all helpless and supnlIant. into
our fraternal but unready arms.