New-York tribune., 1917-06-14

Why do We refuse to consider the applica-
ton OF primary business principles TO the
economies of war? II not America the moth
erand Of big business, and are we not capa-
BILE Of still bigger business than we have ever
done? Why should we abandon our faith IN
industrial freedom? Has the economic sue
cess of England and France been so great
and convincing that we must follow their
lead in the miitarizing Of industry?
It must be set down as fact that UP 70
this date we have made our economic war
preparations in disregard of the natural ana
normal constitution Of the business system.
We have taken il for granted that this con-
s.itution cannot be worked by its own laws
in such manner as 10 serve a social and pa
triotic purpose. Consequently, without con-
sideration or debate, we seem to have aoro-
gated the constitution Of business. We nave
arrested the business system and put 1t undet
control Of the Federal polce-wthin narrow
ing jail limits.
To be sure. we have called some excellent
business men to Washington and are COM
posing with their help a new industrial ou-
reaucracv. But to take the best men out OF
the business system and make bureaucrats OF
.ho,, = rreciselv the most efrectual way TO
discredit and dsintegrate the normal order
o. business.
Abandoning Free Initiative
| know that | speak for considerable
companv Of industrial engineers, technicai
experts and financial organizers IN respect.
rully protesting against this Abandonment OF
tho principles Of free initiative and tree con-
tract.
Up 70 very recent moment the sentiment
a. American business communities was tna'
the existing organization of business was
cspable of correcting its own faults and OF
doing good service to the country without
much help from political officials. But as
things now stand that sentiment seems no
Ior,er 70 he in evidence The present atti-
tude of the most quoted spokesmen of busl-
ross seems 10 be that their ideas Of financial
commercial and industrial self-government
wero academic notions suited only TO fair
weather and festal oratory. They seem con-
font with the implication that business, left
70 itself and freed from political interven-
tion is capable only of doing easy things.
Those for whom | am permitted TO speak
.ofuse 70 believe that these spokesmen rep
resent the general business sense OF the
courtrv-or the Characteristic spirit OF the
American people.
or course it ought to be admitted on all
hands that our business organization was,
on the dav of the declaration OF state OF
war as unprepared to meet the economic
emergency as was the political organization
70 meet the military emergency. 1t snoulo
no admitted that our business system as well
as our political system needs reorganization
The point here is that business ought TO be
,Corganized on business principes-not on
political principles.
The impulse toward the militarizing OF IN
dustry has not yet gone so far that 1t can
no, no stopped II ought to be stopped
there is no chance that it will be more sue.
cossful here than it has been in England and
France On the contrary, there Is every
chance that it will be even less successiui
bore than there. Both of those countries
have tradition of centralized political power
that is foreign to our genius.
Charles P. Steinmetz. in his America and