New-York tribune., 1918-03-11
Suspicion

tical, everyday morality Of people.
Business does not determine the nature
of people, but the nature of people
determines the character of their busi-
ness. Though two nations did business IN
identical commodities, they would do 1t
differently, according to their disparities
of genius and temperament.
Germanys business is German
Japan's business is japanese.
England's business is British.
Americas business is American.
Each one, as you name it, has its spe-
cial and appropriate associations.
1t has been so as far back as you can
90. The business of ancient Greece was
Greek-that is, cunning, cruel and ut
terly unethical And that was the only
kind of business possible in Greece, be-
cause the people themselves, in their
highest representation, were intellectu-
ally brilliant and spiritually empty.
And now we ask, not as an interroga-
tion, but as challenge:
What is the character of American
business?
The answer involves all of us. IF
American business is cunning, selfish and
low, so are people generally cunning,
selfish and low.
We do not believe it is. Nobody really
does who stops to reflect. We know bet
ter We are not that kind of people.
People who so enthusiastically embrace
the idealism expressed and symbolized by
Mr.. Wilson cannot have evolved among
them business fundamentally wrong or
unethical. There could not be that dis
crepancy between precept and practice.
Therefore, we say American business
cannot deserve the distrust with which
it, is regarded at Washington.
The attitude of the government toward
business, we think, is tragically mistaken
Human nature responds to confidence.
The government obliges business to
respond to suspicion.
If we had any lingering reservations
as to the character of. American business
they would be removed by the manner in
which business on the whole does re-
spond to the governments suspicion.
1t responds as if suspicion were con-
fdence, and says: "But Washington does
not know any better"
And if this were not the spirit of
American business we should despair, for
without the unlimited and sacrificing CO.
operation of business we could not win
the war.
We know of not one case in which that
spirit has failed.
The government, with all its distrust and
with power to examine all the facts,
has not been able to fasten a scandal upon
business; yet it has cast reproach and
suspicion upon business in way to in
fame dangerous prejudice and multiply
the American Bolsheviki.
Take Hog Island as the most dramatic
instance.
On February 13 the President made
public letter directing the Attorney
General, on complaint of Mr.. Hurley, of
the Shipping Board, to investigate "some
very serious facts" which had been de-
veloped in relation to "the company oper-
ating at Hog Island" with view to
"instituting criminal process" if the
facts justified it.
The company operating at Hog Island
was the American International Cornora-
ton, typical American engineering con-
Germ, ready ON short notice to change
rivers course, build a thousand miles
OF railway in China, move Pixies Peak
or construct the worlds largest ship
yard on a piece of mud floating in the
Delaware River.
we knew no more than that about the
American international Corporation. We
turned over the leaves of Moody's Corpo-
Tation Manual to see who the directors
were They were all very eminent rep
resentatiyes Of American business. One
had just left the biggest Job in Wall
street to go to Washington for "a dollar
year" and run Mr. McAdoo's thrift
campaign.
FIRST we wrote an editorial saying we
didn't believe that men like these would
swindle their government or allow any
corporation Of which they were directors
to do 80. Then we telegraphed to one
OF. our staff men at Washington-Thco-
dore NJ. Knappen--to go to Hog Island
and sec what wag there He was to
write what he found, whatever it was.
What he found was an epic Of Ameri-
can business in war time. His articles
have been running almost daily on this
page. We have read each one of them
with q thrill Of joy. In such achieve
ment. under great difficulties. including