Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-02-19
IN TIME OF WAR.
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Japanese war, which lasted Is months
Every eight days it rolls up cost eqla
to that Of the whole Boer war; ever
three weeks that of the Franco-Prlssiar
! war and every 80 days sees totally wastec
sum equal to the whole cost OF Our great
Civ1l War Of four long years The 81,
greatest world-wars of the last l25 year
| aggregated only one-sixth what this on,
has cost already. II is costing evcry
man, woman and child in America al
present Is CENTS day ;of England, "a cents
oi france, 50 cents; Of Russia, 10 cents
of Italy, % cent?, Of Germany, 40 cents
and OF Austria-Hungary, II cents. Every
, day it levies an expenditure of no less than
10000, 600 upon Uncle Sam And all this
to crafty the heliish cupidty of an age,
rittcn pervert who would tear down for
| his own glorlfication all that the blood Of
heroes has achieved for human freedom
| and sound government In a millennium
Surely 1T ought TO impel every loyal Ameri-
can TO new resolve to stand by the gov
ernrnent-our government; not that OF
some potentate-by saving, by sacrifice
In giving, by struggling, by firm resolve
to bend every ounce OF energy tn win a
speedy peace and stamp forever from
ldealism of Teutonic philosophy"
The toll so far ne estimated as follows
Total lives lost in the war, l2,4OO. 900:
wounded, 26,OO0,O 600; permanently dis
abled "a 600, 900; loss Of population. b.
600, 600; prisoners. 5,lG0, 600: tonnage
destroyed $500 ships, II 10000
III ever there was doubt Of the LOYALTY
of our business men and corporations. !"
he said ne events of the past few months
have dispclled it. In time of nationd peril,
selfish interests vanished and everything
WAS made available for the national de-
fense e-men, fortunes, plants, patents,
processes, even lives. Men whose expert
ence and ability had made their business
achievements the wonder Of the world
whose salaries ran into six and even seven
figures. whose fortunes and financial
interests were measured in millions
forgot 1T all In their sense Of duty. Hun
dreds Of our captains Of industry closed
their desks and hurried 10 Washington
Their zeal to serve the nation rivalled
that Of the boys in khaki.
DIFFERENCES REcoNcTLED.
"In the face Of common menace,
differences have been reconciled and today
the men who have made industry great
who have built up natural resources into
greatly enhanced productive values, who
have created our grcat distributivc ma
chlpery and expanded our markets are
working with equal assidutv for I ncie
Sam very commonly ~ salaries of ono
dollar year Never ~ tho hi4tors of the
nation has tii.re been such IN array of
brains and ..bility At Washington. and
never before has Uncle Sam registered
such achievements
IT IS popular to belittle our prepared
ness for the war. but if ono will consider
what has been accomplished in the short
time since we actually went into the fray.
criticism eill be changed into enconiums Of
praise | might tell you Of accomplish
nentS That in comparison with normal
government activities read like the story
nf Aladdin and his lamp You are all
familiar with the wonderful work Of Mr.
Hoover In revolutIonlzing the ideals Of
business that have prevailed for q thou
sand years He has not accomplished the
impossible, but he has done more than any
other food dictator on earth, in meeting
the criss and has the grace to frankly
admit that it would have been impossible
had he net adopted and annexed the food
producers and distributors as a co-ordinat-
ed machine of tried and proved efficiency,
rather than antagonized and fought them,
as has so long been customary
Il might tell you Of the prodigious tasks
OF our shIpbuildlng program. of training
and equIpping our army, Of building can
tonment cities IN days instead Of months
which would have been impossible else
where, or here before the business vollin-
teer jumped into harness with ali his
practice and skill in making possible the
impossible. know OF great organizations
that have been turned over 10 the govern
meDt intact for specific tasks-unselhshly
and without cost
The lesson Of the hour Is that We have
heretofore been wrong in oar attitude to-
ward business We have neglected TO
annex big bus ness to our national institu-
tion by helpfulness and encouragement
and friendly corporation Rather we
antagonlzed il. meddled with it, inter-
fered with il: regulated II bv political
quibbIers and put our industrial leaders in
!ali Could anyone expect the highest
efficiency under such conditions of mis-
and anmoSity'
1t may have been true at one time that
the idealism OF the oId-time business man
was faulty, even menaclng, TO the spirit
OF democracy; that great fortunes and
personal power were being concentrated
into fewer and fewer hands till democracy
seemed in danger But democracy was
not IN danger. She proved adequate TO
right her own wrongs. The sherman law
checked the trusts and brought the
offenders 10 such a realization of their
BUSINESS HAS BEEN MISJUDGED.
'The American business man has been
sadly misjudged and the time has come !
or public opinion to modify It's views, |
and adopt an attitude of construction |
-ather than destruction toward him. /
Dur captains of industry must play their |
-ightful part in the work of reconstruc- |
ION, with the full confidence of the pub !
ic, if We are to succeed. We have al |
owed jealousy and ayarice and class
to blind our eyes TO the truth
hat no industry can flourish unless all /
hree of It's partners employers en-
)loyas and the community work to-
,ethor to common end, Just rs we have
ately been working to the common end
# national defence We have allowed
lass antagonism to dominate our political
motives and imagined that laws must be
nacted TO make business men good. Laws
" the thousands are passed by our
legislatures and by Congress. catering TO
popular fancy and adding 10 the popu-
arity of the politician and the theorist,
mt III the end only hampering business.
statistics for the past nine wears show
hat Congress and the various States
AVE been placing on the statute books an
verage of over s, 500 laws year, MANY
il them directly or indirectly hamper