The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-04-03

Money never could have bought such |
skill could never have
produced them in years; but Amerf-
can patriotism gave them birth over
night, as government agencies.
1T took a Hoover to realize that
the patriotism and loyalty of business
and industry, was of just as fine a
quality as those of any other men.
He realized that the secret of eff,
fciancy was acquiring the men with
the best experience and employing
their ability. 1t is that that has made
SO effective our progress of the past
few months in preparing for the
war.
New Attitude Toward Business.
THE lesson of the hour is that we
have heretofore been wrong in our
attitude toward business. We have
neglected to annex Big Business to
our national institutions by helpful
ness and encouragement and friendly
cooperation. Rather we antagon-
lied it, meddled with it, interfered
with it; regulated it by political
quibblers and put our industrial lead
ers in Jail. Could anyone expect the
highest efficiency under such condi-
tons of misunderstanding and ami
mostly?
The American businessman has
been sadly misjudged and the time
has come for public opinion to modt-
fly its views, and adopt an attitude
of construction rather than destruc
ton toward him. Our captains of in
dustry must play their rightful part
in the work of reconstruction, with
the full confidence of the public, y
we are to succeed. We have allowed
jealousy and avarice and class an
tagonism to blind our eyes to the
truth that no industry can flourish
unless all three of it's partners-em-
ployers, employe and the community
work together to a common end,
just as we have lately been working
to the common end of national de-
Tense.
I'VE have allowed class antagon-
ism to dominate our political motives
and imagined that laws must be en-
acted to make business men good.
Laws by the thousand are passed by
| our Legislatures and by Congress, ca
| tering to popular fancy and adding
| to the popularity of the politician and
the theorist, but in the end only ham
pering business. Statistics for the past
/ nine years show that Congress and
the various states have been placing
on the statute books an average of
over $500 laws year, many of them
directly or indirectly hampering bust
ness.
| Industrial Cooperation.
I'm the reconstruction this must all
| be changed and will be. Already the
truth is dawning. Men who in the
past could never have been coaxed
into sympathetic cooperation with
official life at Washington, have &C
quired an enthusiasm for it which
will last far beyond the war, if prop
erly encouraged. Personally, I look
for a new type of business official in
Washington in the future and high
err type of commercial intelligence
The duty of every true American to-
day is to strive for a better under
standing of the principles of indus
trial prosperity. The public has been
too long in tibet dark. AS Mr.. Van
derlip said not long ago, America is
a nation of economic illiterates' We
know little or nothing Of the work
tngs of competition, or the law OF
supply and demand. We are unin-
formed as to the principles of bust
ness and the problems of production
and distribution.
I'm a somewhat intimate study of
these problems covering many years,
and under the most favorable condi-
lions, want to testify personally that
much of the talk of the high cost of
living reformers is misleading and
deceptive, while 80 per cent. of their
proposed remedies are veritable
bunk I would not deny the bur-
densome growth in living expenses.
We all know too well the truth of
that-but have never yet investi-
gated phase of the question that did
not have it's full and comprehensive
explanation in an economic cause.
For instance, we fail to under
stand how tremendously the growth
of high wages and shorter hours
eminently desirable though they be
has ramif1ed and compounded the in
creasing costs of everything that en-
tiers into life; over and over again
We forget that just as our cost of liv-
ing at home has advanced so has the
cost to every factor who helps to pro
duce or distribute public necessities
We condemn the "middleman' with no
knowledge of the actual service he
performs-a service which must be
performed by someone and which ex-
perience has proven is performed
more efficiently and cheaply with him
J than without him.
Elements In the Cost of Living.
1--WE neglect utterly to study mid
dlemen' from the standpoint of func-
ton and to realize that there are two
distinct types of middlemen-func,
tional and speculative. We talk Of
Spectators without once knowing
who the Spectator is or that we are
: all, inevitably, spectators. 1t is sc
much easier and more popular tc
bunch them all together and pass laws
: and eliminate them than to study
/ their place in the economic scale.
1.-THE ending of the war will pre-.
cipitate new conditions in every lint
: Of human relation. Friendship:
= among nations will readiust CONNER
cial exchange; the money wastage o.
the war will saddle upon us all bur
dens of taxation which will demand
unheard of economies.
| l.