New-York tribune., 1918-07-01
Wall Street War
Workers Confute
All Muckrakers
Gerhard M. Dahl Says Country
Needs Now Factory More
Than Laboratory Minds

MINNEAPOLIS, June 80. - Wal!
Street men have played a part in the
war that confutes muckrakers in the
mind of the public, according to Ger
hard M. Dahl, vice-president of the
Chase National Bank Of New York. In
an address to the members of the Min
nesota State Bankers Association he
said that out of the great conflict now
being waged there is gradually grow
ing an appreciation of the sterling in
tegrity and high order of ability Of
number of men who have been termed
the big business men Of the United
Statesmen who arc classcd as "Wall
Street men,"
ut is gradually becoming recog-
nized." said Mr.. Dahl, "that this war
now presents chiefly problem Of or
be chiefly intrusted to those accustomed
to creating and operating organizations
OF industry on q large scale.
"rhis is a recognition of the diff
ference between the laboratory and the
factory type of mind. The laboratory
mind is constantly seeking to improve
existing conditions. The laboratory
man is an idealist; he strives for per-
, fection even at the cost of immediate
results. The factory mind is the prac-
tical m which deals with an exist
ing situa.lon n and strives to meet it with
the tools at hand, instead Of striving to
get perfect machine. The laboratory
| mind is never impressed with the I'M
portancc CT the present nor with the
necessity for immediate action. The
factory mind is impressed more with
the necessity for Immediate output in
order to meet an existing given situa-
tion rather than with desire to attain
perfection in the method of handling it.
"ln the beginning this war, so far as
our country is concerned, was being
conducted by too many laboratory and
too few factory minds 1t is now being
turned over to the factory minds, but
the laboratory minds are not being
| ignored. While the factory minds are
busy striving to meet an existing criti-
cal situation, the laboratory minds are
busy striving to devise new and more
improved methods with which to meet
the situation in the future, but neither
is being sacrificed to the other.
Wall Streets Answer
"The practical mind always recog-
nizes the necessity of the laboratory
mind, but the laboratory mind does not
always recognize the wisdom Of the
practical mind. The intense criticism
of the country directed at the labora-
tory minds in Washington has produced
such factory minds as John d. Ryan
and William c. Potter, at the head of
aircraft; Charles NJ. Schwab, in charge
CT shipbuildng; Edward R. Stettinius.
as an Assistant Secretary of War; D.
c. Jackling, as builder of powder
plants; Guy E. Trip and Samuel Nc
Roberts, in the ordnance department,
and H. P. Dawson, as head of the
American Red Cross. All of these men
are Wall Street men, and their activi-
ties constitute Wall Streets answer to
the charge that Wall Street is entirely
merccnary.
Hostility to the constructive intelli-
gence of the country-hostllity to sue
cess and hostility to business-has
been a striking characteristic of our
people for the past fifteen years or so
. History will probably record this as
cur undertaking period. Scme of this
undertaking has been good and some