East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-07-12

tlnhiiN foru illdut Chr CHehp efoubs
for the Democrats and now the car j.
a common thing. Someone has sale
that Ford has made walking lux
ury. but now we find more autos II
1.-THE country than in the cities. "A large
percentage of them are owned by the
farmers, than by those living in the
lcities.
Now my friends think the time has
Icome when we can utilize any surplus
labor in the country in the building
of roads and there need be not one
idle man under the American flag.
Special attention should be given to
the returned soldier in the matter Of
employment and l want to say word
about profiteering. l know nothing
| OF your experiences. am not prepared
to say about any particular community
| so as to make local application of any
thing, l say. But l know that In the
country generally there has been pro-
| fiteering and the blackest spot on the
result OF this war is found In the fact
THAT while our soldiers were fighting
lin Europe. our people We're being bled
! in the United States by profiteerng.
come to the theory that there should
be a remedy for every wrong, on the
theory that whenever the government
takes from the citizens the right to
protect themselves and avenge his own
wrongs. the government assumes the
obligation of perfecting that citizen
from every arm uplifted for his injury.
Today / think there Is an immediate
and imperative demand for machinery
that will enable and protect those OF
our citizens from the profiteers.
1 think q national trade commission
in every city with ample power to deal
with every wrong and every munich
pality ought to have authority to ap-
point a trade commission to deal with
every local grievance so that II anyone
complained that any man in the town.
state or nation was profiteering or ex-
plotting those with whom he dealt.
charge could be brought before the
proper authority and an investigatlon
made so that if a charge were raise
the man accused could be vindicated'
II il were true. he could be punished.
NV belief is that it is the duty of all
of us to see that our government ma
chinery is sufficient and ample for the
of every right and the
punishment of every wrong. Just now
the wrong of profteering demands our
attention.
wish TO call your attention to the
greatest of the issues before the nation
of a domestic character. If ! am cor
rect in my Judgment. the greatest do
nestle issue we have and which Will
he before us until settled, and settled
right. is the issue between private
monopoly and government ownership.
MOnOpolies.
In presenting the principles involved
wish to say that we will never settle
these questions until We understand
the controlling rinciples. We VIII
never have an intelligent opinion on
the question of government ownership
until we have an understanding OF
what a private monopoly is.
We will lay down the proposition OF
what a private monopoly 1t. IT Is m
defensible and intolerable because IL
cannot be defended and intolerabie
because anything that cannot be de-
fended cannot be tolerated. In n gov
ernment likewise.
Let me explain. Do you know
Judge so good that you would let MIN
try a case If you sued him or ne sueo
vouq There is not a civilized nation
in the, world that would permit judge
10 try a case in which he was pecum-
arily interested. That is matter we
all understand. Unconscious bias OF
the man in favor of himself makes
him unfit as a judge where MS inter-
ests conflict with the interests Oh
others Thus the president OF mono
molly sits in judgment OF cases which
concern the public at large as wen as
himself. He cannot help but De pre-
iudiced in favor of his own interests.
Here are objections TO the mono
poly. One is the economic op]ectioh
and the other is the political op1ection'
The economic objection is this: \
private monopoly destroys every N
centive and provocation to complete
and the interest of the man who pur-
cboses an article will compel him to
r,rcbose where he can buy the article
the cheapest. The buyer wants the
hest for the least money. 1t is neces-
sarv for the man who produces the
article to produce the highest quality
et the lowest cost. If you give him
monopoly and take away all compeu-
tion that incentive is destroyed and IN
etead Of his interest being on the sioe
of the man who buys. he does not nave
to give YOU the best article. You nave
TO take what he has to give you. he
does not. Furthermore, have to give IL
To Won for the lowest price. No, you
have to pay what he asks for IT, but
II Won can convince me that under a
priyate monopoly you can get the pes'
article at the lowest price will be op-
nosed to the rivate monooly. for 1t IS
of the theory or popular
1t cannot live under 'he
same flag as popular government
There are two explanations 10 tnis
First, If man Is heao
of a private monopoly, when ne stal.a
to exercise these powers, he Is dong
an Injustice to others. He becomes
conscious that he is gathering where
he did not SOW and when a man Is CON
scious that he is collecting from the
public without giving them a return
he is then the enemy of popular gov
League of Nations.
Yesterday the president presented
n tho senate what Is known as the
League of Nations. 1t was part OF the