The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-26


been the war and thu fnterruptl0n M
industry There y no remedy wt)rtN
taking, shout excep. IN pr0ducttUnt
h and yet> the whole industrial WQrIdS
4 ID In 9 state Of dl4order end inefktc.
isiency because nunaerous groups ~
waEe-earners Are Stising up0M thle
situation T. make demands nAirll,
would have the. direct Of reducing
production and thus a8sravatln9~ tha
very evilt Of which they colnplAtssr
! II u strange that people who dur.
ing the war were Writing to make sac.
I rifices fer the common Interest," to
deny themselves or give their labor
ito uphold the government and the
nation in = conrtict with foreign
powers, should suddenly loss. apPAr-
entity all sense Of obligation to- me
. common interests. There can be no
prosperity tsfor the people Of /, .thia
country except by willing co-opera.
/, tive industry, each Individual at'd
group doing it, duty IN It's own hefd
without arbitrary demands, satfsled
, with a reasonable adjustment o1..ita
relations to others.
| AS though the managers OF indus
!, tidy did not have troubles enough a
! this time. with labof demands. price
/; fluctuations and all vhe uncertainties
/, OF the situation, the government
! through It's various departments and
commissions, ID resuE,jng IL attacks
! The perennial attack upon : the
beef packers has been renewed By the
department Of justice. and following
; report by the federal trade couupjs.
son an attempt 10 being made to pasa
/, radical legislation. aimed primarily
| al the packers but Of q chArn4ter
which may well be regarded with con-
Germ by all business interests. 1t il
| othing less than for permanent
| licensing system, which would per-
spetuate one of the expeuients OF the
+, war period. During the war. when
81: were agreed that II was necessary
to concentrate the energies of the
country in support OF tho sovefn-
nent, there was a strong argument
tor the licensing system, giving auto
cratic powers to the authoritjaa at
Washington 1t was necessary that
there should be control At Washing
ton. not because Al permAnent
thing, all industry could be conducted
imost intelligentiy and efficiently 1r1m
/, Washington. but because certain
Policies were desirable during ~
war. sNow the people who thinkslAat
government ofhcials are competent to
conduct everything. wish to make
some OF these powers permanent.
4
der the immediate supervision Of
/, government ofyiciais, with complete
II over in the hands Of the latter. not
merely TO prosecute violations OF law
Thy common legal procedure. but 70
1ct as prosecutor. Judge and exeeu-
toner. or. In other words, TO exercise
arbitrary powers.
(; Proposals OF this kind are foreign 70
cur system OF government, and ~ .
menace they extend beyond the I'm
mediate industry threatened They
'ccnkctitute an encroachment upon In
dividual rights, upon that Individual
freedom and initiative which has been
the chief factor in the wonderful poo
gress of industry In this country. II
Is an attempt to extend the authority
tf bureau chiefs and commissions ut
" ashington over the management OF
business. All experience with such
authority warns against il, There are
fields In which governmental super
vision is necessary, as in that OF
transportation. but even In this field.
where II Is unas oidabie. experience
/ has taught how difhcult II Is To OBJ
1 tain wise supervision. There 10 no
assurance that the individuals In
whom such powers are vested will
i have the experience. business capa-
| city and judicial temperament re-
qUired for such functiona The SUR
rounding conditions are all such as 70
rake II probable that men Of n1edio-
ere ability, interested In political adj
vancement and eager for publicity.
win all the positions They do not
understand the business mans prob
INNS or appreciate his dificuitiss or
services, and their attitude 10 hlsoly
te be one ofSsusptcion and hostility.
Watching for-evldence to support .
case they have aifcads- imagined.
! The fundamental trouble at the 6ot-
tom Of all this turbulence IN the. IN
dustrial world. and this pressure
upon the government to interfere Tin
business affairs. 10 In failure to UNDER
stand that there are natural economic
: lsws always at work accomplishing
the ends sought by such agitation.
md doing 40 far more efiiciently end
certainly than It can be accompltsh-
| I'd by arbitrary measures BY nveont
ioi these laws all the progress ofs the
last has been achieved. II they arf
ialiowed to work without intexter.
eaace they will work with great e.
fcacy. but II they are constant1y III.
terfered with by arbitrary action the
result Is nothing but confusion. I1se
government when 1t enters the bslDi-
hess neld II no wiser than the t1iAl.
lvidual, usually m inexperienced .eu.s
bcrdinate. who happens to represent
u, and II ID q safe general rule nat
the more the government med41ea
with business the less efl1cient bu11I1ees
iwill be. ..