Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-28
WHAT FORDNEY THINKS
Confession Of Faith Of the Man
Who viii Head the Ways
and Means Committee


Joseph W. Fordney. Of Michioan, sen,or
Repubhcdn on the ways and Means Com.
mtttee Of the House Of Representatives. aud
IN line for ne chdirmdnship IN the nert
Congress. set forth IN q recent speech be-
fore the Michiodn Society. Of NeD York, his
belief on the principles Uhtch should guide
IN the framing Of Uur legislation. Following
IS phdt he had 10 say about government
control Of business. the protection Of IN
dustrt, the army aud the nary aud other
kindred matters.
~ hands off of business" Government con-
troll means political interference and political
pull; control, not by the great captains OF
Industry. but by the political office-seeker-
which does not spell industrial success.
When speak of politicians I do not mean
man holding an elective office I mean
those seeking political appointment - soft
snaps and good pay. on the contrary.
find men in Congress to be generally of the
highest type OF intelligence and character
honorable men.
Imagine a politician Of the former type,
selected by the President of the United
states. directing the management of the
United States Steel Company or the Bethle-
hem Steel Company any other of the large
and varied industries. Why during the war
the politicians failed and the President was
forced to call upon experienced men to direct
aircraft construction was scandal until
practical business man was called to the
helm. Ship construction Jagged and bade fair
to be failure until a man of business ex-
perience was put in control.
our merchant marine under government
control must and will prove a financial fail
ure; It cannot he otherwise. operated under
existing marine laws
The best evidence of this assertion may
be proved by an examination of the recent
OHNs rafNnAH gV.a~ n1 rat1r IL. nV,I
steamship transportation lines--a glaring and
signal failure.
Government control threatens us with
dangerous political machinery which would
endanger the very foundation of our govern
mental institution,
INTEREST in public affairs state and ma
L tional, should ever be present In the minds
of the people. II is their duty; It is honor
able No citizen is too great and none too
humble TO be exempt from such duties
The business men of this country have a
great responsibility devolving upon them.
1t is no easy task at this time to keep the
wheels Of industry moving. Idle mills mean
idle capital, and idle capital means idle men,
and the poorest asset OF a nation is an idle
man.
Production means consumption. The ca
pacity for consumption of an idle man is
not so great as that of the man who is
employed.
Consumption or American-made products
means employment for American laboring
men. The best market in the world for the
products of the United States is with our
own people.
our annual sales abroad. during normal
times. are less than 10 per cent of our total
production Therefore, to throw down the
bars and invite In the products of the cheap
labor of the world while We chase rain
pows around the globe to find a dumping
ground for small percentage of our output
and at the same time neglect our best mar
ket, is, in my opinion, poor business judg-
ment. We want a foreign market for our
surplus. but we do not want It at the cost
of the loss of our home market
Think of the vast amount of capital in
vested in this country and the effort neces-
sary TO keep it going. Capital Is entitled to
fair treatment; when unfairly treated labor
suffers most When capital is idle, both capi
tai and labor draw upon their own resources
each is Improbable when the other is
unemployed.