Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1921-07-01
'' More Business in
Government"
By Senator Robert M. La Toilette

Behold the mutations OF time!
They are marvellous indeed. These
are not the days of Roosevelt and
Taft, when the Harrimans, the Nor
gans, the Garys were seen by the
Chief Executive in the small hours
of the night.
The influence Of the masters Of
Big Business in Government was
quite potential then as now. Bur
public opinion in those days could not
be wholly ignored. 1t found some
freedom of expression through a
small section of the press and through
a large number of independent maga-
zines and periodicals.
President Roosevelt privately wrote
Hartman in October, 1904, saying:
eff you think there is any danger
of your visit to me causing trouble
You will observe that Presidential
interview with a railroad autocrat
was at that time attended with some
hazard, and so the President added
that Hartman should:
-"of course give up the visit for
the time being; and then, a few weeks
hence, before | write my message,
| shall get you to come down to dis
cuss certain government matters"
Presidents of that day, and for
some time thereafter, were constrain-
ed to be wary of too open intimacy
with the Trust Magnates. Public
opinion was still articulate. Monop-
oly control in business was secretly
fostered. It's control of legislation
and administration was becoming
manifest, and the country was warned
that we were fast falling under the
domination of an "invisible govern
ment" by monster monopolies, but it
was concealed power and it's agents
in public office would not have dared
to admit their subserviency.
All this is now changed. Big Busi-
ness acquired command of practically
all of the mediums of publicity.
| The war followed and destroyed
substantially the last vestige Of a
free press.
Another thing war did: 1t openly
enthroned Big Business in mastery of
Government. President Wilson called
in the Schwabs and put them in charge
of Hog Island. And there was "hog
island" at every center of production
for the furnishing of war supplies.
The war hogs-the Trust Bosses
were in charge 1t was a confession
! that the owners of the great monopo
! lies controlled all production. 1t was
an admission that the Government
could not conduct it's war-produce it's
guns, its ships, it's steel, iron, copper,
oil, clothing, shoes and other supplies
without the consent of the Trust
Powers Nay, more than that, the
Government found it necessary to
completely surrender to the Trusts,
accept their domination, permit them
to contract with themselves and upon
their own terms. 1t was frank but
humiliating confession that the Trusts
own the United States.
These Trust Bosses were the "Dol
lar Year Patriots" They typified
the blatant hypocritical patriotism of
the day. Big Business was in the
saddle and it rode the country with
whip and spur. For the next century
the people will sweat to pay the bills.
But the money loss is the least Of the
! ills we are to suffer.
The war is ended. The war con-
tracts are terminated. The Schwabs
have returned to the management of
their private monopolies. But they
are still in government. And it is not
an invisible" power in government
such as we had before the war. They
are here in person under President
Harding's administration filling high
stations and directing the affairs of
government. They are being called in
for consultation-not in the night
time, but in the daytime.
President Harding announced in
his inaugural address that we are to
have "MORE BUSINESS IN GOV
ERNMENT AND LESS GOVERN
MENT IN BUSINESS"
And the President is proceeding
with all possible despatch to give us
just that kind of an administration.
J He has called Schwab into his
/ councils.
He invited Treagle, President of the
Standard Oil Company of New Jer-
sey, to become Chairman of the Ship
ping Board.
On May 25th he gave banquet at
/ n