Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1933-11-02

ton through their quoting opinions
of financial powers and captains or
industry on various QueS tlOnS. me
article, in the last issue or the
Nation. also reveals who and what
type of a man is Machado of Cuba.
1t follows:
have never been of those who have
admired the intellectual powers of the
great bankers and captains of indus
try, so long the masters OF our ma
tional fate. They have usually seemed
to me extraordinarily narrow and
sShort-sighted, owing their dominance
to luck and influence or to talent
along one single line; just as Henry
Ford owed his phenomenal rise to the
creation of single motor and to a
single idea-cheap mass production
to put the horse and buggy out OF
business. We newspapermen are our
selves very largely responsible for the
American habit of regarding success
full rich men-and for leading them to
regard themselves-as omnipOtent
and wise. beyond their generation.
Our great newspapers toady to wealth
and rush off as often as possible to a
Gary or a Kahn or a MyrOn Taylor
for an opinion on any subject. Only a
few of the magnates. like the present
J. P. Morgan and Andrew Mellon,
deny themselves to reporters and keep
their mouths shut. Usually they pro-
coed to air their views-only to reveal
their mental mediocrity, their some
times incredible stupidity, and their
always complete ignorance of what
the masses of their fellow-citizens are
thinking about and desiring. They
never learn.
am moved to these thoughts by the
obstinate and stupid attitude taken by
the automobile manufacturers, the oil
men, and the steel and coal barOnS
toward the MIRA and the question of
codes. Now it is obvious that the
adoption of a code is anything but a
simple matter, meaning as it does a
mental and business revolution, often
the end of an era of complete sefish-
ness and ruthless, underhand business
competition. The technical difficult
ties in the way must often be very
great. But the attitude of the leaders
i
again that they never learn. The re-
covery act is clear and plain concern
ing its general objects, and quite
frank in its statements that criminal
punishments will be melted out to
those who disobey. But the great
business men involved in these major
Industries had neither the gumption
70 toll hn1n
full and constructive and cooperative
attitude 1t may be a terrible trial to
them to have to yield on the open
shop, but it is inevitable. So why not
be pleasant about it? That would
pay. But no, they have taken the OPP
posite course; they have been silly
enough, some of them, to refuse to
meet with William Green. Now
personally do not like Mr.. Green
either, or believe in him as a labor
leader But if were in their place
/ would yield to circumstances and
swallow the dose. The trouble is that
these captains of industry have not
yet learned that their old order is
dead, killed by their own selfishness,
stupidity, and shortsightedness.
Let us take another case-that of
Machado in Cuba. The daily press
has reminded the public of the lunch
con given for Machado in 1927 in Wall
Street by several of the great mag
mates, and have reprinted Thomas w.
Lannon'S fervent remark on that &C.
~casion that he would like to see
Machado President of Cuba indefi-
nitely." AS l was a guest l have
never written what occurred at that
luncheon. Now that the facts are out
1 shall merely say that for crassness
it exceeded in many respects anything
| have ever listened to. Machado re-
vealed himself completely. He as
.sured his hosts that as long as he was
President their investments in Cuba
would be as safe as those in the
United States; that there would be
neither revolutions nor labor troubles
as long as he sat in the presidential
chair. He would fix any one who
tried to make trouble. AS l walked
away with a prominent, liberal, and
today still unbesmirched banker, he
sodlu odl SdollCdlly Hat Tile hllIu
of talk l like to hear" with a smile
which revealed how he felt. Look at
your Shoes l replied, "Machado has
not left a bit of backing on them;
they are licked clean" Never have
L seen more snug satisfaction than
that expressed by the other bankers
and business men present-there were
fully forty if not fifty of them, and
some of them have figured consider
ably in the press since that time in
ways they have not liked. 1t is not
surprising, after such support, that
Machado believed that he could have
his way with the Cuban people with
out hindrance.
The point is that these bankers had
no greater wisdom or wider vision
than to think Machado was the kind
of man who ought to rule Cuba, and
that it was to their interest to have
him in the Palace at Havana. They
could not see, and doubt if they yet
can see, that that speech of Machados