Twin-City herald., 1940-07-20

head of a big corporation
gained one sort of fame by
putting the same thought into
still briefer compass. That one
said: "The public be damned"
Mr.. Willkie has made no secret
of his idea of a governments
functions or the processes requir-
ed for a successful administration.
Most people have the idea that the
welfare of the country includes
such things, for example, as step
ping in when starvation threatens
a considerable number of the peo-
pie, and curbing the exploitation
of the many for the benefit of the
few. But the Republican candidate
i very neatly defined his view of
an administration in a newspaper
interview reported by Merwin H.
Brown in that all time RepubG-
can paper, the Buffalo News. He
told the public that Government
is nothing but big business and,
if 1 am elected President, I will
put the Government on big busi-
ness basis"
Remember Elmer
In view of these frank dec
laratiOns it is not surprising
that Big Business put over at
the Republican convention the
head of Morgan merger the
/ oh or.0<y ,f Sn1 v00A
ed on the public. at the height
of the boom period at $27
share and which have had a
market value for some time of
from seventy-five cents to a
dollar and a half.
It will be remembered that it
was disclosed at a Congressional
hearing that the Utility Compan-
les originated the practice of
flooding Congress with propa-
ganda kilograms. Among others
they had a freckled youth who
testified that he was paid three
cents for every telegram he sent.
Elmer bcame famous in the head
lines of that period. At Pbiladel-
phia Elmer was missing but evil
IDENTIFY his soul went marching on
for the delegates got identical tel
egrams by the bushel-basketfu
pleading with them to vote for
Willlzie at the same time the gall
leries were filed by Willkie shout
ers admitted on privately-printed
tickets that none, except those in
/, the know, were aware had been
| issued.
That was the popular uprising"
which defeated the candidates for
whom the people of the various
States voted in the primaries. Nat
urally the C. o. P. newspapers
and orators are striving to put be-
fore the country plain. rough
man, another Lincoln, whose heart
beats for the common people, and
whose rise from humble begin
nings is Horatio Alger story. He
became corporation lawyer at
the first opportunity and was such
a success at it that they took him
into the business and he has been
conspicuous Utility man ever
since.
Answering the "Call'
Nobody can find fault with that.
He was picked for the new job by
the same people who picked him
for his other renumerative jobs. It
would have been an honest thing
had they proclaimed boldly that
he was their man, chosen for the
place because of his peculiar quail
ifications, instead of pretentending
that there was nationwide call.
When they needed a deft, highly
vocal resourceful president for a
utility holding company they
chose Willkie. When they needed
President of the United States
they bushwhacked a Republican
National Convention into nomi-
mating Willkie.
There is one thing that must
be said for the corporate hier-
archy; they know what they
want and will spare neither
money nor pains to get it.
The regular campaign prom
ises to be repetition to the pre-
convention campaign. The Liberty
Leaguers past, present and pros
pective, will permit their candi-
date to shout his pieces in any
tone he chooses, and they will
take care of the finances without
regard to the pious declaration