Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1909 — Publicity Would Make Corporations Honest. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Publicity Would Make Corporations Honest.

By JAMES R. GARFIELD.

Ex-Sccretiry of th* Interior.

ACH man in this country has the right to make an honest living, unhampered by unfair, privileged or dishonest competition. But to secure that right it is essential that business men of every community COOPERATE TO ENFORCE FAIRNESS OF BUSINESS METHODS. One main difficulty which has

to Be faced in the battle against privileged rights or monopolistic effort lies in the failure of business men to recognize their individual obligations to the community in which they reside. They must come to recognize that THEY MUST CO-OPERATE WITH TFTF.TR COMPETITORS when questions affecting the probity of business methods which have a bearing upon community interests arise. Competition is necessary to the active conduct of business, but in that competition NO UNFAIRNESS, NO PRIVILEGED CONDITIONS, NO MONOPOLISTIC ADVANTAGES, MUST BE PERMITTED TO PREVAIL. Only by co-operation can we eliminate unfair combination and dishonest or privileged competition. H *t H THERE IS BUT ONE MEASURING ROD FOR THE CONDUCT OF BUSINESS ENTERPRISES, BE THEY THOSE OF THE SMALL DEALER OR OF THE GREAT CORPORATION WHICH HAS BEEN GRANTED POWERS WHICH MAKE IT A FACTOR IN CONTROLLING THE INDUSTRIES OF THE COUNTRY. THAT MEASURING ROD IS PLAIN, OLD FASHIONED, COMMON HONESTY, AND THAT MEASURING ROD MUST BE USED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN PREVENTING DESTRUCTION OF THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE BY THE GRANTING OF PRIVILEGES AGAINST THOSE INTERESTS. R R R The government, in granting corporate rights, SHOULD RETAIN THE POWER TO INSPECT THE BOOKS AND METHODS OF DOING BUSINESS of the corporations it creates and to make such investigations as to enable the government to learn whether or not the corporation is seeking to shut out competitors or to control the political affairs of a state or the nation. That’s all there is to the question of publicity. •t R at PUBLICITY DOESN’T MEAN AN IMPROPER PRYING INTO THE AFFAIRS OF A BUSINESS FIRM OR CORPORATION. IT MEANS DUE AND PROPER INVESTIGATION BY AUTHORIZED GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES WHICH WILL DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT PUBLIC INTERESTS ARE BEING RESPECTED. THE ROAD OF THE FUTURE HAS BEEN MADE EASIER BY THE INVESTIGATIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN MADE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS AND THE PROSECUTIONS WHICH HAVE FOLLOWED.