Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1914 — Send Business Men to Congress. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Send Business Men to Congress.

In an editor’?! under the abme heading. “American Industries” a commercial journal—recently said, ' According to the congressional directory there are 435 members of congress, and only 65 of this number are business men which includes salesmen and clerks.

The most important legislation of the day seeks to regulate the conditions under which business shall be transacted, yet this business legislation is framed by lawyers. The reason for this is the sheer lack of interest on the part of those who should be most interested. The people of this country are prone to delegate their political duties to professional politicians. This is especially true of men in the ordinary lines of commerce, who seem to think their interests are amply protected if they vote every year or two. Nothing could be a greater mistake. Business men must interest themselves in their local political organizations if they wish to have well balanced men represent them in national legislation. Never mind to what party a candidate belongs, if he is honest and sincere in his , opinions and will devote his time to the '.nterests of the country.

The legislation of the day is largely’ business legislation and the business men of the nation have great and growing problems before them. Wise constructive action is needed in upbuilding commerce and industry. It is to the interest of the business men, therefore, to send business men to Congress.” As proof of the truthfulness of the above editorial, you will rememlpr a few weeks ago when some important business legislation was pending before congress, the President called into consultation some of the men who represent the great business interests of the country. Yet at the same time and under the same roof with him he had a half thousand lawyers and politicians. Why didn't he use them? Now let us be fair. If you were going to employ a man to manage your business and look after your interests whether you be a banker, a farmer; a merchant or a manufacturer you wouldn’t inquire if the applicant for the position was a Methodist or a Presbyterian, a Republican or a Democrat. Your first question would be, is he honest, sober, conscientious, industrious and successful. You would-, n't employ a failure if you could get one for half price. Yet w’hen the time arrives for us to employ a man to represent us and our interests in congress, we seem to be satified if the only qualifications the applicant has is the ability to get up and make a flowery speech, and perhaps at the same time he hasn’t the business ability to make a living for his family. What we need in congress is men with well developed business brains instead of well developed lungs. Only last year one of these professional congressional wind jammers made a two or three days speech, a speech so long it cost the government $13,000 to print it in the congressional record, and for all the good it did the government Uncle Sam had better have had the fellow raking leaves on the white house lawn. If Henry* Ford could have utilized all of the wind in indating automobile tires, it would not have been an entire loss.

WILLIAM H. ADE Progressive Candidate for Congress