Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-06
GOV. WILSON TO
The S. c. EDITORS
Says the Newspapers Should Tell the
Facts Of Big Business

Says the Newspapers Should Tell thI
Facts Of Big Business
hUST GUARD People AGAINST DANGEI
Introduced as the Democratic Hope
Points Out Dangers Of SociaIisti'
Wave-Tells the Editors to PubIisI
Exact Facts and Let the Reader,
Judge the Extent of Their Judgment
Following is the address of Govern
or Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey
delivered before the South Carolint
Editorial association as reported II
the Columbia State of Saturday. Tht
speaker was introduced in Few happy
remarks by Col. August Kohn, retir'
ing president Of the Press association
Governor Wilson spoke as follows:
''I am very much indebted to Mr.
KOhn for the generous terms in which
he has introduced me, but 1 mus
warn you not to take them too seri.
ously, and am very much obliged tc
you for the very gracious receptions
you have given me. / have looked
about me with much apprehension les
ence who, having known me when 6
boy in Columbia, for 1t is very incon.
venient when one Is too indulgent OF
the voice of boyhood to know how ther
to disguise himself. I am tempted tc
feel like the old lady who went to the
side show of the circus, who thought
she saw a man read a newspaper
through a two-inch board. She said
Let me out Of this place. This Is nc
place for me to be with the. thir
things on l have a similar feeling
lest my disguise should be penetrated
But 1t Is a great privilege to come
back to a place which a man has
known and loved, and receive such g
reception as you have given me, and
1t Is an added privilege to be able tc
talk to people who know and discuss
questions Of our national life, because
we are very much preoccupied with
these questions, ladies and gentlemen
and II Is worth while to discuss them
very seriously indeed.
A New Spirit.
During the campaign which was
recently waged in New Jersey, l felt
when met the audiences which / met
from time to time as though a very
singular and significant change had
come over the politics Of my friends
and neighbors in New Jersey. l have
been to a great many political meet
ings in my time, but have never be-
fore seen such political meetings as
came together in New Jersey last au-
tumn. I do not mean that they were
bigger than usual, though they were
big-but that a new atmosphere pre-
vailed. Those people had not come to-
gether in order to hear the platitudes
that were ordinarily uttered In praise
of one party and in dispraise Of the
other. They were not interested In
the repetition and discussion Of ol6
party formulas. They knew there were
things that should be done In New Jer.
sey. They knew that both the parties
In New Jersey had for many cam.
paigns been promising to do them
They knew that they had not beer
DONE and they wanted to know what
was going to happen. They wanted te
hear q very serious discussion Of the
actual situation Of affairs, and Of the
actual state of facts, not only In New
Js5say, but throughout this country
They wanted to learn what It was that
was standing between the people ol
that state and of other states, and
their declared purposes in public af.
fairs.
An Electric Touch.
I'm brief, In every one of those
meetings, one felt the electric touch ot
serious interest and knew that he was
In the midst of something that was
like the transaction Of business. II
was not oratory, Ii was not display
that those people had come together
for: 1t was for the consideratin OF
the things that touched them intimate
ly in their every day life. For we
must not conceal from ourselves, la.
dies and gentlemen. that there has
been a formula Of cynicism, of politi-
cal cynicism, in this country OF recent
years. ! have lived through great
many years with young men, and
have seen the change Of attitude thai
is coming from them with regard tc
public affairs. They had come tC
think that neither party was ever go.
ing to fulfill it's promise. They came
to think that the game of politics was
a mere game, that the promises of pol.
itics were meant to deceive voters out
Of votes and nothing else. And there
had come from them that concern
which had seemed to raise the threat
of revolution in this country. For yor
have not failed to observe the very
rapid spread of socialistic sentiment ir
America. l was crossing the plains oi
New Mexico the other day, and / stop.
ped in a little town where the trair
stopped long enough for me to get ou
and stretch my legs, and while / was
on the platform a very prepossessinf
young man in overalls came up to mt
and introduced himself as the mayor
of the town, and told me he was elect.
ed as a Socialist, but l said, what die
that mean? Why, SIR he said, an
not deceived by the vote; 1t was 20 pei
cent Socialist and 80 per cent protest,
and what this country was In danger
of, and is in danger of, is an enormous
vote cast in blind protest against tht
way in which public business has beer
conducted. Men are tired Of the hy'
pocrisy, and they are going to see
change wrought, no matter what party
II is necessary to support In order tc
see it. So that when l come before
thoughtful audience like this / feel a:
I felt in New Jersey, that this Is nar'
of the transaction Of the nations bus
lneSS. we are mere lOl NCly ious
purposes, to consider an actual situa.
ton. and it is necessary that we should
discuss the facts and prepare oul
stOmachs for the facts. There ought
not to he any rose water in this bust
ness. There ought to he the best oI
feeling.
Conservatism Needed.
I'VE ought to be very careful thai
we do not indict men whose purpose:
have been correct, whatever may have
been their performance. We ought tc
see to il that we do not promote pub.
licity but we ought to see to it also
that we speak the truth very plainly
and without reserve. And l want yol
to remember throughout what l have
to say, that l am addressing primarily
the little company of gentlemen who
have recently been assembled In this
state to discuss the interest of the
periodical press of South Carolina, fol
it seems to me that there is some
thing very meet that ought to be dis
cussed by the men who are conducting
the newspapers of a great state.
Il do not understand that the edit
ing of a newspaper is merely to dis
play a state of mind. l must say very
frankly that i'm a great many OF tine