The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-06-27
Wilson Appears in Person
Before Houses of Congress
DUTY'S GAIL
EVEN AT SACRIFICE
COUNTRY'S BUSINESS MUST NOT
BE LEFT HELPLESS.
President Wilson Points Out Import
ance of Immediate Action on Cur
rency Lest Business Suffer.

Washington, June 23.-That the
business of the country, free of the
shackling handicap of the protective
tariff, must not be left helpless be-
cause of lack of commercial weapons
but mush be supplied with currency
system that would meet the needs of
the times and permit progress was
the main theme Of President Wilson's
address On the currency problem, de-
livered today by him in person.
President Wilson told congress that
the only question at issue was wheth-
er the time for action On the currency
had come. That the moment had ar
rived he doubted not, he said. Duty,
even though it involves some personal
discomfort, must be fulfilled. The
business of the country, he pointed
out, should not be left even for a
time without an effective system of
currency which might permit it to
take advantage of the freedom from
the restrictions of the tariff.
He said:
Time to Act.
'iMr. Speaker, Mr.. President, Gen
tlemen of the Congress: 1t is under
the compulsion of what seems to me
a clear and imperative duty that I
have second time this session sought
the privilege of addressing you in per-
son. 1 know, of course, that the heat
ed season of the year is upon US,
that work in these chambers and in
the committee rooms is likely to be-
come a burden as the season length
ems, and that every consideration of
personal convenience and personal
comfort, perhaps, in the cases of
health even, dictate an early conclu-
sion of the deliberations of the ses-
sion; but there are occasions of pub
lie duty when these things which
touch us privately seem very small;
when the work to be done is so press
ing and so ;fraught with big conse-
quence that we know that we are not
at liberty to weigh against it any
point of personal sacrifice. We are
now in the presence of such an oc-
casion. It is absolutely imperative
that we should give the business men
of this country banking and cur
rency system by means of which they
can make use Of the freedom of en-
terprise and of individual initiative
which we are about to bestow upon
them.
eve are about to set them free; we
must not leave them without the tools
of action when they are free. We
are about to set them free by remov-
ing the trammels of the protective
tariff. Ever since the civil war
they have waited for this emanci-
patton and for the free oppor-
tunities it will bring with It. 1t has
been reserved for US to give it to
them. Some fell in love, indeed,
with the slothful security of their
dependence upon the government;
some took advantage of the shelter of
the nursery to set up mimic mas
terry of their own within its walls.
Now both the tonic and the discipline
of liberty and maturity are to ensue.
There will be some readjustments Of
purpose and point of view. There
will follow a period of expansion and
new enterprise, freshly conceived. 1t
is for us to determine now whether
it shall be rapid and facile and of
easy accomplishment. This it can
not be unless the resourceful business
men who are to deal with the new
circumstances are to have at hand
and ready for use the instrumental
ties and conveniences of free enter
prise which Independent men need
when acting on their own initiative.
'It is not enough to strike the
shackles from business. The duty
of craftsmanship is not negative
merely. 1t is constructive also. We
must show that we understand what
business needs and that we know how
to supply it. No man, however, casual
and superficial his observation of the
conditions now prevailing in the coun-
try, can fail to see that one of the
chief things business needs now, and