The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-06-18
WATSON IN SPEECH
TO GRAIN DEALERS
He Lingers Fondly on the
"Ancient Institutions OF
the Country"
palladium Specially

CINCINNATI, June lS.--Al lHe tloo-
ing session of the Council OF Grain |
Exchanges, the Ohio Grain Dealers |
Association and the Indiana Grain !
Dealers association, the address OF the
day was made by James K. Watson, he
of congressional fame, who so oft had
waved the American flag, called upon
the constitution and scared with the
eagle in wonderful flights of oratory
during the years that Cannon perched
upon the throne in the House. Mr..
Watson stood in the fore of the hall
and grated with clenched fist and
dripping brow.
eff conditions were only a little
more favorable, by gum, I'd make you
a regular speech" he commented as
he wiped the beads of perspiration
from his face at moment when there
was a lull in the noise from the streets
and a cool wave seemed to sweep the
hall.
The former congressman was rem
iniscent of the past and critical of the
present and future.
Meeting Is Unusual.
It was an unusual gathering of grain
men. For the first time in history three
organizations of this nature were hold
ing their annual meetings at one time
and place, and for the first time the
members were assembled in joint SEES
sion. Watson was the headliner on the
program and was speaking on the
theme, "The Relation of Business To
Government"
Watson went back to the old order
of things. He fingered fondly upon
"the ancient institutions of our coun-
try, the principles of our forefathers
and the truths that have been proved
over and over only to be doubted
again" He hardened back to the be-
ginning of the country and traced the
problems that were met and the sue
cess and prosperity that ensued. Then
he glanced at the present.
I'VE are living at a time when
everybody is willing to reform every
one else and yet give scant attention
to reforming himself; we are living
at a time when everybody wants to
buy at the lowest figure and sell at
the highest price; we are living at
a time when every manufacturer wants
his raw materials on the free list and
MS finished product walled sky high
with protection. And we are seeking
to remedy all evils by legislation.
About the only truth that goes I'M
challenged nowadays is the multipli
cation table. and l believe there are
even some persons who are inclined to
doubt it. 1t would seem that all the
truths that have been agitated and
proved time and again in the past has
been thrashed out again.
when our forefathers wrote into
the constitution that all men are equal
they saw that the coming problem
would be whether the individual was
of too big or too little importance. You
have seen the rule of the majority.
That rule can be far more despotic,
far more tyranncal and far more dis
astrous in it's effects than the rule of
an individual. For who can withstand
it's force? who can thwart it's prog
ress?
"All government must be worked
out through institutions. We must ap-
ply the human equality to the rule of
the majority to meet the exigencies of
advancing civilization. Stability in a
nation is essential to peace, to pros
perity, to commercial progress, to in
tellectual and moral advancement
And the best policy to secure stability
is to keep our institutions preserved
untainted and unchanged.
Many of the problems that con-
front us must be settled by law, and
yet the sentiment of the American
people for the rights of their fellow
men must play prominent part. You
can't legislate morality or intellectu-
ality. Men are like trees. They grow
from the inside out, and instead of
enacting laws you must change the
character of the men. But that does
not mean that We must do away with
the institutions under which we have
made such wonderful advancement
and try experiments of which we
know nothing.
Cling to Principles.
I'VE must cling to our ancient prin-
ciples. In these alone is our safety.
Nations have tottered and fallen be-
cause they were not builded upon the
rock. The tendency of the time is to
restrict business; to put bride upon
it's head and bit in it's mouth and to
hold it in check. And we have come
to time when We must give business
a chance. You are witnessing a time
when business man cannot go be-
fore the lawmakers of his country in
the interest of his business without
being charged as being a part Of an
insidious lobby"