The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1913-06-23
HUNDREDS LINE UP BEFORE
CAPITOL DOORS IN RAIN TO
HEAR ADDRESS.
MANY TURNED AWAY
Wilson Tells Congress That 1t Is I'm
perative That the Business Men OF
the Country Be Given a Better
Currency System.

Washington, D. c., June 23.-Long
before the capitol doors were open
today hundreds lined up in the steady
rain, hoping to hear the president
deliver his address to congress on
currency reform. Although the at
tendance had been rigidly limited to
one card of admission to each men,
ber of either house and the presi-
dents family and cabinet circle, hun
dreds clamored for admission.
The galleries and floor arose as the
president stalked in front of the
speakers lobby With nod to The
speaker and vice presiden. he mount
ed the steps to the clerks desk 1t
took little more than nine ranutes
to read the address and at its con-
clusion he was greeted by applause
The president addressed the two
houses of congress in join session as
follows;
Mr.. Speaker, Mr.. President, Gentle
men Of the Congress:
1t is under the compulsion Of what
seems to be a clear and imperative
duty that | have a second time this
session sought the privilege of ad-
dressing you in person. | know, of
course, that the heated season of the
year is upon us, that work in these
chamber and in the committee rooms
is likely to become a burden as the
season lengthens, and that every con-
sideration of personal convenience
and personal comfort, perhaps, in the
cases of some of Us, considerations
of personal health even, dictate an
early conclusion of the deliberations
of the session, but there are occa-
sions of public duty when these
things which touch us privately
seem very small; when the work to
be done is so pressing and so fraught
with big consequence 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. 1t is absolutely imperative
that we should give the business men
of this country a banking currency
system by means of which they can
make use of the freedom of enter
prise and of individual initiative
which we are about to bestow upon
them.
We 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
removing the trammels of the pro-
tective tariff. Ever since the Civil
War they have waited for this eman-
cipation and for the free opportuni-
ties 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 ad
vantage of the shelter of the nursery
to set up a mimic mystery of their
own within it's walls. Now both
the tonic and the discipline of liberty
and maturity are to ensue. There
will be some readjustments Of pur-
pose and point of view. There Will
follow a period of expansion and new
enterprise, freshly conceived. 1t Is
for us to determine now whether 1t
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 cir
cumstances are to have at hand and
ready for use the instrumentalities
and conveniences of free enterprise
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.
II is constructive also. We must
show that we understand what busi-
ness needs and that we know how to
supply it. No man, however, casual
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