The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-08
WILSON READS
own MESSAGE
Continued From Page One.

Continued From Page One.
must be. We must abolish everything
that bears even the semblance of
privilege or of any kind of artificial
ADVANTAGE, and put our business men
and producers under the stimulation
of a constant necessity to be efficient,
economical, and enterpriSing, masters
of competitive supremacy, better
workers and merchants than any in
the world. Aside from the duties
laid upon articles which we do not,
and probably car not, produce, there
fore, and the duties laid upon luXur-
les and merely for the a k of the rev.
enues they yield, the object of the tar
if duties henceforth laid must be eff
fective competition, the whetting of
American wits by contest with the
wits of the rest of the world.
1t would be unWiSe to toward
this end headlong, with reckless haste,
or with strokes that cut at the very
roots of what has grown UP amongst
us by long process and at. our own
invitation. 1t does not alter a thing
to upset it and break it and deprive
it of a chance to change. 1t destroys
it. We must make changes in our
fiscal laws, in our fiscal system,
whose object is development, a more
| free and wholesome development, not
| revolution or upset or confusion. We
must build up trade, especially foreign
trade. We need the outlet and the
| enlarged field of energy more than We
ever did before. We must build up
industry as well, and must adopt free
dom IN the place OF artificial stimula-
ton only so far as it will build. not
pull down. In dealing with the tariff
the method by which this may. be
done will be a matter of judgment,
exercised item by item. To some not
| accustomed to the excitements and
responsibilities of greater freedom our
methods may in some respects and
at some points seem heroic, but rem
edies may be heroic and yet be rem
| edies. 1t is our business to make
sure that they are genuine remedies.
! Our object is clear. If our motive is
above just challenge and only an oc-
casional error of judgment is charge
able against u.s., we shall be fortunate.
We are called upon to render the
country a great service in more mat
tiers than one. Our responsibility
should be met and u methods should
be thorough, as thorough as moderate
and we'll considered, based upon the
facts as they are, and not worked
out as if we were beginners. We are
to deal with the facts of our own day,
with the facts of no other, and to
make laws which square with those
facts. 1t is best, indeed it is neces-
sary, to begin with the tariff. / will
urge nothing upon you now at the
opening of your session which can OBJ
scure that first object or divert our
energies from that clearly defined
duty. At a later time + may take the
liberty Of calling our attention to
reforms which should press close
upon the heels of the tariff changes,
If not accompany them, of which the
chief is the reform of our banking and
currency laws; but just now I re-
frain. Fol the present, | put these
matters on one side and think only
of this one thing-of the changes In
our fiscal system which may best
serve to open once more the free chan
nels of prosperity to a great people
whom we would serve to the utmost
and throughout both rank and file.
Woodrow Wilson.
The White House. April 8, 1913.