Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-04-11
President Wilson's Message

Standing before the Senate and House of
Representatives in joint session, as no other
chief executive has done for more than
1l2 years, President Wilson stated simply
and tersely what he thought should be
done for the welfare of the country, and
asked his legislative colleagues. man to
man. frankly and fearlessly, to aid in keep
ing the pledges of their party's platform.
Congress, somewhat startled the other
day when it heard that the President had
determined to deliver his message on the
tariff by word of mouth, had prepared for
ceremony of unusual Importance, and such
it was; yet when President Wilson arrived
IN the midst of the great assemblage, rid
ing through throngs of cheering people in
the streets and later looking up into galleries
crowded with privileged ticket holders, he
seemed, after all, what he said he was, "a
human being trying to cooperate with
other human beings in common service"
Following is the message:
am very glad indeed to have this op-
portunity to address the two houses directly
and to verify for myself the impression
that the President of the United States is
a person, not a mere department of the
Government hailing Congress from some
isolated island of jealous power, sending
messages, not speaking naturally and with
his own voice-that he is human being
trying to cooperate with other human
beings in a common service. After this
pleasant experience, shall feel quite nor
NAL in all our dealings with one another.
have called the Congress together in
extraordinary session because a duty was
laid upon the party now in power at the
recent elections which it ought to perform
promptly, in order that the burden carried
by the people under existing law may be
lightened as soon as possible, and in
order also that the business interests of
the country may not be kept too long in
suspense as to what the fiscal changes are
to be to which they will be required to ad-
just themselves. 1t is clear to the whole
country that the tariff duties must be al
tered. They must be changed to meet the
radical alteration in the conditions of our
economic life which the country has wit
messed within the last generation. While
the whole face and method of our indus
trial and commercial life were being
changed beyond recognition the tariff
schedules have remained what they were
before the change began, or have moved
in the direction they were given when no
large circumstance Of our industrial devel-
opment was what it is today. Our task is
to square them with the actual facts. The
sooner that is done the sooner we shall
escape from suffering from the facts and
the sooner our men Of business will be free
TO thrive by the law Of nature (the nature
Of free business) instead Of by the law of
legislation and artificial arrangement
We have seen tariff legislation wander
very far aield in our day far indeed
from the field in which our prosperity
might have had a normal growth and
stimulation. No one who looks the facts
squarely in the face or knows anything
that lies beneath the surface Of action can
fail to perceive the principles upon which
recent tariff legislation has been based
We long ago passed beyond the modest
notion Of protecting the industries of the
country and moved boldly forward to the
idee that they were entitled to the direct
patroaSes OF the Government. For long
time-a time 80 Tong that the men now
active in public policy hardy remember
the conditions that preceded il we hsye
sought In our tariff schedules to give each
group Of manufacturers VI producers what