The daily sentinel., 1913-06-23
PERSONAL PLEA IN MESSAGE
Continued from Page ~

vantage of the shelter of the nur-
sery, to set up a mimic mastery of
their own within its walls Now
both the tonic and the discipline OF
liberty and maturity are to ensue.
There will be some readiustments of
purpose and point of view There
Will follow 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
rot be unless the resourceful business
men who are to deal with the new
circumstances are to have at hand
and ready for use the instrumentali-
ties and oonveniences of free enter
prise which Independent men need
when acting on their own initiative.
Constructive Legislation.
1T is not enough to strike the
shackles from business The duty of
statesmauship is not negative merely.
1t is constructive also. We must
show that we understand what bust
ness needs and that we know how to
supply it. No. man. however casual
ana superficial his observation of the
conditions now prevailing in the
country, can fail to see that one OF
the chief things business needs now
and Will need increasingly as il gains
in scope and vigor in the years i'm
mediately ahead of us, Is the proper
means by which readily to vitaiiZe
its credit. corporate and individual.
and its originative brains. What will
profit us to be free If We are not to
have the best and most accessible in
strumentalities OF commerce and en-
terprise What will IL profit us to
be quit of one kind of monopoly IL
we are to remain in the grip of an
other and more effective kind? How
are we to gain and keep the conf
dence of the business community un-
less we show that we know how both
to aid and to protect 1t? What shall
we say Ii we make fresh enterprise
necessary and also make II very diff
ficult by leaving all else except the
tariff just as we found it? The tyr
anHes of business. big and little. lie
within the field OF credit. We know
that. Shall we not act upon the
, knowledge? Do we not know how
to act upon it? If a man can not
make his assets available at pleasure.
his assets of capacity and character
and resource, what satisfaction is it
to him ON every hand when others
have the keys of credit in their pock-
cts and treat them as all but their
own private possession? 1t is per-
fectly clear that 1t is our duty to sup
ply the new banking and currency
system the country needs and that II
Will Immediately need 1t more than
ever.
The only question is, When shall
we supply it?-now, or later, after
the demands shall have become re-
proaches that We were SO duh and
so slow? Shall we hasten to change
the tariff laws and then be laggards
about making it possible and easy
for the country to take advantage of
the change? There can be only one
answer to that question. We must
act now. at whatever sacrifice to our
selves. 1t is duty which the cir
cumstances forbid us to postpone.
should be recreant to my deepest con-
victions of public obligation did not
press upon you with solemn and ur-
gent insistence.
More Elastic.
'The principles upon which we
should act are also clear. The coun-
try has sought and seen its path in
this matter within the last few years
sees il more clearly now than ii
ever saw IL before-much more clear
ly than when the last legislative pro-
posals on the subject were made. We
must have currency, not rigid. as
now. but readily. elasticaliy respon-
sive to sound credit. the expanding
and contracting credits OF everyday