The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-07-30
PRESIDENT WILSON'S OPINION
OF PEANUT POLITICIANS

Following is the letter written by
President Wilson to Mr.. Jones, re-
Iating to the latter's withdrawal of
his name as a nominee for the Fed
eral Reserve Board.
My Dear Friend,-Your letter of
July 90 brings to me / think, more
kinds of regret than any other letter
1 ever received. Regret first of all,
that the country should lose the in
valuable services of such a man as |
and all fair-minded men who know
you at all know you to be; regret
that | should have brought upon you
so unpleasant an experience in which
you were treated with such gross and
manifest injustice; regret that such
circumstances should seem even for
the moment to be associated with ap
pointment to high office under the
great government of the United
States, representing generous, fair
and honorable people; regret that the
organization of a great banking sys-
tenn should be so embarrassed and
INSTRUCTED
You need not think that anything
in the present circumstances has en-
barrassed me in the least. 1t causes
me not the slightest embarrassment.
| have no moment of hesitation or
tagging enthusiasm in standing by
men whom l honor and believe in. 1t
gives me nothing but pleasure and ex-
hilaration to stand by them at any
time and to any extent. You may
leave my feelings (my feeling for my
self out of reckoning.
The aspect of this matter, which
seems to me of gravest concern and
| consequences, is that the choice of
| members of the federal reserve board
| of the new banking system should
have been mande an occasion of par
tisan alignment and action. The adj
verse report on your nomination, to
which you justly refer as unfair and
untrue, is of course, not to be charg-
ed to the feeling or action of the Sen
ate of the United States or to any,
thing for which that great body as a
whole can be held responsible.
The report is signed only by the
minority members of the committee
and by two members of the majority
who have usually acted with them.
There is no reason to believe that
either in it's temper or in its conclu-
sions that report represents the atti-
tude of the Senate itself.
/ wish most heartily that the inau-
guration of the new national banking
system-a system conceived and en-
acted with no element of partisanship
in its objects or provisions-might
have been free from this unfortunate
and ominous incident.
l believe that the judgment and
desire of the whole country cry out
for a new temper in affairs. The time
has come when discrimination
against particular classes of men
should be absolutely laid aside and
disregarded as unworthy of the coun-
sells of great people.
D The effort of genuine social jus
: tice, for peace, the peace which il
: founded in common understandings
Y and for prosperity, the prosperity o
: cooperation and mutual trust ant
S confidence should be a united effor
n without partisan prejudice or elias
: antagonism.
o 1t is only of such just and nobl
s elements that the welfare of grea
n6
We have breathed already too lon
II the air of suspicion and distrust. TIL
% progress OF reform Is not retarded b
IS generosity and fairness.
y Your action in requesting that you
name be withdrawn displays your us
ual sensitive regard for considers
l., tions other than your own inter
1t est, and sincerely as | regret 1t car
D not but honor you for the action 70
Ig have taken.
r L have no right to ask much les
j. urge, that you continue to be mad
s. the football of the sort OF conteS
Id which has sprung up over this nom
De nation.
1t is a matter of genuine sorrow I
me that a man like you should be e.
it Guided from the public service upo
to a great occasion. But neither of 4
k. is responsible for these eXtraordinaI
n, circumstances. We must both al
Id cept them. / cannot ask you to III
dergo more than you have undergor
already. l can only hope that bette
es cooler, wiser counsels may soon pr
es vail.
er Moreover a great program of co