Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1914-02-27
Wilson, The Leader.

The reception given to Woodrow
Wilson's trust policy by the bust
ness world is one of the most sig,
nificant and interesting develop.
ments of recent history. A bust.
ness friend of ours was talking
about public affairs the other day.
He had voted for Mr.. Taft and had
been generally distrustful of Mr..
Wilson. Gle makes a noise like
a real man." he said. III think he
will stand among our presidents
next to Washington and Lincoln. "
AS the business world has made
up its mind to follow him, so has
Congress. When he first threw
away precedent and read his own
message, he was received with a
cold and hostile silence. The sec.
ond time he appeared, there was
scattered applause. The third
time he was received with enthusi-
asm. He had won, partly because
his ideas were right and partly be-
cause he had shown the ability to
gain victories. The public likes a
winner, and the President who is
tble to do things inspires the
same loyalty in Representatives
and Senators and the rest of us
that victorious generals and cham.
pion baseball players inspire.
Happily Mr.. Wilson gives every
proof of deserving the immense
power that is now lodged in his
hands. He is not only the real
leader in Washington; he is the
one essential leader. If he should
be taken away tomorrow, and sue.
ceeded by the well, meaning Vice.
President, progress in legislation
for the present would be at an
end.
1t is a masterful gift to combine
courtesy and a reassuring manner
with firmness and a drastic pro-
gramme, as the President did in
his Trust message. He is a radi-
cal; conservatives have often called
him an extreme radical; and yet
the time has come when he fright.
ems nobody. The time has come
when those ideas which we all feel
to be right can be put into prac.
tice without being regarded by
the business world as so much dN
Mantle. Rapid indeed has been
the progress since the fourth of
March: the tariff system initiated,
that we have been confronting
with a fear for a generation; our
old currency system overthrow
and a more democratic one intro
duced; the whole nature of private
monopoly facing a change, and al.
most no one found to doubt that
the Presidents outline of this
change will be carried through.
Through these rapid steps ahead,
much glory must come to the man
who holds the most responsible Of
flee. OF course, the underlying
causes can be traced far back.
They can be traced to the in
surgent Republicans, to Roose.
welt, to La Toilette, to Bryan, to
the POpulists. They can be traced
across the ocean to successful ex-
periments in many different lands.
They can be traced back to the in.
vention of the printing press and
the Harvesting of steam. But,
however much we may believe that
progress is inevitable, we must
realize also that it is greater or
less in degree according to the
leadership of the moment, and
those who have property gain
many and many an unjust victory
over those who have not. There.
fore, when those Who sympathize
with the movement toward fairness
of spirit, brotherhood, justice, the
essentials of Christian religion,
find themselves with the advan-
tage of so competent a leader, new
energy is given to the effort to do
good, and new hope is given to
those who struggle against many
obstacles. -Harpe,'s Weekly.