West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1915-12-16


apart. IL does furnish the businss
men OF this country with an instru
ment such as credit never possesse,
before.
Credit is n very spontaneous thing
It's excursions ought not to be per
sonally conducted. There have bee,
times In this country when the expe
ditions of credit were personally con
Quoted
Il could name some OF the agencie,
where guides were provided. But A
you are starting an enterprise In one
part or the country you do not wan,
any guides; yol rather resent guild.
ance from another part OF the country
And there were times when there were
limited circles in the eastern portion
OF our great country who thought thew
knew more about business In the 9th
er parts OF the country than the peo-
pie who lived I'm those parts of the
country. have always doubted
them. 1 now know that they did not
The vision OF a democracy that I
nave is this-that you must not be
presumptuous enough TO determine be-
forehand where the vitality is going
TO come from. The beauty OF demo-
cracy is that you never can tell when
youngster is born what he is going
TO do with you. and that no matter
how humbly he is born. no matter
what circumstances hamper him at
the outset. he has got chance 70
master the minds and lead the imagi-
nations OF the whole country.
That Is the beauty OF democracy
that you do not beforehand pretend TO
pick out the vital centers, but thew
pick themselves out. The men who
are going to lead you and dominate
you pick themselves out and elect
themselves by an electric process over
which legislation can have no control
whatever. like to think that the
youngsters now playing somewhere.
perhaps in a gutter, are some time or
other going to stand up and speak the
voice OF America for all the world IN
hear.
so want you TO share with me
this vision OF the future OF American
business-of cosmopolitan spirit. OF
spirit OF enterprise out OF which the
old timidity has gone. For you will
have to admit, gentlemen, that Ameri-
can business men have been timid.
They have constantly run TO Wash
ington and said: 1t looks like rain:
Tor Gods sake. give us shelter!' You
do not need Washington. There is
genius enough in this country to mas
ter the enterprise OF the world, and Il
ought not to ask odds OF anybody.
Il would like to have tho thrilling
pride OF realizing that there was no.
body In America who was afraid 10
match with the world.
When I move about this country
l feel as you do the vitality OF the
thing that is going on I'm Il, the quick
origination OF minds when they meet
new circumstances. the readiness with
which Americans adapt themselves TO
new circumstances is the spiri,
OF conquest.
II originally, for example. belonged
TO stock which has never failed TO
feel at home anywhere as soon az Il
got there. I mean the Scotch-Irish.
The Scotch-Irish have taken leave TO
belong the minute they landed, and
presently a good deal else has be-
longed to them besides themselves:
and like TO picture that also as typi-
cal OF America.
Whom woud you pick out among
the early Americans as the typIcal
American? You know that for more
than a hundred years after the settle
ment OF this country-for nearly a
years after the establishment
or the Union-there was always a
frontier on this continent, and the
typical American was the man who
did not need any assistance from any,
where or anybody, but who went out
into new country. made his own
home for himself. and then occasion
ally went back to his old home rich
and powerful and contented.
That was the typical American.
There was certain community some
where In what used 10 be the from
tier back I'm Jackson's day, who sent
a pitifuI plea to Washington that Con
gress woud hurry up and give them a
territorial form OF government be-
cause they did not have any govern
ment. They happened to be beyond
the bounds of the government there
tofore set up.
Jackson sent them a very proper
reproof. lie said that they were the
first Americans he had heard OF who
didn't know how to set up a govern
ment for themselves and take care OF
themselves. The characteristic Amer
lean community for a long time was
the frontier community made on the
spot and made according TO the local
pattern.
80 that when J hear Americans
begging TO be assisted by authority
wonder where they were born. won
der how long they have breathed the
air Of America. wonder where their
papers Of spiritual naturalization are
For America now may make peace
fui conquest Of the world, and I say
that with al the greater confidence
gentlemen, because believe and hope
that the belief does not spring mere
ly from the hope that when the pres