The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-02-20
Remarkable Address
By the Hon. c. N. Fowler
Country Suffers From Bus
mess Depression While
Administration Talks
Psychology"

perpetulty of the Union as a constitu-
tional question eliminated In those in.
spring, those immortal words of Dan
lei Webster, Liberty and union now
and forever, one and ~inseparable." But
the fatal controversy still went on, and
the Union was to be preserved only
through the crucible of the great civil
war under the guidance of that divine
ly appointed man, that .diyinely in
spired man, that man now of all the
ages, that mar of all men since the
dawn of time, save only one, the Son
of Man. That God given man, that
God gifted man was abraham Lincoln.
May this Union. so saved and so di-
! vinely dedicated to the American peo-
ple-yes, let us hope so divinely dedi-
Gated to the whole human race-en
dure to the end of time, that we as a
nation may not only prove worthy of
II political independence, but also IL
lustrate in our citizenship that the
very sou of independence is in the
freedom OF man, for freedom is the
eternal right of man to be himself, to
be his highest, his noblest, his most
efficient, his very best, his truly hap
piest self. which can only be secured
through the industrial independence of
the nation and the complete co-opera-
ton of the whole people, each citizen
being able to contribute the most his
peculiar talents or ability makes posi-
BILE to our national prosperity and our
national life.
Vision of the Founders.
The founders of this government
clearly comprehended our mission as
a nation and apprehended with the
keenest appreciation that our indus
trial independence was the counterpart
of our political independence-indeed
that it was the very soul of our ma
tional life and the only sure road to
true national glory.
They saw that it was necessary not
only that we should be free from other
nations politically, but Independent of
them as well. This was borne in on
our f%orefathers by the fact that Eng
land had decreed that we should not
establish manufac tures here, by cut
tluS VI u lladC Will III PAL 10 vi Ii
world and by taking from us all our
gold and silver through an adverse bal
ance of trade, which they carefully
maintained by exchanging their manu-
featured products for our raw mate
rial. Being poor indeed, we had no
power to overcome their policy. They
determined that we should be "mere
| boxro,e, aA ryooa aAd Ino u,ar,-nf mo
ter"
Complete Independence.
A nation may be politically free from
all other nations and yet the people
of that nation be industrially the slaves
of the other nations.
Confronted with these facts and this
one great fundamental truth, Wash
ington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison.
Monroe and that matchless coterie of
men who surrounded them proceeded
Immediately to construct an economic
system for the newly born nation
Preparation for such a system had
been made by the trainers of the con
stitution. who outlined their purpose in
its preamble and the powers it confer
red on congress-:
We, the people of the United States, in
order to form a more perfect union. es-
tablish justice, insure domestic tranquil
lily. provide for the common defense, pro-
mote the general welfare and secure the
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our
posterity, do ordain and establish this
constitution for the United States of
America.
And the power of congress was con.
ferred In article 1, section s. of the
constitution, which provides:
Congress shall have power to lay and
collect taxes, duties, imposts and excuses,
to pay the debts and provide for the
common defense and general welfare of
the United States.
The very first act passed by these
men. who had been the controlling in
fuences in creating the constitution in
pursuance of the purpose of the franz
ers of the constitution after providing
for the manner of taking the oath of
office, was a great protective tariff
measure which was prefaeed with
these words:
Where 1t is necessary for the support of
the government, the discharge of the
debts of the United States and the en-
enlargement and protection of manufac-
lures that duties be laid upon goods.
wares and merchandise imported; now.
therefore. be II enacted. etc.
It is a matter worthy of note that,
as If glorying in this act of Industrial
freedom, Washington signed it on the
4th day of July, 1889.
Bases of Prosperity Established.
With manufactures iourishing on
every hand, with a merchant marine
the envy of the world, and a banking
system challenging any on the globe
for the soundest Of its principles and
the efficiency Of its operation, the
Democratic party made its m~alevolent
appearance in the history of this re-
public.