Williams news., 1919-08-22


 oestruction wrought by the great war, ana we are part of the world. We must pay our share. Tor five years now the in- 1ustry of all Europe has been slack and oisoroered- The normal crops have not been produced: the normal quantity of manufactured goods has not been turned out.
 Not until there are the usual crops and the usual production of manufactured sooos on the other side of the Atlantic can Europe return to the former condi- tions; and 1t was upon the former condi- tions. not the present, that our economic relations with Europe were built up
 we must face the fact that unless we neIp ip Europe to get back to her normal there which will inevitably be communi- cated to this country. For the present it is manifest. we must quicken. not slacken our own production.
 U. S. Must Hold World Steady.
 we, and we almost alone now hold the world steady. Upon our Steadfastness and seIf-possession depend the affairs of na- tons everywhere. It is in this supreme cr1s1s-this crisis for all mankind-that American must prove her mettle.
 In the presence of a world confused, dis tracted, she must show herself self-pos- sessed, self-contained, capable of sober and effective action. She saved Europe by her action in arms; she must now save it by her action in peace
 In saving Europe she will save herself as she did upon the battlefelds of the war The calmness and capacity with which she deals with and masters the problems of peace will be the final test and proof of her place among the peoples of the world
 And, if only in our own interest, we must help the people overseas. Europe Is our biggest customer. We must keep her going or thousands of shops and scores of our mines must close. There is no such thing letting her go to ruin without ourselves sharing in the disaster
 1va Tyo1 a9,,z with such tests, passion must be discard ed Passion and disregard for the rights Of others have place in the counsels of free people. We need light | not heat. in these solemn times of self examination and saving action.
 Must Be No Threats.
 There must be no threats. Let there be | only intelligent counael. and let the best | reasons win, not the strongest brute force The world has just destroyed the | arbitrary force of military junta. It | will live under no other. All that Is ar | bitrary and coercive Is in the discard. | Those who seek to employ it only prepare | their own destruction.
 We cannot hastily and overnight revo- lutontze all the processes of our eco homie life. We shall not attempt to do so. These are days of deep excitement and of extravagAnt speech, but with us these are things of the surface
 Everyone who is in real touch with the silent masses ot our great people knows that the old strong fiber and steady self control are still there firm against vfo- fence or any distempered action that would throw their affairs into confusion.
 I am serenely confident that they will readily find themselves, no matter what the circumstances, and that they will ad- dress themselves to the tasks of peace with the same devotion and the same stalwart preference for what is right that they displayed to the admiration of the whole world n midst of
 Sinister influences at Work
 And enter another confident hope. I have spoken today chiefly of measures of imperative regulation and legal com pulsion. of prosecutions and the sharp correction of selfish processes; and these no doubt are necessary.
 But there are other forces that we may count on besides those resident in the of justice. We have just fully awakened to what has been going on and to the influences. many of them very selfish and sinister, that have been producing high prices and imposing an intolerable burden the mass of our people.
 To have brought it all iato the open will accomplish the greater part of the result we seek
 I appeal with entire confidence to our producers, our middlemen and our merchants to deal fairly with the peo- ple- It is their opportunity to show | tend to act justly, and that they have the public interest sincerely at heart.
 And I have no doubt that house. keepers all over the country. and ev- eryone who buys the things he daily stands in need of will presently exer- cise greater vigilance, more thoughtful economy, a more discrimi- hating care as to the market in which ne buys or the merchant with whom ne traded than he has hitherto exer- ,ised.
 Labor Must Consider. .reme leaders of organized labor will yield to a sober second thought. and like the great mass of heir associates. think and act like rue Americans. They will that strikes undertaken at this critical time Ire certain to make matters worse, lot better-worse for them and for else.
 The worst thing, the most fatal hing-that can be done now is to stop1 IT interrupt production, or to interfere with the distribution of goods by the I and the shipping of the , country.
 We are all involved in the dis ressing results of the high cost of lying and we must unite, not divide, O correct it.
 There are many things that ought o be corrected in the relations be- ween capital and labor. in respect f wages and conditions of labor and ther things even more far-reaching, nd I, for one, ready to go into conference about these matter with ny group of my fellow countrymen , vho know what they are talking about nd are willing to remedy existing1 onditions by frank counsel rather I han by violent contest.
 General Interest First. No remedy is possible while men are ; n temper, and there can be set z