The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-08-16

] clearly W!tnin the constitutional EOWer OF
the congress 10 make similar permanent
1 provisions and regulations with regard TO
all goods destined for interstate COM
merce and to exclude them from inter
| state shipment II the requirements of the
law are nor complied with.
| Some such regulation Is imperatively
| necessary.
II would materially add TO the seTV
| iceability Of the law. for the purpose We
| now have in view. II il were also pre-
| scribed that all goods released from stor-
| age for interstate shipment should have
plainly marked upoa each package the
! selling or market price at which they
/ Went into storage. BY this means the
/ purchaser would always be able to learn
what profits stood between him and the
| producer or the wholesale ccaier
The world must pay for the appalling
I destruction wrought by the great war.
and we are part OF the world We must
pay our share. For five years now the in
! dustry of all Europe has been slack and
| disordered. 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
! goods on the other side of the Atlantic
can Europe return to the former condi-
| tons; and II was upon the former condi-
| tons. not the present, that our economic
relations with Europe were built up.
| We must face the fact that unless we
! help Europe 10 get back to her normal
| lie and production chaos will ensue
there which will inevitably be communi-
! Gated TO this country For the present. il
| is manifest, we must quicken, not sIacken.
| our own production.
v. S. Must Hold World Steady.
We, and We aImest alone now hold the
| world steady. Upon our steadfastness and
| self-possession depend the affairs of
| tons everywhere. II is in this supreme
| crisis-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
| II by her action in peace.
In saving Europe she will save herself.
as she did upon the battlef1elds Of the
| war. The calnness 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, IL only in our own interest We
| must help the people overseas Europe is
our biggest customer. We must keep her
going or thousands of our shops and
II
| no such thing as letting her 60 to ruin
without ourselves sharing In the disaster
In such circumstances. face to face
with such tests. passion must be discard
ed Passion and a disregard for the
rights of others have no place In the
counsels of a free people. We need light.
not heat. in these solemn times of self
examination and saving action.
Everyone who Is in real touch with the
that the old strong fiber and steady self
control are still there, firm against vio-
lence on 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 in the midst of war
Sinister Influences at Work.
And / enter anotl,er confident hope
have spoken today ehiehy 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
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 on the mass Of cur
people.
To have brought it all into the open
will accomplish the greater part of the
result we seek
1 appeal with. entire confidence to
merchants to deal fairly with the peo-
Pile It Is their opportunity to show
that they comprehend. that they in
tend to act Justly. and that they have
the public interest sincerely at heart.
Labor Must Consider.
believe. too. that the more ex-
treme leaders of organized labor will
presently yield to a sober second
thought and like the great mass of
their associates, think and act like
true Americans. They will see tnat
strikes undertaken at this critical time
are certain to make matters worse,
not better-worse for them and for
everybody else.
>. The worst thing. the most fatal
thing-that can be done now is to stop
or interrupt production. or to interfere
with the distribution of goods by the
railways and the shipping of the
country.
There are many things that ought
to be corrected in the relations be-
tween capital and labor. in respect
of wages and conditions of labor and
other things even more far-reaching
and I. for one. am ready to 60 into
conference about these matter with
any group of my fellow countrymen
who know what they are talking about
and are willing to remedy existing
conditions by frank counsel rather
than by violent contest
General Interest First.
No remedy is possible while men are
in a temper. and there can be no set
tiement which does not have as its
motive and standard the general In
terest.
!, Must ALL Work Together.
Threats and undue insistence upon
the interest of a single class. make set
tlement impossible. believe as I
have hitherto had occasion TO say TO
the congress. that the industry and life
of our people and of the world will
suffer irreparable damage II employers
and workmen are to go on in a perpet-
ual contest as antagonists. They
must, on one plan or another. be effec-
lively associated. Have We not stead
mess and self-possession and business
sense enough to work out that result? !
In the meantime-now and in the |
days of readjustment and recuperation
that are ahead OF us-let us resort |
more and more to frank and intimate !
and make ourselves great |
and triumphal nation. making our
selves a united force in the life of the |
world. 1t will not then have looked to |
us for leadership In vain.