Evening star., 1925-11-20

by the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, November 20.-Inter-
preting his attitude toward business,
president Coolidge, in an address last
night at the annual banquet of the
New York State Chamber of Com
merce, appealed for a better and more
sympathic understanding by the Gov
ernment of the commercial world s
problems and by business men of the
affairs of Government
The complete text of the speech
follows:
Mr.. President and Members of the
Chamber of Commerce of the State
of New York:
This time and place naturally Sug-
gest some consideration of commerce
in its relation to Government and So
clety. We are finishing a year which
can justly be said to surpass all others
IN the overwhelming success of gen
eral business. We are met not only
In the greatest American metropolis
but in the greatest center of popula-
ton and business that the world has
ever known. If ony one wishes to
gauge the power which is represented
by the genius of the American spirit,
let him contemplate the wonders
which have been wrought in this
region in the short space of 200 years.
Not only does 1t stand unequaled by
any other place on earth, but it is inn
possible to conceive of any other place
where it could be equaled.
The foundation of this enormous de-
Nelopment rests upon commerce. New
York is an imperial city, but it is not
A seat of Government. The empire
over which it rules is not political,
but commercial. The great cities of
the ancient world We're the seats of
both government and industrial
power. The Middle Ages furnished a
few exceptions. The great capitals
of former times We're not only seats Of
government but they actually govern
ed. In the modern world government
is inclined to be merely tenant Of
the city. Political life and industrial
life flow on side by side, but practical
IE separted from each other. When
we contemplate the enormous power,
autocratic and uncontrolled. which
would have been created by joining
the authority of government with the
influence of business we can better
appreciate the wisdom of the fathers
in their wise diSpenSation which made
Washington the political center of the
country and left New York to develop
into its business center. They
wrought nightly for freedom.
Urges Independence.
/ lie great advantages OF th1S ar
rangement seem to me to be obvious.
The only disadvantages which appear
lie in the possibility that otherwise
business and government might have
had better understanding of each
other and been less likely to develop
mutual miSapprehensions and sus-
piciOnS. If a contest could be held to
determine how much those who are
really prominent in our government
life know about business, and how
much those who are really prominent
in our business life know about gov
ernment. IL is my firm conviction that t
the prize would be awarded to those
who are in government life. This is
a. ii ought to be. for those who have
the greater authority ought to have
the greater knowledge. But it is my
even firmer conviction that the gen
eral welfare of our country could be
very much advanced through a better
knowledge by both of those parties
of the multifold problems with which
each has to deal. While our system
gives an opportunity for great benefit
by encoura ging detachment and
breadth of vision which ought not to
be sacrificed, it does not have the ad-
vantages which could be secured if
each had better conception Of their
mutual requirements.
While | have spoken of what | be-
Iieved would be the advantages of
more sympathetic understanding, |
should have put an even stronger en-