Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-28
LAMONT SAYS BUSINESS
WILL CURE IT'S OWN ILLS
Secretary of Commerce Looks to Indi'
vidual Initiation for Relief, He Says
in Forum Talk.

TINE following Is the next of the
speech delivered last night by
Secretary Of Commerce Lamont
over q National Radio Forum ar
ranged by The Star and broad
cast over a coaSt-to-coast network by
the Columbia Broadcasting System:
For some days I have been wonder
ing what could be said about the De-
partment of Commerce that would in
tereSt this radio audience. Many Of
you no doubt think of commerce as a
more or less tiresome and unintereSting
business involving factories and freight
trains. warehouses and stores. buyers
and sellers, goods of many kinds. de-
livery wagons and, of course, the in
evitable bills.
But commerce Is more than that.
For most of our people 1t is their means
of livelihood. In our industrial civiliza-
ton it is the source Of all wealth. 1t is
older than governments, older than
civilization itself Our Stone Age an
cestorS traded in flint arrow heads,
spear points and axes. leopard skins
and amber beads before they had even
developed a language.
All the ancient nations of the world
were great in commerce before they be-
came famous for the things for which
they are now best known. The wealth
which made possible the wonderful
civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome,
Florence and Venice was derived from
commerce These nations we're great
in trade before they could encourage
and support great art. This towering
of civilization in art and science and
literature is made possible only by the
wealth and leisure created by commerce,
Mighty Civilizing Force.
Commerce Itself has always been q
mighty civilizing force, breaking down
the barriers of distruSt between nations
and establishing a basis Of mutual I'M
derstanding growing out Of the ex-
change OF goods and ideas Trade has
truly been described as pathfinder
in the wilderness. herald of peace. q
torchbearer of culture"-although it has
also been charged with having been
the cause Of wars.
Commerce was largely responsible
for the discovery Of this continent. 1t
is true that religious zeal was strong
in the fifteenth century, and the mis-
s!onary followed close after-if he did
not in some cases precede-the trader.
But it was the dream Of finding a wa
terway route to the Indies that drove
early navigators westward over the
Atlantic.
Three centuries later commercial
considerations were again important
factors at the birth of this Republic
indeed, they were responsible in no
small part for the struggle for inde-
pendence. After the Revolution it was
almost entirely commercial considera-
tons that eventually brought several
reluctant colonies into the Union,
while one of the most important pow
ers assigned 10 the new Federal Gov
eminent was the regulation of inter-
state and foreign commerce.
So it may seem dif1icult to. under
stand that more than another century
should have passed after the founding
of our Government before the creation
of a separate executive department
charged, according to the organic act.
with the duty of fostering, promoting
and developing the foreign and domes-
tic commerce. the mining, manufactur-
ing, shipping and fishing industries
and the transportation facilities Of the
United States"
Time will not permit me to discuss
at length the varied and interesting
activities Of the different bureaus Of