OCR Text |
Show I PRESIDENT WILSON I ISSUES APPEAL TO I BUSINESS INTERESTS Bl Assures Coal OjK'rntors mid Miuui-BB Miuui-BB fuiturers Just Trices Will Ho l'nlil BB During War, Hut A Varus Tlicm B Extortion Will Not Ho Tolerated. BB Wnshlngton, July 11. President BB Wilson appealed to tho country's BB business Interests tonight to put BB nsldo every selfish consideration and BB to givo their nld to tho nation ns BB freoly as thoso who go out to offer BB their lives on tho battlefield. BB In a statomont nddrcssed to the BBL coal operators tho manufacturers ho BBF gavo assurnnco that just prices will BB bo paid by tho government and tho BB public during tho war, but warned BB that no attempt to extort unusual BB profits will bo tolerated. BB "Vour patriotism," said tho Presl- BB dent's appeal, "Is of tho samo self- BB denying stuff ns tho patriotism of BB i, tho men dead and maimed on the BB fields of France, or It Is no patriotism BB at all. Let us never speak, then, of BB profits and patriotism in tho samo BB sentence. BB "I shall expect every man who is B not a slacker to bo at my sldo BB throughout this groat enterprise. In BB It no man can win honor who thinks B of himself." BB Tho president declared there must BBS bo but one prico for tho government BBj nnd for tho public. He expressed (confidence that business gonerally would be found loyal to tho last de-grco de-grco and that tho problem of war tlmo prices, which he declared will BB "mean victory or defeat," will be BBJ solved rightly through ipatrlotlc co- BB operation. BB Condemns Shlowiu'rs. BB In unmeasured terms, however, BBJ Mr. Wilson condemned the shlpown- BB crs of the country for maintaining a BBf schedule of ocean freight rates which BBj has placed "almost Insuperable ob- BB ' stacles" In tho path of tho govorn- BB mont. BBJ "Tho fact Is," h nsaerted, "that BBJ thoso who have fixed war freight BB rates have taken tho most effective BB means In their power to defeat tho H armies engaged against Germany." BB Coal production and other Indus- BBJ tries for whoso production tho gov ernment has negotiated price agreements agree-ments are not taken up In detail by tho President, his nppeal dealing only with tho general principles Involved In-volved In tho determination of war prices. It folio wb in full: "My fellow countrymen: "Tho government la about to attempt at-tempt to determlno tho prices at which it will ask you henceforth to furnish various supplies which unnecessary un-necessary for tho prosecution of tho war, and various materials which will bo needed In tho industries by which tho war muBt bo sustained. Wo shall of courso try to determlno thorn Justly and to the best advantage- of tho nation ns a whole, but Justice Is easier to speak of than to arrlvo at and thcro aro samo considerations consid-erations which I hope wo shall Ueo'.i . Bteadlly in mind whilo this particu-lar particu-lar problem of Justlco Is boinT worked out Therefore I tnko tho ' liberty of stating very candidly Known Kn-own vlow of tho situation and of thi principles which should guide bo '1 1 tho government and tho mine owneri and manufacturers of tho country In this difficult matter. j Will Pay Just Prices. "A Just prico must, of course, be j paid for everything tho government buys. Ily a JuBt price, I mean a ' price which will sustain tho Industries Indus-tries concerned in n high state of efficiency, ef-ficiency, provided a living for thoso who conduct them, cnablo them fo pay good wages and make possible expansions of their enterprises which will from tlmo to tlmo becomo necessary neces-sary as tho stupendous undertakings of this great war develop. "We could not wisely or reasonably reason-ably do less than pay such prices. They aro necessary for tho mnlntnln-anco mnlntnln-anco of tho development of Industry, and tho maintenance and development develop-ment of Industry aro necessary for tho great task wo havo in hand. "Hut I trust that wo shall not surround sur-round tho matter with n mist of sentiment. sen-timent. Facts aro our masters now Wo ought not to put tho acceptance of such prices on tho ground of patriotism. pa-triotism. Patriotism has nothing to do with profits in n case llko this. Patriotism and profits ought never In tho present circumstances bo men- tloned together. It Is perfectly proper pro-per to discuss profits as a matter of business, with a view to maintaining the Integrity of capital and tho efficiency effi-ciency of labor In theso tragical months, when tho liberty of free men everywhere and of Industry Itself trembles In the balance; but It would bo absurd to discuss them as a motive mo-tive for helping to serve and save our country. Test of Patriotism. "Patriotism leaves profits out of tho question. In theso days of our supromo trial, when wo are sending hundreds of thousands of our young men across tho seas to servo behind a groat cause, no truo man who stays behind to work for them nnd sustain them by his labor will ask himself what ho Is personally going to makp out of that labor. No truo patriot will permit himself to tako toll of their heroism In money or 'seek to grow rich by tho shedding of their blood. Ho will givo ns freely nnd with as unstinted selfsacrlftce as they. When they nro giving their lives .will ho not at least give his money? "I henr It Insisted that more than a Just price, more than a prico that will sustain our Industries to pay very liberal nnd unusual profits in order to 'stTmulato' production; that nothing but pecuniary rewards will Oo re.arls paid in money, not In tho l.itiv liberation of tho world. I take It fir "ran'ed that thoso who argu i 1.1 n ' -top to think whnt that means. Do tuey mean that you must bo paid, must bo bribed, to make your contribution, a contribution contribu-tion that costs you neither a drop of blood nor a tear, when tho whole world is in travail and men everywhere every-where depend upon and call to you to bring them out of bondage and make tho world a fit place to lvo In again amidst peace and justice? Do you moan that you will exact a prico, drlvo a bargain, with tho men who are enduring the agony of this war on tho battlefield, in tho trenches and amidst tho lurking dangers of tho sen, or with tho bereaved women and pitiful children, before you will come forward to do your duty and givo Bomo part of your life, In easy peaceful fashion, for tho things wo are fighting for, tho things wo havo pledged our fortunes, our Uvea, our secred honor to vindicate and defend liberty nnd justice and 'fair dealing deal-ing and tho peace of nations? Demands Fair Vnlue. "Of courso you will not. It Is Inconceivable In-conceivable Your patriotism Is of the samo self-denying stuff as the patriotism of tho men dead nnd maimed on tho flolds of France, or else It Is not patriotism nt all. Let us never speak, then, of profits and of patriotism in the samo sentence, but face factB and' meet them. Let us Bound business, but not In tho midst of a mist. Many a grievous burden of taxation will bo laid on this nation, In this generation and In tho next, to pay for this war; let us see to It that for every dollar that is takon from tho people's pockets pock-ets it shall bo possible to obtain a dollar's worth of tho sound stuff they need. "Lot mo turn for a moment to the ship owners of tho United States and tho other ocean cnrrlcrs whoso ox-ample ox-ample thoy havo followed, nnd n.sk them if they reallzo what obstacles, what almost Insuperable obstacles, they havo been putting In the way of tho successful prosecution of this war by tho ocean freight rates thoy havo been exnctlng. They tho doing everything that high freight charges can do to make tho war a failure, to mnko it Impossible. I do not say that they reallzo this or intend It. Tho thing ha3 happened naturally enough, becauso tho commercial processes pro-cesses which nro content to see operate op-erate in ordinary times havo without sufficient thought been continued Into In-to a period whore they hnvo no proper pro-per placo. I am not questioning motives. mo-tives. I mil moroly stating n fact and stating it in order that attention mny bo fixed upon it. s"Tho fact Is that thoso who havo j fixed war frolght rates have taken the most cffectlvo mean3 In their, power to defeat tho armies engaged ngalnft .Germany. When they reallzo ' thi" wj may, I take It for granted.) count upon ttiem to reconsider the whole matter. It la high time. The extra hazards aro covered by war risk insurance. "I know, nnd you know, what response re-sponse to this great challnngo of duty and of opportunity the nation will expect of you; and I know what response re-sponse you will make. Thoso who do not respond, who do not respond in tho spirit of those who have gono to givo their lives for us on bloody fields far away, mny safely bo left to bo dealt vlth by opinion and tho law for tho law must of course com-mnnd com-mnnd thoso things. I am dealing with tho matter thus publicly and frankly, not becauso I havo any doubt or fear as to tho result, but only in ordor that In all our thinking and in all our dealings with ono another we may movo in a perfectly clear air of mutual understanding. Prices Menu Everything. "And there is something more that we must add to our thinking. Tho public Is now as much part of the government ns are tho army, nnd the navy themselves; the whole people In all their activities aro now mobilizing mob-ilizing nnd in service for the accomplishment accom-plishment of tho nation's task In this war; it is in such circumstances 1m-posslblo 1m-posslblo justly to distinguish between Industrial purchases mad by tho government gov-ernment nnd Industrial purchases made by tho managers of Industries, and It Is just as much our duty to sustain tho industrials of the country coun-try with all tho Industries that contribute con-tribute to Its life, as It Is to sustain our forces in the field nnd on tho sea. Wo must make prices to the public the same ns the prices to tho government. "Prices mean the same thing everywhere. ev-erywhere. They mean tho efficiency or the inefficiency of the nation, whether it Is tho government that pays them or not. They mean victory vic-tory or defeat. They mean that America will win her place once for all among tho foremost free nations of the world; or that she will sink to defeat and becomo a second rate power allko In thought and In action. ac-tion. This Is a day of her reckoning and every man amongst us must personally per-sonally face that reckoning alon? with her. "Tho case needs no nrgulng. I assume as-sume that I am only expressing your own thoughts what must be In tho mind of every truo man when' ho faces tho tragedy and the solemn glory of tho present war for tho emancipation of mankind. I summon sum-mon you to a great duty, a great privilege pri-vilege a shining dignity nnd distinction. distinc-tion. I shall expect every man who Is not a slacker to bo at my sldo throughout this great enterprise. In It no man can win honor who thinks of himself." |