And State Papers 335 



administration of the law, can do naught more than 

 give us a fair field in which to work out that fate 

 aright. If as individuals, or as a community, we 

 mar our future by our own folly, let us remember 

 that it is upon ourselves that the responsibility must 

 rest. 



FROM ADDRESS AT QUINCY, ILL., APRIL 29, 1903 



Mr. Chairman and my Fellow-Citizens: 



There is one matter which I think presses for 

 national legislative attention the matter of the cur 

 rency.' From your sister State of Iowa I have a Sec 

 retary of the Treasury, who, as he showed last fall, 

 can be counted on to act with courage and with wis 

 dom whenever the need arises, and to use fearlessly 

 and coolly whatever the law now allows him to use. 

 Our currency laws have been recently improved by 

 specific declarations intended to secure permanency 

 of values; but this does not imply that these laws 

 may not be further improved and strengthened. It 

 is wellnigh universally admitted, certainly in any 

 business community such as this, that our currency 

 system is wanting in elasticity; that is, the volume 

 does not respond to the varying needs of the country 

 as a whole, nor to the varying needs of the different 

 localities as well as of different times. Our people 

 scarcely need to be reminded that grain-raising com 

 munities require a larger volume of currency at 

 harvest time than during the summer months; and 

 the same principle in greater or less extent applies 

 to every community. Our currency laws need such 



