Bernard Baruch: On Woodrow Wilson

“Freedom to Wilson was the supreme blessing of man. Democratic government was superior to all others because it gave to men the greatest measure of individual liberty. Individual liberty—the words are inseparable [emphasis added]. The individual, Wilson said, is the ‘first fact of liberty.’ There can be ‘no corporate liberty,’ he pointed out. ‘Liberty belongs to the individual or it does not exist.’

“This is a truth which we are in danger of forgetting in an age when, increasingly, we think and act in terms of blocs and groups. The pressure of these groups steadily erodes our individuality and independence. More and more we rely on government to solve our problems. But as much as Wilson extended the role of government, his purpose was to free the individual and never to shackle self-reliance and initiative.

“These are the keys to human progress. Wilson knew that only individuals, not government, can provide the sense of moral responsibility which is the basis of a just and enduring society.”

Bernard M. Baruch, The Public Years, 1960

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