On Sept. 19, 1796, President George Washington delivered his farewell address to the country in the pages of Philadelphia's American Daily Advertiser.

It can be read in its entirety on the web in several editions including facsimiles of the original publication. It is worth reading word for word. Forget the latter-day nonsense about cherry trees and bad false teeth. This is a great address by a very great statesman who decided in his wisdom to terminate his presidency of two terms rather than seek a third that likely would have been an easy win. It is to be noted that this man chose not to be the King of America, even when pressed by its citizens.

Does Washington's farewell speak to us today? Does it speak to those of us concerned with manufacturing? You decide, after we examine a few of the points he makes.

Washington warns against East versus West, South versus North, and other forms of regionalism. His interest is in the unity of the country -- at times his words might remind us of Lincoln's, 70 years later. He is suspicious of the energy of those with special interests. He sees the future of the economy of the United States as contingent upon cooperation and not sectional strife.

Today he might be concerned by the huge profits of the oil industry and their effect on business as a whole. He might be upset by the escalating cost of health care and its effect on the operations of our automobile manufacturers. As we rob Peter to pay Paul are we destroying the roots of our economy?

He extols the power of collaboration. He backs neither a liberal nor a conservative voice and is wise enough to say, "...there will always be reason to distrust the patriotism of those, who in any quarter may endeavour to weaken its bands."

He is a patriot who championed the populace, and of course knew only too well the cost of establishing freedom. He wants and praises a government for all people, and says, "Respect for its authority, compliance with its laws, acquiescence in its measures, are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of true Liberty."

He would have been shocked by the high-handedness of some of our business people -- particularly CEOs and their boards who presumably are there to serve a company's best interest and end up serving their own. Particularly those who bend the laws of the land to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of all others.

Washington is a great exponent of the separation of powers. Today he might see a disparity developing between the power of the executive branch and that of Congress and the Supreme Court. He was all too aware of the threats of popularity to long-term logic and reasonableness; he had been a part of the process that set up the counterbalances of our government.

He reminds us that, "It is substantially true, that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government." He might wonder about elected representatives who talk virtue and yet practice the opposite. He might decry the U.S. government's use of Social Security funds to shore up the general fund. He might frown on executives who have misused the monies set aside for employees' retirements.