    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [January 14, 1999]
    [Page 44]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 44]]

    Telephone Remarks to the Wall Street Project Conference
    January 14, 1999

        I am very sorry that bad weather prevented me from being with you
    tonight. But if Mother Nature is kind, I will be in New York tomorrow. I
    want to thank all of you for coming together through the Wall Street
    Project to work to ensure that the unprecedented prosperity of our time
    reaches into every corner of America.
        We are living in blessed times. Our economy is the strongest in a
    generation. Our social fabric is mending. That's why we must seize this
    moment of prosperity to tackle some of our greatest challenges. You
    gather tonight in one of the greatest monuments of American capitalism.
    But just blocks away, there are hard-working families who have yet to
    feel the prosperity. We have not only an opportunity, we've got an
    obligation to give all of them the tools they need to share in this
    bounty.
        As leaders of the companies on the Big Board, as the men and women
    who have helped to transform America into the world's economic
    superpower, you must help to build the bridge between those who work in
    our gleaming office towers and those who live in their shadows, between
    Wall Street and our greatest untapped markets. Tomorrow I'll talk about
    my plan to work with all of you to bring capital and hope to our most
    underserved neighborhoods.
        Not too long ago, Reverend Jackson once
    talked about the freedom symphony he would write for America. The first
    movement would represent our liberation from slavery; the second would
    be the struggle to end legal segregation; the third would be the fight
    to win the vote; and the final movement would be the crusade to bring
    economic opportunity to all Americans. You can help to write that
    movement. In fact, it can't be written without you.
        I thank you for helping to make sure that no family is left behind.
    And I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow.

    Note: The President spoke at approximately 8:30 p.m. from the Oval
    Office at the White House to the conference in New York City. In his
    remarks, he referred to Jesse Jackson, founder and president, Rainbow/
    PUSH Coalition.