Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-04
ROOSEVELT on POLITICIANS
Governor Says They Are what tbe
People Make Them

| AT ocean Grove, n. j., last night Gov
ernor theodore Roosevelt of New York was
] the guest of honor at the summer school
"hen ne delivered an address upon 'Prac-
ucal Politics and Decent Politics before a
| large audience. He said, in part:
1t IS idle for the mass of good citizens
| TO try to set themselves apart as not re-
sponsible for our political shortcomings
| In the end the politicians must be exactly
what the people allow them to be. They
must represent the people-perhaps the
vice perhaps the virtue perhaps the in
| difference Of the people This does NOT
! IN the least excuse politicians that are bad
| and we must keep in mind the fact that
| every vicious politician, above all every
| successful politician tends to dahauch nub-
| nc conscience, to render bad men holder
ana decent men, who are not far-sighted
more cynically Indifferent than ever. But
IN banning the politician do not forget that
we are ourselves TO blame for permitting
his existence. Again. do not let us fall into
| the mistake of thinking that We shall ever
make politics better by mysteries in any
shape or form.
1t Is a shame to us as a nation that we
should nave tolerated in a city like New
York an administration against which it is
necessary to war, not on grounds of politi-
ca expectancy, but on grounds of elemen
| tary morality.
Just at the moment the nation is face 10
| face with duty that calls for heroism L
mean our attitude in the Philippines. We
| put our pick into the rotten foundations Of
Spanish government both in the east and
West Indies. We tumbled the building
down in as righteous a war as was ever I'M
! dertaken. Now. if we are worth our place
among the great nations of the earth we
| must see to it that the ruins are cleared
| away and the temple of justice and honesty
| reared in their places. We shall be guilty
| of a terrible wrong to humanity if in the
Philippines retreat before armed saw
agery instead of organizing a suitable gov
eminent which shall guarantee justice to
every one and an ever-increasing measure
of liberty to those who show themselves
worthy of It.
The whole history of the world shows
that the wrong done by the mere sentiment
aist is often of larger proportions and more
elastic than any other kind of wrong, and
of this wrong we shall be guilty if We fail
to do our task thoroughly and well. 1t will
call for but the merest fraction of strength,
provided only We choose to exert that
strength. If, however, the people let their
Representatives in Congress hamper the
administration as they did last winter,
when they refused to put the army upon
proper footing as to size, permanence and
organization, then the people have them
selves to thank if the war fingers with Diff
cultieS and dangers increase. What the
people have to do is to resolve to back up
the President to the full in seeing that the
outburst of savagery is repressed once for
all and, what is even more important, to
see that these new tropic islands in the
east and west are not left to the prey of
partsans and spoilsmen, but the governed
primarily in the interest of their inhabit-
ants, and therefore ultimately for the honor
and renown of America
The audience expressed their appreciation
of Governor Roosevelt's address by much
cheering that the governor was compelled
to ask them to deSist. Every allusion to
the Philippine question the signal for
renewed outbursts of cheering.