The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-08-11
Gov. Roosevelt Talks Plainly.

Ocean Grove, N. j., Aug. 3.-Gov-
ernor Theodore Roosevelt of New York
was the guest of honor at the Ocean
Grove summer school tonight, when he
delivered an address upon Practical
Politics and Decent Politics." before an
audience of 10000 people.
At Ocean Grove he was met by great
crowd and one hundred bicyclists es-
corted him to his stopping place. In
front of the house company of boys
dressed as rough riders saluted him, to
his great delight.
The audience tonight was so extraor-
binary enthusiastic that Governor
Roosevelt was obliged to beg the peo-
pie to moderate their cheering.
SPEECH OF ROOSEVELT.
Governor Roosevelt spoke on "Practi-
cal Politics and Decent Politics" He
said in part:
at is idle for the mass ofgood citizens
to try to set themselves apart as not re-
sponsible for our 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
indifference 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 tends
to debauch public conscience, to render
bad men bolder and decent men who
are not far sighted, more cynically in
different than ever. But in blaming the
politicians, do not forget that we are
ourselves to blame for permitting his
existence. Again do not fall into the
mistake of thinking that we shall ever
make politics better by Mysteries in any
shape or form.
cit is shame to us as nation that
we should have tolerated in city like
New York, an administration against
which it is necessary to war, not on
grounds of political expendiency, but on
grounds of elementary morality.
Just at this moment the nation is face
to face with duty that calls for hero
ism. l mean our attitude in the Philip
pines.
"We put our pick into the rotten
foundation of Spanish government,
both in the East and West Indies. We
tumbled the building down in as right
eous war as was ever undertaken.
Now If we are in our place among the
great nations of the earth, we must see
to it that the ruins are cleared away
and that the temple of justice and hon.
esty reared in their places. We shall
be guilty of terrible wrong to human
ity if in the Philippines we retreat be-
fore armed slavery instead of organ
izing suitable government which shall
guarantee justice to every one and an
ever-increasing measure of liberty to
those who show themselves worthy of |
it, 1t will call for but the merest frac. |
ton of our strength, provided only we
choose to exert that strength. If, how |
ever, the people let their representatives |
in congress hamper the administration |
as they did last winter when they re-
fused to put the army upon proper |
footing, then the people have themselves
to thank if the war fingers with Difficult. |
ties and dangers increased. What the |
people have to do is to resolve to back |
nm the president To the full in seeing |
that the outburst of savagery is repress-
ed once for all, and what is even more
important, to see that these new tropic |
islands in the east and west alike are
not left to the prey of partisans and
spoilsmen but are governed primarily in
the interest of their inhabitants and
therefore ultimately for the honor and |
renown of America