The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-04
GOV, ROOSEVELT ON POLITICS
PRA CTIC4L IND DECENT SIDE OF
THEM DISCUSSED.
Politics Cannot be Made Better by Hys-
tcrics in Amy FOrm-Dnnser ia Fer
mttting Things to Drift from bad TO
Worse with Belief That Revolutions
AIRY Remedy Cnn Always be Applied

- Worse with Belief Thnt ueVoA"Aoh
AIRY Remedy Gun Always be Applied.
Ocean Grove. N. j.. Aug. Ex-Governor
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 large audience.
Governor Roosevelt was welcomed as he
crossed the line between the states to
Jersey City by a delegation of promi-
nent citizens in New Jersey, and was
royalty welcomed by large crowds at
various places along the route. 1t was
estimated that 10000 persons assembled
in the auditorium to hear the orator.
Governor Roosevelt 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 ex-
actly what the people allow them to be.
They must represent the people-per-
haps the vice, perhaps the virtue, per-
haps the Indifference of the people. Do
not let us fall into the mistake of think
ing that we shall ever make politics
better by Mysteries in any shape or
form. Wild denunciation of all politi-
clans, good and bad, is the very thing
most advantageous to the bad politician.
Your highest duty to the state is to see
that you do all that within you lies to
elevate the standard of public life, to
demand honesty and efficiency in your
public men and to frown on the system
of lying SANDER which would teach you
that there Is no good and no bad; no
black and no white; that everything is
gray and every man a time server who
will do as much ill as he dares Do not
trust to sudden uprightness to sudden
instructions of virtue. Do not get in
to the habit of permitting things to
drift from bad to worse with the belief
that you can always apply revolution
ary remedy. Revolutions are some times
necessary but government by revolution
is not success. We have a right to
demand from our good citizens that
they apply themselves steadily to their
public duties and keep politics a a. con-
&stantly high level. We never can have
politics on satisfactory basis i'll this
country until we make it understood
that dishonesty in public servant is
an objectionable sin; that corruption of
any kind or sort will not be condoned
for any consideration of party expedien-
cy.
Now, this is decent politics and
therefore it is practical politics. But
it is by no means all that there is Of
practical politics. 1t is not enough for
you to do what is honest yourselves and
to insist upon honesty in others. You
have also got to possess courage and
finally you have got to possess common
SENSE In New York l firmly believe
that the decent people could combine to
overthrow the civic corruption if they
only would, but they are so apt to fight |
one another, so apt to quarrel as to ex-
actly how high the ideal of their gov
ernment shall be, that they too often
throw the victory into the hands of |
those who have no ideal at all and who,
in addition to a cynical belief in the
power of corruption and in more dem
agORY, also SET dUOuI lUelI WOTh Will
practical common sonse. Practical pol
itics must be not only the politics of de-
cency, but also the politics of courage,
of common hard work. You must have
ideal politics, but you must not follow
them with your heads in the air, blind
to practical methods by which alone
they can be even partially realized. The
call for great heroism is an individual
or in a nation does not even rise If
Won wait for heroic days before you ex-
ert yourself you will simply be a drone.
still the need for heroism does now
and then arise.
"Just at the moment the nation is
face to face with a duty that calls for
beroism. I mean our attitude In the
We snail be guilty OF
terrible wong to humanity if in the
we retreat before armed
savagery instead Of organizing a suit
,hIe government which shall guarantee
,ustice to every one and an ever IN
,reaainn. measure Of liberty to those
who how themselves worthy of It,"
The audience expressed their appre-
station of Governor Roosevelt's address
Nv an much cheering that the governor
,as compelled to ask them to deslst.
Every allusion to the Philippine ques-
ion was the signal for renewed out
,urst of cheering.