The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-04
That cIiques Of Politicians Govern Affairs
in Many Localities.
The People Themselves to Blame
for Permitting Their Existence
Words Of Governor Roosevelt
of New York in an Address De.
1ivered at Ocean Grove, New
Jersey.

OCEAN GROVE IN. J.), Aug. g.
Governor 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 Poll
tics,'' before an audience of 10000 peo-
pie.
Crowds met Governor Roosevelt at
the New Jersey station on his journey
from New York, cheering him heartily.
At Ocean Grove the Governor was met
by great crowd, and 100 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-
dinarily enthusiastic that Governor
Roosevelt was obliged to beg the people
to moderate their cheers.
Governor Roosevelt said in part:
1T is idle for the mass of good citi-
zens to try to set themselves apart as
not responsible for our political short
comings. In the end the politicians
must be exactly what the people allow
them to be. They must represent the
people, 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, above
all, every successful politician, tends to
debauch public conscience, to render
bad men holder and decent men who
are not farsighted, NE synically In
different than ever. But in blaming the
politician do not forget that we are our
selves to blame for permitting his ex-
istence. Again do not fall into the mis-
take 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 have tolerated in city like
New York an administration against
which. it is necessary to war. not on
grounds of political expediency, but on
grounds of elementary morality
Just at the moment the nation is
face to face with a duty that calls for
heroism-I mean our attitude in the
Philippines-we put our pick into
the solid foundations of Spanish Gov
eminent, both in the East and West
Indies. We tumbled the building down
in as righteous war as was ever I'M
dertaken. Now. if we are to reach
our place among the great nations of
the earth, we must see that the ruins
are cleared away and the temples of
justice and honesty reared in their
places. We shall be guilty of a terri
bic wrong to humanity if in the Phil
ippines we retreat before armed saw
agery instead of organizing suitable
Government which shall guarantee JUS
tice to everyone 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
sentimentalist is often of larger pro-
portions 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 we'll. 1t will call
but for the merest fraction of our
strength, provided only we choose to
exert that strength. If, however, the
people let their representatives in
Congress hamper the Administra ton as
they did last winter. when they re-
fused to put the army upon a proper
footing as to size, permanence and or
ganization, then the people have them
selves to thank if the war fingers, while
difficulties and dangers increase. What
the people have to do is to resolve to
back up the President to the fullest ex-
tent in seeing that the outburst of saw
agery is depressed once for ALL and
what is even of more Importance, to
see that these new tropic islands in the
East and West alike are not left to
be the prey of partisans and spoilsmen.
I,Jf ,r;v or;1x IN 1oo IN.
terest of the inhabitants and therefore
ultimately for the honor and renown
of America"
Governor Roosevelt spent the night
at Vice President Hobart's home at