The Washington weekly post., 1899-05-16
ROOSEVELT ON LEGISLATION.
The Importance If EIecting Men Who Are
NeIther snbserxlenE Nor AnarchfkIic


Buffalo - Y. May is-Goy. Roosevelt
was the principal guest and speaker at
a dinner given by the Independent club
In the banquet han Of the Elicott Square
Club tonight The Governors address
" az on The Use and Abuse OF Property"
He said. IN part:
i think that among the different prob
lens that give Us al serious concern.
there is no one problem that is 50 DIFF
hcult 10 deal with as toe problem OF hO~
10 90 Justice to wealth. either I'm the hands
OF the Individual or the corporation. on
the one hand. or. on the other. how 10 see
that that wealth IN return is used for
The benefit OF the whole community. The
tendency. as Is natural. H. for men TO
range themselves in two extreme camps
each taking position that IN the long
run would be almost equally fatal 10 the
community.
Now, take the question OF taxation Of
franchises. On the one hand We have
the perfectly simple savage who believes
that you should tax franchises TO the ex-
tent OF conhscating them. and that il Is
the duty OF all railroad corporations TO
carry everybody flee and gige him q
chrome. On the other hand We have the
scarcely less primitive mortal VINO be-
lieyes that there is something sacred in u
franchise, and that there Is no reason
why IL should pay its share OF the bur
dens at all
NOW, gentlemen. remember that the
man who occupies the last position iney-
hably tends TO produce the man who
occupies the first position, and that the
worst enemy OF property Is the man
who, whether from unscrupulousness or
from mere heedIessness and thOughtless-
ness. takes the ground that there shall
be something sacred about all property.
that the owners Of it are to occupy a diff
Ierent POSITION In the community from
all others, and are TO have their burdens
not increased, but diminished because OF
their wealth.
The rich man who buys a privilege
from board Of aldermen for a railway
which he represents, the rich man who
gets privilege through the Legislature
by bribery and corruption for any corpo-
ration, Is committing an offense against
the community which II is possible may
some day have to be condoned for in blood
and destruction, not by him, not by his
sons. but by you and your sons. The one
sale way in dealing with this problem is
TO send into our public bodies men who
shalI De honest, who shall realize their
obligations to rich and poor alike, and
who shall draw the lines, not between
the rich man and the poor man. put he
tween the honest man and the dishonest
man.
Now send men into public life who, on
the one nand. will be incapable of Weld
ing 10 any demagogic attack upon men Of
means, merely because they are men of
means; men who will realize how much
thls country owes to the architects of its
niateria! prosperity, and men who, on the
olher hand. viii not be blinded by those
considerations TO the fact that too many
men ol means, too many successful men
OF business, strive 10 bring into public
IRE the kinds OF chicaneFv bV
Which they have won in business
life, and make them understand
that they Will not be allowed one
advantage due TO dishonesty, due TO mere
smartntss, due To anything but proceed
ing along the recognized rules of morality.
Whlch We expect 10 see followed by every
hlgh-minded and honorable man: and
when you have once made your public
men take that attitude as regular
thing, II viii be but short time before
you see the disappearance once for an of
demagoSlc attacks upon wealth upon the
one hand, and of corrupt subseryiency to
the purposes OF great corporations on the
other" '-S