Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-09-21

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simple that it needs no defense. ,
I'VE fortunately do not have to ask
that you take II word unbacked by
deeds for anything. We do not need
to have to ask you to take anything on
faith. We simply say: Look at the
four years that have gone by. Look
at our old party's history and see what
we have done toward lettering the con-
ditions at home and toward preserving
civic good faith and toward upholding
the honor of the flag abroad, as you
men who are now the older among us
did in your youth. They upheld the
honor of the flag and the renown of
the nation in times Of great peril. What
we have done is to be taken as an earn
est of what we intend to do. We ask
you to judge what is the party of the
future by what We have done in the
immediate past"
1.-Two years ago ran for governor in
New York. Against me they had put
up Judge Van Wyck, who was IA special
protege of Mr.. Bryan and a bosom
friend of Mr.. Croker. Now, Mr.. Croker
and MI. Van Wyck were severe upon
corporations. They said they were
down on corporations: that they were
against them. l said l was no more
--s
against corporations than l was
against red-headed men. l am going
to do justice to red-headed men. If he
is a bad man l will cinch him. If
he is a good ma l will stand by him.
If a corporation does its duty and acts
squarely it is all right, and l will stand
up for it. If it don't do so l will make
it do it's duty if l have the power. Now,
you see, l have the advantage of talk
ing the way l did because l could keep
my promises. l made the kind of
promises that could be kept. On the
other hand, if you simply go into a
general denunciation with a whoop and
a hurrah and promise the millennium
you will be hampered by the fact that
you can't keep your word.
II got elected. l came to dealing
with these different aggregations of
property. l made up my mind that
of these corporations were escap-
ing their just share of taxation. They
were putting the burden off upon the
private individual and getting rid OF
1t themselves. We got a law enacted,
There are defects in it. of course, but
the result so far has been that we have
put on the assessment roll for taxa
ton something like $500, 900, 900 of cor
porate property that had previously
escaped taxation. That was some
thing tangible. You never can accom-.
plish everything at once. That was a
long stride in the right direction
longer stride than had been taken by
the democratic party in all the years
put together that they have had con-
troll of the municipal government OF
New York city,"
Continuing Governor Roosevelt ar
raigned the leaders of the democratic
party for striving to stir up class
against class. section against section
1t was necessary, ne said, for the whole
people to progress. There must be nc
classes, no sections. Eight yea age
the democratic party leaders had urged
people to vote against some men and
some corporations because they were
getting too prosperous. They must be
pulled down. They were pulled down
but the people went down too.
He cautioned against the making OF
promises by campaign orators which
could not be kept. "A ton of oratory
and promises on the stump is not wortl
a pound of fulfllment off the stump
he said. Whether the republican
party would keep it's promises was tt
be judged from its record.
He took up the matter of militarism
which he denounced as a scarecrow
He said there were eighty-six hun
dredths Of a soldier in the United
States to every thousand of the popu
lation. Making the application clearer
he said that in the probable twelv'
hundred people of the audience ther,
would be just one soldier if the proper
ton were carried out. He did not Sc,
any great cause for alarm in that
Major White, the republican candidat,
for lieutenant governor, was one of tn
North Dakota soldiers, was on tn,
stage. Governor Roosevelt said h,
would represent the proportion of tn,
soldiery to the audience. He saw n,
signs of alarm on the part of the audi
ence because this ogre of militarisn
was present Claughter). Jefferson
who he said knew something about tn,
declaration of independence which tn,
democrats are quoting for the frs
time Qaughter) had increased the arm,
when he was president and the proper
ton of soldiery was greater then thai
now. He was an expansionist too