Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-24
TALKED ON TARIFF
Presidents Speech at Logans-
port, Indiana.
FOR A COM MISSION
NEXT DISCUSSED TRUSTS AT IN
DIANAPOLIS.
His Remarks Met With the Greatest
Enthusiasm at Both
Places.
FOR A OMMISSION

President Roosevelt in his speech at Lo-
gansport. Ind yesterday outlined his views
in detail on the tar.!S. He said:
1T is the merest truIsm TO say that IN
the modern world ndustriallsn is the great
factor in the growth of nations. Material
prosperity is the foundation upon which
very mighty national structure must be
built. OF course, there must be more than
this. There must be a high moral purpose:
a life of the spirit which finds Its express
sion in many different ways: but unless ma
teriai prosperity exists also there is scant
room in which to develop the higher life
The productive activity of our vast army
Of workers, of those who labor with heads
or hands, is the prime cause of the giant
growth of this nation. We have great nat
ural resources, but such resources are
never more than opportunities, ard they
count for nothing if the men in possession
have not the power to take advantage or
them.
You have built up in the west these cities
of the Mississippi valley and the great
lakes as all the region round about them
has been built up; that Is, you haa the
qualities of heart and brain, the moral ana
physical fiber which enabled you to use to
the utmost possible advantage whatever
you found ready to your hands. In such
development laws play certain part. but
individual characteristics a still greater
part. A great and successful common
wealth like ours In the long run works
under good laws because a people endowed
with honest and practical common sense
ultimately demands good laws. But no law
can create industrial well-being. although 1t
may foster and safeguard 1t, and although
a bad law may destroy It,
Prime Factor in Prosperity.
1.-The prime factor in securing industrial
well-being is the high average of citizenship
among the individual members of the COM
munity The best laws that the wit of man
can devise would not make a community OF
thriftless and idle men prosperous. NO
scheme of legislation Of social reform
will ever work good to the community IN
less II recognizes fundamental the TACT
that each mans own Individual qualities
must be the prime factors In MS success
Work in combination may help anG the
state can do great deal in its cwn sphere.
but in the long run each man must rise or
fall on his own merits: each man must owe
his success in life to whatever Of hardwood
or resolution, of common sense and OF ga
pacity for lofty endeavor he has within MS
own soul. 1t is good thing to act in COM
bination for the common good, but 1t Is a
very unhealthy thing to let ourselves think
for one moment that anything can ever sup
ply the want of our own Individual watch
fulness and exertion.
Yet, given this high average Of individu-
al ability and invention, we must ever keep
in mind that ii may be nulliied ty bad
legislation and that it can be given
chance to develop under the most favorable
conditions by good legislation. Probably
the most important aid which can be con-
tributed by the national government to the
material wellbeing of the country is to In
sure its financial stability. An honest cur
rency is the strongest symbol and express
sion of honest business life. The business
world must exist largely on credit, and to
credit confidence is essential. Any taInper-
ing with the currency, no matter with what
purpose, is fraught with the suspicion of
dishonesty in result, is fatal in Its effects
on business prosperity.
Mistakes of New Countries.
Very ignorant and primitive communities
are continually obliged to learn the ele-
mentary truth that the Reputation of debts
is in the end ruinous to the debtors a
class. and when communities have moved
somewhat higher in the scale Of civilization
they also learn that anything in the nature
OF a debaSed currency works similar dam
age. A financial system of assured honesty
IL the first essential Another essential for
any community is perseverance In the eco
nomic policy which for a course of years is
found best fitted to its peculiar needs. Tie
question of combining such fixedness of
economic policy regards the tariff, while
at the same time allowing for a necessary
and proper readjustment of duties in partic-
ular schedules as such readjustment be-
comes a matter of pressing Importance. Is
not an easy one. 1t is perhaps too much to
expect that from the discussion of such a
question 1t would be possible wholly to
eliminate political partisanshp. Yet those
who believe. all must when we think
seriously of the subject that the proper
aim of the party system is after all sim
ply to subserve the public good, cannot but
hope that where such partisanship on
matter of this kind conflicts with the pubic
good 1t shall at least be minimzed.
Tariff Business Proposition.
What we really need in this country is
to treat the tariff business proposition
and not from the standpoint of the tenn
porary needs of any political party. 1t
surely ought not to be necessary to dwell
upon the extreme unwisdom from a bust
ness standpoint. from the standpoint of ma
tional prosperity, of violent and radical
changes amounting to the direct upsettlng
of tariff policies at intervals of every few
years. nation like ours can adjust It's
business after a fashion to any kind Of
tariff But neither our nation nor my
other can stand the ruinous policy OF read
justing its business to radical changes In
the tariff at short intervals. This Is more
true now than ever II was before, for ow-
ing to the immense extent and variety of
our products the tariff schedules of today
carry rates of duty on more than 400 arti-
Giles.
Continual sweeping changes in sucn a
tarin. touching so intimately the CONNER
cial interests of the nation, which stands
as one of the two or three greatest In the
whole industrial world. cannot but be dis
astrous. Yet. on the other hand. where the
Industrial needs OF the nation shift as rap
idly as they do with us. 1t Is matter Of
prime Importance that we should be able
TO readjust our economic policy as rapidly
as possible and with as little friction as pos
sible to these needs"
We need scheme which will enable us
to provide reappllcation of the priaciple
to the changed conditions.
The problem, therefore IL to device Some
plan by which these shifting needs can be
recognized and the necessary reimbursement
or duties provided without forcing the en-
tire business community, and. therefore
the entire nation, to submit to a violent
surgical operation, the mere threat OF
which. and still more the accomplished IA ct
or which. would probably paralyze for a
considerable time all the industries of the