Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1902-12-03
Our Guty to Cuba = The
Army and the Navy.
Revision Of the Tariff.

Washington, ID. c., Dec. 2.-The
following message of President Roose-
welt was delivered to congress at noon
today:
To the Senate and House of Repre-.
ssmtatives:
We still continue in a period of un-
bounded prosperity. This prosperity
is not the creature of law, but un-
doubtedly the laws under which we
work have been instrumental in Gre
;ating the conditions which made it
possible, and by unwise legislation
1t would be easy enough to destroy
1t. There will undoubtedly be periods
of depression. The wave will recede;
but the tide will advance. This ma
ton is seated on a continent flanked
by two great oceans. 1t is composed
or men the descendants of pioneers,
or, in a sense. pioneers themselves;
of men winnowed out from among the
nations of the old world by the en-
ergy, boldness and love of adventure
found in their own eager hearts.
Such a nation, so placed. will surely
wrest success from fortune.
AS a people we have played large
part in the world, and we are bent
upon making our future even large.'
than the past In particular the
events of the last four years have
definitely decided that, for woe or for
veal, our place must be great among
the nations. We may either fail
greatly or sncceed greatly; but we
cannot avoid the endeavor from which
either great failure or great success
must come. Even If we would, we
cannot play small part. II we
should try, all that would follow would
be that We should play large part
ignobly and shamefully.
But our people, the sons of the men
OF the civil war, the sons of the men
who had iron IN their biood. rejoice
in the present and face the future
high of heart and resolute of will.
Ours is not the creed of the weak
ening and the coward; ours is the
gospel of hope and of triumphant en-
deavor. We do not shrink from the
struggle before us. There are many
problems for us to face at the outset
of the twentieth century-grave prob
lens abroad and still graver at home;
but we know that we can solve them
mad solve them well, provided only
that we bring to the solution the
quanties of head and heart which
were shown by the men who, In the
days of Washington. founded this gov
ernment, and, in the days of Lincoln,
preserved II.
No country has ever occupied a
higher plane of material well-being
than ours at the present moment.
This well-being IS due to no sudden
or accidental causes, but to the play
of the economic forces IN this coun-
try for over a century; to our laws,
our sustained and continuous policies;
above all, to the high individual aver
age of our citizenship. Great for,
tunes have been won by those who
have taken the lead in this phenom'
enal industrial develop, ent. and most
of these fortunes have been won not
by doing evil. but as an incident to
action which has benefited the com.
munity as a whole. Never before has
material well-being been SO widely
d,ffused among our people. Great
fortunes have been accumulated. and
yet in the aggregate these fortunes
are small indeed when compared to
the wealth of the people as whole.
The plain people are better of than
tney have ever been before. The in
surance companies, which are prac-
tically mutual benefit societies-es-
pecially helpful to men OF moderate
means-represent accuniulations Of
capital which are among the largest
in this country. There are more de-
posits In the savings banks. more
owners of farms, more well paid wage
workers In this country now than ev-
er before In our history. or course,
when the conditions have favored the
growth of so much that was good,
they have also favored somewhat the
growth of what was evil. II is emil
nently necessary that we should en-
deavor to cut out this evil, but let
us keep a due sense OF proportion; |;
let us not In fixing our gaze upon the