The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-02

" Washington, Dec. 2.-The president
message read to congress to-day Is In full
as follows: @."
TO the Senate and House of Representa-
4 tives: 49, I a; - q
We still continue in a period aof I'M
bounded prosperity. S. b
Is This prosperity is not the creature OF
law, but und btedl ~ the laws under
which we work have been Instrumental
in creating the conditions which made If
possible; and by ',unwise Legislation Z It
would be easy enough to destroy it. There
will undoubtedly be periods Of depression.
The wave will recede; but the tide will
advance. y 80, ~. '--s1.s15-. p. : - ~
This nation is seated on a. continent
f1anked by two great oceans. 1t is COM
posed of men the descendants of pioneers,
or, in a sense, pioneers themselves; OF
men winnowed out from among the ma
lions Of the old world by the energy, bold
ness, and love Of adventure found in their
own eager hearts. Such a. nation, SO
placed, will surely wrest success from
fortune. = -...- ~ -.
A GREAT ROLE ASSIGNED TO US -
AS a people we have played a large part
in the world, and we are bent upon max
ing our future even larger 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 fall
greatly or succeed greatly; but we cannot
avoid the endeavor from which either
great failure Of great success must come.
Even if we would we can not play a small
part. If we should try, all that would fol-
low 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 blod, rejoice in the present
and face the future high Of heart and reso-
lutte Of will, ours Is not the creed Of the
weakIIng and the coward; ours Is the gos-
pei Of hope and Of triumphant endeavor.
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 problems abroad ard still graver
at home; :, but we know that we can solve
them and solve them well, provided only
that we bring to the solution the qualities
of head and heart which were shown by
the men who, in the days of Washington,
founded this government, and, in, the days
of Lincoln; preserved 1t.
OUR UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY,
No country, mas ever occupied a higher
plane OF material Well-being than ours al
due to no sudden or accidental causes, but
to the play. of the economic forces in this
country for over. a century; to our laws
our sustained, and continuous policies
above all. to the high individual average
of our citizenship. Great fortunes have
been won by those who have taken the
lead in this phenomenal Industrial devel-
oprnent, and most of these fortunes have
been won not by doing evil, but as ar
incident to action which has benefited the
community as a whole Never before ha.
material weIi.being been so widely diff.
fused among our people. Great fortune.
have been accumulated, and yet In the
aggregate these fortunes are small indeee
when compared to the wealth OF the PEG.
pie as whole. The plain people are bet.
ter off than they have ever been before
The insurance companies, which are prac.
tically mutual benefit societies-especiall
helpful to men Of moderate means-repre.
sent accommodations of capital which are
among the largest in this country. There
are more deposits In the savings banks
more owners OF farms, more WeiI-paie
wage workers In this country now thar
ever before in our history. OF courst
when the conditions have favored the
growth Of so much that was good. they
have also. favored somewhat the growth
| of what was evil. 1t is eminently neces
sary that we should endeavor to cut on
This evil. but let US keep due sense o
proportion; let us not, in fixing our gaze
upon the lesser evil, forget the create
good. The evils are real and some of then
are menacing, but they are outgroWth
not Of misery or decadence, but OF pros
lperity-of the progress of our gigantic
Industrial development. This industrial
development must not be checked. bu
side by side with it should go such pro
gressiye regulation as wifi diminish tn
evils. We should fall In our duty If w
did not try to remedy the evils, but "
shan succeed only II we proceed patiently
with practical common sense as well a