The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-29
Speech at Boston.

Boston, Aug. 25.-President Roose-
velt's train left Lynn at 4::40 p. m.
and arrived at Boston At 5 p. m. on
schedule time. Under an escort of
cavalry he proceeded to Harmony
hall, where he delivered am address
to many thousands. The president
spoke as follows:
Governor Crane, Mayor Collins,
Mem and Women OF Bosapn.-I am
glad to have the chance OF saying a
few words to you this evening. There
are several matters that I should like
to discuss, and l can say In all SINGER
iry that when | came here to New Eng
aund, when / came to Boston, T wish
ed to go over as many subjects as pos
sible, SO that | can get light ON them.
II have great faith in your judg-
ment. | want to take up, this even
Ing, the general question M our eco
nomic and social relations, with spe-j
Icffiic reference to that problem with
which l think cur people are greatly.
lconcerned themsefves-the problem
of our. complex social condition as I'm
tensified by tine existence of the great
corporations which we rather loose
NY Designate as trusts. But l wish
TO say one CT two things as preilim-
inary. In the FIRST place, l have not
come here to say that Is1lave discover
|sed a patent cune=all for the trusts.
When DeoplFs!s .minEs are greatly
ragitated ON any subject, and especial
~ when they -nel deeply, but rather
vaguely, that condition, it LIS far
~pleasanter in addressing them to be
indifferent as to what you pnamise,
hut it is much more pleasant LATTER
ward. Of COURSE the worth of 4. prom
Use consists purely in the manner in
which the performance squares with
it. That has got two sides to lit. In
the first place, if a man is honest, he
will try jIst a. hard to keep q prom
Use made ON the STUMP as if not made
ON the stump. In the second place,
if the people keep their headx, they
want wish promises tn he made that !
are impossible of performance Now,
! e one side of the question us my
duty and the other side is yours.
Mankind grows hut SLOWLY. End it
goes ahead nicely, mostly Through
each of us trying to do, or at least
through each OF trying to do, the best
that is in him, and doing it in the
most intelligent and .saDest way
We founded our republic ON the
theory that the average man VIE as
a rule do the right thing. that in the
long run the majority are going to de;
eide fn. what lis san and wholesome.
II u fathers WeIee mistaken lin taaat
theory, if ever the mass Of the pao-
pie do what is mnw!holesome, what
is wrong then tine republic cannot |.
stand, / care not how good it's laws.
[ care not in what marvellous ,mechan-
Ixm its cou institution may be embodied.
Back Of the law, back of the admins
tration. back of our syEtem of gov Il
arsament, 1bsS the average manhood of /,
ola people In the long gun, we are
going to &C np or down, according as
he average standard Of our citizen
ship does or does not wax in growth j.
Ind in strength.
Now we come to the question of
GOOD citizenship. The first requisite
S thai, the may shall do every day ]
lumdr0m duties well. A 1nal is moi |
good citizen. 4 do moi care how I
ofty his thoughts are about citizen /
hip in the abstract if, in the concrete, .
bis actions do not hear them out and c
t does rot make much difference
high his aspirations for man S
ind at large are, If he does not be- e
ave we'll in his own family, those as a
irations are not going to bear very 4
isible fruit. He has got to be a good v
read-winner; he has got to take v
are Of his wife and children; he has p
OF to he a neighbor whom his neigh p
Ors can trust; he has got to- act d
luarely in his business relations. In IL
he has got to do all those every o.
ay, ordinary things or he is not a
pod citizen. But he must do more ii
ian that. In this country of ours CT
lie average citizen has got to devote e,
good deal of thought and time to OF
lie affairs of the state as a whole, or bl
lose affairs are going to be back ia
ard. That time must be devoted c,
eadily and intelligently. If there is al
~ one quality which is not admir- p;
de, whether in a nation or in an 81
dividual, it Isl Mysteries. The man
woman who makes up for the days
difference to duty by IL days NOR
d repentance about that Indifference fr
of very scant use in the world. M