Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-04
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MESSAGE IN FULL.
Congress Learns the Ideas of the
President.

To the Senate and House of Representa-
tiyes: We still continue in a period of
NEbounGe6 prosperity. This prosperity is
not the creature OF law, but Undoubtedly
instrumental in creating the conditions
which mace it possible, and by unwise leg
tslation it would be easy enough to destroy
It, There will undoubtedly be periods of
depression. The wave will rece6e; but the
tide will advance. This nation is seated on
4: continent thanked by two great oceans:
pioneers. or in a sense, pioEeers them
selves; of men winnowed out from among
the nations of the ole world by the energy,
holiness, and love of adventure found in
their own eager hearts. Such a nation. SO
placed, will surely wrest success from for
tune.
AS people we have played large part
in the world and we are bent upon making
our future even larger than the past. Il
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
pr succeed greatly; but we cannot avoid
gre or great success must come, Even if
fsks Should try, ali th thai wouls follow
would be that We should play a large part
tgnobly ard shamefuly.
But our people, the sons of the men of the
OWL war the sons of the men who had
iron in their Blood, rejoice in the present
ard face the future high of heart and reso-
lute'of wiz. Ours is not the creed of the
weaklns and the coward: ours is the gos-
pei of hope and OF triumphant enGeaSor.
We co 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 and still graver
at1home: but We know that we can solve
them and so.ve them well, provided Only
that we bring TO the solution the qualities
Of head and heart which were shown by the
men who, in ths DAYS of ashinaton,
Of Lincoln. preserved it.
Causes of Prosperity.
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
TN this country for over a century; to
our laws, our sustained and continuous
policies; above all. to the high individ-
fortunes have been won by those who
have taken the lead in this phenomenal
Industrial development, and most of these
fortunes have been won not by doing
evil, but as an incident to action which
has benefited the community as Il whole
Never before has material well-being
been so widely diffuSed among our peo-
pie. Great fortunes have been acculn-
ulated and yet in the aggregate these
fortunes are small! indeed when COM
pared to the wealth of the people as a
whole The plain people are better off
than they have ever been before. The
insurance companies. which are prac-
tlcallN mutual Denent SOcleteS-eS1cclal-
~ helpful to men of moderate means
represent accommodations of capital which
are among the largest in this country.
There are more deposits in the savings
banks. more. owners of farms more we'll
paid wage workers in this country now
than ever before in urhistory. OF 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. 1t is eminently neces-
Fary that we should endeavor to cut out
pN-i al - lt1a ,f
proportion: let MS not in fixing our gaze
upon the lesser evil forget the greater
good. The evils are real and some OF
them are menacing, but they are the
outgrowth. not of misery or decadence.
but of prosperity-of the progress of orr
pigantic industrial development. This
industrial development must not be
checked, but side by side with it should
GO such progressive regulation as will
diminish the evils. We should fail in
orr duty If we did not try to remedy the
evils. but we shall succeed only if we
proceed patiently. with practical common
sense as well as resolution. separate
the good from the had and holding on t.
the former while endeavoring to get rio
of the latter