The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-23

yesterday see page Of this paper.1
Providence, R. l., Aug. 23.-The special
train bearing President Roosevelt arrived
in this city at 11:40 a. m. on schedule time.
The presidents speech here was eagerly
listened to and heartily cheered He said:
We are passing through a period of great
material prosperity and such a period is as
sure as adversity itself to bring mutterings
of discomfort AS time when most men
prosper somewhat it always happens that a
few men prosper unrighteously and it is as
true now as when the tower of Sloan fell
those who under it, that good fortune
does not come alone to the just and bad for
tune to the unjust.
When the weather is good for crops it is
also good for weeds. Moreover not only do
the wicked flourish when the times such
that most men flourish, but what is worse,
the spirit of envy and jealousy and hatred
spring up in the breasts of those who, al
though they may be doing fairly we'll them
selves, yet see others who are no more de-
serving, doing far better.
Wise laws and fearless and upright admin
istration of the laws give the opportunity
for such prosperity that we see about us.
But this is all they can do When the con-
ditons have been created which make pros
perity possible, then each individual man
must achieve it for himself, by his own
thrift, intelligence, energy, industry and res
olute purpose. 49,.
If, when the people wax fat, they kick, as
they have been prone to do since the days
of Jeshurun, they will speedily destroy their
own prosperity.
If they go into wild speculation
that which no legislation can sup
ply and the business world will
suffer in consequence. If in a spirit
of sullen envy they insist upon pull
ing down those who have prOfited
most by the years Of fatness, they
will bury themselves in the crash Of
the common disaster.
It is difficult to make our mental condition
by the best laws, but it Is easy enough, by
bad laws, to throw the whole nation into an
abyss Of misery il a. >.,-,,-z.-. r..
~ Evils Must BE Cut Out Carefully
Now, the upshoot of all this is that it is
peculiarly incumbent upon US In time of
such material we'll being, both collectively
as nation and individually, to show that
we possess the qualities of prudence, self
knowledge and self restraint. In our gov
| ernment we need above all things stability,
| fxity of economic policy, while remembering
! that this fxity must not be fossilization, that
there must not be inability to shape our
course anew to meet the shifting needs Of the
people as these needs arise.
There are real and great evils in our social
and economic life and these evils stand out
with ugly badness during good times, fol-
| the wicked who prosper are never pleasant
| sight
There is every need of striving
in possible ways, individually and
| collectively, by combinations among
ourselves in private life and through
the recognized organs of govern.
ment, for the cutting out of these
evils. Only let us be sure that we
do not use the knife with an ignO.
rant zeal which would make it more
dangerous to the patient than to the
disease.
Danger In Large Fortunes.
| One of the dangers of the tremendous in
dustrial growth of the last generation ha
been the very great increase in large privat
and especially in large corporate fortunes.
We may like this not, just as we please
we can see, it is an inevitable result of tn
working Of various causes, prominent amon
which has been the immense importanc
steam and electricity have assumed in mod
ern life.
Urban population has grown in this countr
as in all civilized countries, much faster thai
the population a whole during the las
century and where men are gathered togethe
in great masses it inevitably results that the
nv of
binations among themselves than when the
live isolated from one another. Now 1 sup
pose that most of us prefer on many account
the old conditions of life, when each man live
more to himself, where every community wa
more independent, where the standard
comfort was lower on the average yet ther
was less of the glaring inequality in world
conditions which we now see in our grea
| cities.
| The Rich Have Grown Richer
1t is not true that the poor have grow
poorer, but some of the rich have grow
so very much richer that where multitude
of men are herded together in limited space
the contrast strikes the onlooker as NOR
;. violent than formerly. On the whole, our pee
pie earn more and live better than ever be
fore and the progress of which we are s
proud could not have taken place had it nc
been for the great upbuiding of industris
: CeulSTS SuCu DIS Jul luuuStIldl anu man uuIdC
turing cities. T. -.
But together with the good, there has CON
a measure Of evil. Life is not so simple as
was, and surely both for the Individual an
the community the simple life is normally til
healthy life. There is not in the cities til
same sense of common underlying brother
/ hood which there is still in country 1ocaltie
and the lines OF. social cleavage are far MOI
clearly marked. . ...
The Place of Combinations.
For some of the evils which have attende
{ upon the good OF the changed conditions "
, can at present see no complete remedy. Fl
/ others the remedy must come by the actio
) | of men themselves in their private capacit
/ | whether merely as individuals or by combin;
' tion one with another. Yet for ombinatio1
j some other remedy can be found in legisl;
Live and executive action, national. state
municipal. Much of the complaint again
! combinations is entirely unwarranted Und,
{ present day conditions it is as necessary
. have corporations in the business world as
r is to have organizations among wage worl
4 ers. But we have a right to ask in each ca!
3 that they shall do good and not harm. Exac
i ly as labor organizations, when managed il
t ltelligently and in spirit of justice and ia
i play, are Of very great service not only
the wage workers, but to the whole con