BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-06
SAN JUAN, SEPTEMBER &
Roosevelt's Conservatism.

Roosevelt's Conservatism.
President Rooseve1t'S s speech in Bos-
ton was in substance much the same as
that which he made in Providence, but
there were many new phrases and pas
sageS in it which are notable as dis
closing his attitude toward the question
of trust legislation and control. He
repeated his frank confession that he
had not discovered patent cureall for
the trust >, and said on the subject of
promises that are made with slight in
tention of ft1l6lment;
Now, of course, the worth of pro-
mise consists purely in the way in
which the performance squares with it.
That has got two sides. In the first
place, if man is an honest man he
will try just as hard to keep promise
made on the stump as one made off the
stump. In the second place, if the
people keep their heads they won't
wish promises to be made which are
impossible of performance. You see,
one side of that question is my duty
and the other side is yours"
As for the responsibility of the indi-
vidual citizen he said that our republic
was !" founded on the theory that the
average man will, as rule do the
right thing. that in the long run the
majority are going to decide for what
is sane and wholesome" adding
"If our fathers were mistaken in that
theory, if ever things become such, not
occasionally, but persistently, that the
mass of the people do what is unwhole-
some, what is wrong, then the republic
cannot stand, l care not how good its
laws, ! care not what marvellous me-
chanism its constitution may embody.
Back of the laws, back of the admins.
tration, back of the system of govern
ment lies the man, lies the average
manhood of our people, and in the long
run we are going to. go up Or go down
accordingly as the average standard of
our citizenship does or does not wax in
growth and grace.
servafive, it wolild be difficult to sur
pass the following, which came a mo.
ment later in the speech ::
1t is little difficult to set clearly
before us all of the evils, but | think
that those gentlemen, and especially
those gentlemen of large means, who
leny that the evils exist are acting
with great folly. l am far from being
against property when ask that the {
question OF trusts BE- taken UP. am
citing in the most conservative seuse in I
'roperty's interest. When great cor. i
Is sied for violating the anti 9
rust law it is not move against prop. d
rtyi 1t is a move i'll favor of property i
ecause when you can make it evident S,
nat all me1, big and small alike, have Is,
obey the law you are putting the o
sfeguard OF law around all men,.
] the same line, and equally effective, in
re the following decidedly epigramma. th
c sentences /: NJ
When you make it evident that no tE
an shall be excused for violating the liz
W you make it evident that evarv az
an will be protected from violation of tic
e law. vi
80 you can see, gentlemen, am not be
vocatlng anything very revolutionary, Al
am advocating action to prevent any- an
ng revolutionary" an
The first thing we want is the pub ma
ty, and | don't mean publicity as a ths
'or by some corporations mean ii tic
a right from all corporations affected as
the Law. / want publicity as to the on
ential facts in which the public has Ton
interest" anf
Ihls state cannot carry any one The cirt
te cannot do as much for you as Won TIVE
do for it. Under no circumstances attt
1t be possible by law to shape con.
ons SO that each man shall succeed
he man has not got in him the stuff
OF which he can work success the
e cannot supply it, Tn,
VIII dawn upon our political old EiIl
serss presently that a new type of | III
1 is in pos session Of the presidency
that old methods of running poll
are in need of revision.