The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-09-08
PRESIDENT ADDRESSES UNIONS
Chief Executive Urges His Hearers to
Strive for Purer and Higher
t# Citizenship. #4

speculative frenzy that has caused q
portion OF the business world to lose
Ito hcad-a loss which no legislation
can possibly Bupply--or whether they
be due To any lack Of wisdom In por-
tion OF the world Of labor--ln each case
the trouble once started Ia felt more
or less In every walk Of life.
IL In ail-eaaential 10 the continuance
Of our healthy national life that we
should recognize this community Of In
trrest among our people. The welfare
OF each Of ua IN dependent fundament-
ally upon the welfare OF all OF us, and
therefore in public life that man IL the
beat representative OF each OF us who
seeks 10 do good 20 each by doing
good to all: In other words. whose en-
deavor II ", not 10 represent any special
class and promote merely that ciasss
aelfish interests. but 10 represent all
true and honest men OF all sections and
all classes and to work for their In
tercsts by working for our common
country.
We can keep our government on a
sane and healthy basis. we can make
and keep our social system what II
should BE-. only on condition Of Judging
each man. not aa a member of a claas,
but on his worth aa n man. II In an.
Infamous thing In our American life.
and fundamentally treacherous TO our
institutions 10 apply 10 any man any
test save that of his personal worth.
or TO draw between two sets OF men
any distinction save the distinction Of
conduct. the distinction that marks on
those who do we'll and wisely from
those who do III and foolishly. There
are good citizens and bad citizens In
every class an In every locality, and
the attitude of decent people toward
great public and social questions should
be determined. not by the accidental
questions of employment or locality,
but by those dcep-aet principles which
represent the innermoAt souls OF men.
The failure In public and In private
life thus 10 treat each man on his own
merits. the recognition OF this goyern-
ment M being either for the poor as
such or for the rich as such. would
prove fatal 10 our Republic ,as such
failure ana such recognition have al
ways proved fatal In the past TO other
republics. A healthy republican gov
ernment must rest upon individuals,
not upon classes or sections. As soon
as II becomes government by a class
or by u section II departs from the |
old American ideal
II IL. OF course. the merest truism to |
say that free institutions are Of avail |
,nly TO people who possess the high and |
peculiar characteristics needed TO take |
Of such institutions. The |
century that has just closed has wit
,esaed many and lamentable instances
IN which people have seized n govern
nent free In form. or have had II be-
slowed upon them. and yet have per-
nltted II under the forms OF liberty |
o become some species of despotism or
because they did not have In
hem the power to make this seeming
liberty one of deed instead of one mere
" of word. Under such circumstances
he seeming liberty may be supplanted
~ tyranny or depotism in the first
,lace. or 1t may reach the road OF de-
,otism by the path OF license and an
rehy. II matters but little which road
q taken. In either case the same goal
\ reached. People show themselves
ust as UNIT for liberty whether they
ubmit to anarchy or to tyranny; and
lass government, whether II be the 4
government OF piutocracy or the gov
rnment OF O mob. Is equally incom-
,atihle with the principles established |
h the days Of Washington and perpe-
uated In the days of Lincoln.
Many qualities are needed by a people
'hlch would preserve the power OF self |
oyernment In fact as well as In name.
Imong these qualities are forethough,
self-restraint, the courage
'hich refuses to abandon ones own
lghts, and the dlsinterested and kindly
ood sense which enables one to do
natice to the rights of others. Lack
{ strength and lack OF courage unfit
len for self-government on. the one
and; and on the other. brutal arrog-
nee, envy, In short, any manifestation