The sun., 1903-04-04
Omission That Is Confession.

The Presidents speech on corpora
tons at Milwaukee yesterday contained
much matter and many phrases which
his eloquent lips had already made ia
miliar; but there was nothing in 1t so
truly eloquent as the extremely signih-
cant omission we are about to note.
The argument pursued at Milwaukee
was largely retrospective. 1t was con-
ceived and written as q summing up OF
results, rather than as a programme OF
endeavor and action; and it was quite
natural and perfectly proper that Mr..
ROOSEVELT should 60 back to his earliest
utterances on the subject OF Federal
control of business. namely, those de-
liyered at the State Fair at Minneapolis
nineteen months ago, when he was Vice
President Mr.. ROOSEVELT rightly re-
CARDS the Minneapolis speech OF Sept. 2,
1901, as the starter and prospectus OF the
political agitation he has since been
carrying on; and he recurs to that speech
with great particularly when he now
comes to compare his present estimate
of achievements with his original plans
and specifications and his initial enun-
citation of doctrine.
Therefore, to measure results up to
date, Mr.. ROOSEVELT repeated yesterday
at Milwaukee every word he said at Min
peapolis nineteen months ago on the SUBJ
iect of combinations OF capital, with the
single exception Of one brief sentence Of
thirty-nine words. This sentence was cut
entirely from it's context-bodily and TO-
tally withdrawn. 1t is this:
THE vast individual and corporate fortunes
the vast combinations OF capita which have marked
the development OF our industrial system. create
new conditions and neosssndts change from ne
cid saauds Of stais end natioa iouard property
We sincerely believe that no more dan
Cerous words were ever hastily and in
considerably spoken by man occupying
the high station in the Federal Govern
ment which Mr.. ROOSEVELT then held.
Neoessitate a change from the old at
titude of State and nation toward prop
erty'l The old attitude, the present
attitude, the future attitude, the only
attitude which State and nation can
ever maintain toward property consist
emily with the maintenance OF the in
stitutions which civilization has labori-
o,isly erected is one and must always be
the same. 1t is that Of encouragement
of the citizen in the acquisition OF prop
erty, and protection Of the citizen, be
be rich or poor, in its lawful possession.
, Any change Of attitude toward property
IL revolution. The demand for change
of attitude is the cry of the revolutionist,
the creed Of the Socialist, the fuse to the
bomb Of the Anarchist.
Is there any wonder that this baleful
sentiment, publicly uttered by the man
who a few days later became President
of the United States. should have been
recalled with the liveliest apprehensions
when it was made the text and starting
point Of a political agitation like that OF
last summer?
We think we are warranted In regard
ing as highly significant the deliberate
excision and suppression of this passage
by President ROOSEVELT, when he was
citing at Milwaukee all the rest of his
former remarks at Minneapolis. The omis-
sion was not accidental, for the omitted
passage stood at the front OF the matter
quoted. 1t was not for the sake OF brew
fly, for Mr. ROOSEVELT 8 quotations at
Milwaukee from his earlier speeches
SPARED no space. We can discover no
explanation of the circumstance except
in the supposition that Mr.. ROOSEVELT
perceives more clearly now than year
and a half ago the real meaning of those
precipitate words; that he has grown
both in wisdom and experience; that he is
ashamed of the extraordinary sentiment
which preceded and perhaps inspired
his efforts for Federal supervision and
regulation of business, and that he wished
by Withdrawing and suppressing this
particular passage to indicate to the
country his reputation Of it's contents.
II that is the case, we congratulate
President ROOSEVELT upon a very manly
confession Of misdirected zeal.