The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-12

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these things, we join issue with them
Defends Pension Order IS.
Mr.. Roosevelt defends Pension Order
| No. Is providing a pension to any vet
eran of the Civil War who has reach
ed the age of 81, under the dependant
| pension law, to those whose capacity
| to earn d livelihood by manual labor
has been decreased 50 per cent. THE
| order he says, lis reVocable at the
pleasure of the executive. If our OPP
! ponents come into power they can re-
woke this order and announce that they
| will treat the veterans of 81 to 20 as
| presumably in full bodily vigor and not
! entitled to pensions. Will they now au-
! thOritatiVely state that they intend to
| do this? If so, we accept the issue"
! In certain great centerS and with
| certain great interests" he says, our
| opponents make every effort to show
| that the settlement of the anthracite
coal strike by the individual act of the
| President, and the successful suit
against the Northern Securities Com
pany-the merger Standardization by
the Department of Justice, were acts
because of which the present admin
istration should be thrown from power.
Yet they dare not openly condemn
either act. They dare not in any au-
thoritative or formal manner say that
in either case wrong was done or err
ror committed in the method of action,
or in the choice of instruments for put
ting that action into effect. Some of
our opponents complain because under
the antitrust and interstate commerce
laws suits were undertaken which have
been successful; others. because suits
were not undertaken which would have
been unsuccessful
The Currency Question.
Leading up to the financial question
Mr.. Roosevelt says: ION some of
the vital questions that have con-
fronted the American people in
the last decade our opponents take
the position that silence is the best
possible way to convey their views
They contend that their lukewarm at
titude of partial acquiescence in what
others have accomplished entities
them to be made the custodians of the
financial honor and commercial inter
ests which they have but recently
sought to ruin. Being unable to agree
among themselves as to whether the
gold standard is a curse or a blessing,
and as to whether we ought or ought
not to have free and unlimited coin
, 2g@ e silVss- The ha.sS apparently
thought it expedient to avoid any COM
initial on these subjects, and individ-
ually each to follow his particular bent.
Their nearest approach to a majority
Judgment seems to be that it is now
| inexpedient to assert their convictions
one way or the other, and that the es-
| Enlistment of the gold standard by
the Republican party should not be
| disturbed unless there is an alteration
| in the relative quantity of production
of silver and gold. Men who hold sim
cere convictions on. vital questions can
| respect equally sincere men with whose
views they radically differ; and men
may confess a, change of faith without
| compromising their honor or their self
respect. But 1T is difficult to respect
! an attitude of mind such as has been
fairly described above; and where
there is no respect there can be no
trust. A policy with so slender a basis
| of principle would not stand the strain
| of a single year of business adversely. y
| AS to capital and labor Mr.. Roosevelt
says: AS for what our opponents say II
reference to capital and labor, individ-
ual or corporate, all We need by way
| of answer is to point to what we have
actually done, and to say that If con-
| tinued in power we shall continue tc
| carry out the policy we have been
| pursuing, and to execute the laws as
resolutely and fearlessly in the fu-
true as we have executed them in the
past.
The Trusts.
In handling the trusts question
Mr.. Roosevelt says: Undoubtedly, the
multiplication of trusts and their in
| crease in power has been largely due
| to the failure of officials charged with
the duty of enforcing the law to take
the necessary procedure Such stric-
ture upon the failure of the officials
| of the national government to dc
their duty in this matter is certainly
not wholly undeserved as far as the
administration preceding President Nc
| Kinley's is concerned; but it has nc
application at all to Republican adj
ministration. 1t is also undoubtedly
true that what is most needed is of
ficials having both the disposition and
| the courage to enforce existing law.
This is precisely the need that has
| been met by the consistent and steadi-
ly continued action of the Department
of Justice under the present admins
tration.
$50 far as the rights of the individ-
ual wage-worker and the individual
capitalist are concerned, both as re-
CARDS one another, as regards the pub.
| hc and as regards organized capita
and labor, the position of the ad-
ministration has been clear This gov.
eminent is based up the fundamental
idea that each man, no matter what
|
ligious belief. is entitled to be treated
on his worth as a man. and neither
favored nor Disseminated against be.
cause of any accident in his position
Even here at home there is painful
difficulty in the effort to realize thi:
ideal; and the attempt to secure from
other nations acknowledgement of II
sometimes encounters obstacles that
are well night insuperable; for there
are many nations which in the SLOW
reached that point where the principles
which Americans regard as automatic
obtain any recognition whatever"
Mr.. Roosevelt cites the policy OF
Russia I'm regard to the Jews and
Turkey. in regard to certain sects OF
Christians THE demand OF our oppO-
nents." nc says. that negotiations be
begun TO secure equal treatment Of all
Americans from those governments
which do not now accord II, shows eth
er ignorance Of the facts or insincerity
No change Of policy in the method OF
manner OF negotiation would add ef-
fectlveness 70 what the State Depart
ment has done and is doing. The steady
pressure which the department has
been keeping up In the past Will be
continued In the future"
The Civn Service.
IN acknowledging the Democratic IN
dorsement Of the civil service law Mr.
Roosevelt thinks the Republican,
should be congratulated upon the man.
THE exceptions from examinations, "
] H. ftas ~ Na hs