The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-06-23


 -sA-s-e<-.-S<-s-~-A<-~> the labor of this country want to go un- der the care of wolf German and wolf Williams and their fellows? I think not
 Ported anarchy struck down our great President when partisan strife had al- most ceased; the world paused in wonder and in indgnation-not in fear because as life went from our great leader and our great President there was a yoins honest, courageous man standing by the bedside, who under the constitution was his successor, and he there said:
 T am to be President to carry out tke policies of the republican party. and will journey in the footsteps of William Mckinley and of Abraham Lincoln. (Ap- plause)
 Great Things Have Happened.
 ITO your coming president great things have happened in the last three years. In the old world a single great policy in a generation is the exception We have more than that in our progressive eoun- try l have given you the great achieve ments under Mckinley. Under his worthy great successor we have had the consum- nation of freedom to Cuba wrought out by superior statesmanship. Imperialism talked about under Mckinley has dis appeared with growing civil government, and peace in the Philippines Aye, it has disappeared from the face of the earth. Did l say from the face of the earth-f will stick to 1t because the doc trinaire there, whether in New York or Boston, draws his toga about him. say ing:
 I am wiser than thou and still after this great question is settled by the con science and the intelligence all the people cry, wolf wolf We'll under the consti- tuition of the United States he had a right to daughter). The worlds wealth Is four hundred billions of dollars. The United States has one-fourth of 1t. But our friends the enemy some of them lit- tie politicians ,vex the air crying trusts, trusts. trusts
 'oh' they come out with good lungs as trust busters. Since 1890. have they ever done any busting2 0aughter).
 Trust Legislation.
 Trusts! Yesl Great combinations of capital against public policy? Yes. But the republican party, always true to the people and it's traditions, made haste to provide under the constitution legisla- tion that would prohibit these combina- tions.
 There are SoO00,000 of our peopIe If some man conceives the idea that when he dies, wisdom will have departed. and that he can corner the air and the water and the sunlight, he will find S0Oo0.oo0 or people who make our civilization that will not only make a law and put it into force, but by competition and enterprise will swear that the admitted declaration of the enemy is a falsehood. Can vou prove 1t? Yes. Just a minute In the last two years the wind and the water that came from over apitalization in forming the so-called trusts have been squeezed, and there are people who make mouth bets about the price of watered com ranies and companies that have gas on top of the water, made by the printing press certificates. Oh. they stand around and say, Why, there is the most extra rdinary~ shrinkage in values that was ever known
 How much?
 "Oh, a good many hundreds of mill lions; the Wall Street Journal says over billion, six hundred million Q.aughter and apr lause)
 Capital Yet With Us.
 And yet every dollar of property. every particle of property that was represent- ed by ths over-capitalzation two years ago, is yet with us. Qaughter and ap- Tlause) Now all the fools that bet it to go down and the fools that bet 1t to go up, can fight 1t out. It don't make one
 
 people who live by the sweat of their faces, and do legitimate business (Ap- plause)
 "Oh, gentlemen, the law, public opinion, public sentiment, the desire for good in- vestments, dollar for dollar in the fac tory where a dollar costs one hundred cents goes into competition with the fac tory that costs a hundred cents and is burdened with another hundred common and another hundred cents gas and an- other hundred cents moonshine. Work 1t out. It is all right. Qaughter.) Oh, but says our enemy, My God look at the strikes you are having in this country That is their strong suit. strikes, strikes. CLaughter and applause.) Now, what is strike? The strike Is au effort by the employer and the employe to agree how the profit should be divided. If the em- ploye don't get as much as he thinks he ought to get after arbitration has been tried. he strikes. A quarrel about some thing. The division of something. We'll then, 1t Is absolutely necessary to have a strike, that there should be profit Great God How many strikes were there un- der Cleveland when the democrats had the running of things. Slaughter and applause.) When money became scare the profits were scarce There is the whole story.
 Outrageous Things.
 "Oh how outrageous things are done by the employer when he expresses tlie lAborer and outrageous things are done by some laborers when they go oa strike. Yes, outrageous things are done in some of our best governed churches and amongst those who do not belong 10 any church. Once in a while a citizen commits larceny Once in a while a man commits arson. Once in a while man is guilty of homicide. Why? The law Is made to protect society against the man who will not obey the law and win, makes war on his neighbors. Yes, the-a is law breaking and disorder. Law breaking in the formation of trusts: law breaking at times in the organization of labor when it goes on strike But the great body of the American people that own the wealth are not for the trusts. and the great body of labor, honest men who live by the sweat of their faces, are not for law breaking strikes. (Applausel The law, the sheet anchor of civilization, is strong enough to pull down the strong est, strong enough to curb the wicked and the vicious. Strong enough. like the grace of God, to throw it's arms about the weakest and poorest, and bring him un- der it's protection. (Applause.) All must obey under Theodore Roosevelt as the national representative of the law. (Ap- plause) He Is and will continue to be without favor or affection, the represen- tative of the law, supreme and universal ly within our borders.