The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-10
R0osFzvET.4, AND THE CANAL

3 FfNVAlt9N14N HI AMI LAlAa I'm al
/ When he came through Denver
President Roosevelt delivered himself
of a few thoughts on the Panama
Canal. He asserted, among other
things. that the building Of the canal
viii have a very important effect on
transcontinentaI railroad rates. And
Mr.. Roosevelt says also that he is not
sorry for it. Here is what he said:
at is perhaps unnecessary for me
to say that am perfectly aware that
many most admirable gentlemen dis
agreed with me in my action toward
the Panama canal, but I am in an IN
repentent frame Of mind. The ethical
conception upon which acted was
that I did not intend that Uncle Sam
should be held UP. But without re-
gard to that, when the canal comes
into operation I think it will have a
very important regulatory effect in
connection with the transcontinentaI
commerce of the railroads. think
when such is the case these great rail-
roads will have to revise their way of
looking at the interest of certain in
land cities.
LAS I say, gentlemen, don't rnisun-
derstand me. I understand thoroughly
the argument from their standpoint
and see that they can in all sincerity
hold the position; and while I do not
think that anything I can say could
have any effect in making them alter
that position. have considerable
hopes for the effect upon the Panama
canal
Proceeding. the president laid down
some extremely good justice along the
line of "a square deal for ALL" rich
4 49,
should not be attacked because they
are rich, any more than the rich
should be allowed to Cypress the poor
Il have told you" President Roose-
welt said, my views as to what I re-
gard to be the most important mat
ter Of international legislation that in
the immediate future will be before
this people. I wish to say again that
important though that legislation is. it
is nothing like as important as the
spirit in which We approach it. If we
approach it in the spirit of demagog-
cry; if We permit ourselves as a people
to be deluded into the belief that
permanent good will come to us as a
mass IL we attack unjustly the proper
rights Of others because they are
wealthy, we shall do ourselves just as
much damage as If we permitted an
attack upon those who are poor be-
cause they are poor.
In times past republics have ex-
listed in this world and have gone down
to destruction, sometimes because the
republic was turned into a govern
ment Of the poor who pIundered the
rich, sometimes because it was
turned into a government of the rich
who despoiIed the poor. Tt made no
difference whatever to the fate of the
republic which form its fall took. It
was just as certain in one case as in
the other. It was just as certain to
follow the election of a class which
pIundered another class whether the
class thus given mastery was the class
of the poor who plundered the rich or
the class of the rich who despoiled
the poor. The destruction was as in
evitable in one instance as in the
other.
I'VE have the right to look forward
with confident hope to the future of
this republic because it will not and
shall not become the republic of anv
class either poor or rich, because it
will and shall remain as its founders
intended it to be, and its rescuers
under Abraham Lincoln intended it to
be, a government where every man.
rich or poor, 50 long as he does his
duty to his neighbor, will be given his
fun rights viii be guaranteed Justice.
and will have justice exacted from
him in turn"