The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-02-03

| Philadelphia, January 30.-Presidcnt
Roosevelt was the guest OF honor and
principal speaker tonight at the 42nd
anniversary banquet of the Union
League. The President came to his
city Over the Pennsylvania road from
Annapolis, where he attended the exer-
|cises this afternoon, incident to the
graduation of the senior class of cadets.
An immense throng greeted Mr.. Roose-
-cived an ovation on his way to the
Union League.
When President Roosevelt arose to
make his address he was greeted with
long continued applause. Then the en-
tire assembly stood and sang the Star
|Spangled Banner"
President Roosevelt in his address
said:
This club was founded to uphold the
Ai VI 4 dlidIH LlllCOIli NulCil he
stood as the great leader in the struggle
for union n liberty. We have a right,
therefore, to appeal to this club for aid
in every governmental or social effort
made along the lines marked out by
Lincoln. The great President taught
many lessons which we who come after
him should learn. Among the most i'm
|portant of these was the lesson that for
veal or for woe we are indiSsoluoiy
bound together, in whatever part Of the
country we live, whatever our oCial
standing, whatever our wealth or our
poverty, whatever form of mental O:
physical activity our life work may as
|sume. Lincoln, who was, more emphat-
|ically than any other President we have
lever had, the president of the plain peo-
pie, was yet as far removed as WASH
|ington himself from the slightest tam.
of demagogy. With his usual farsight-
ed clearness of vision he saw that in a
republic such as ours permanent pros
perity Of any part of our people was
conditioned upon the prosperity OF all;
land that on the other hand any effort
to raise the general level of happiness
by striking at the well-being of a pOr-
ton of the people could not but be III
the end disastrous to all.
The principles which Lincoln applied
to the solution of the problems of his
day are those which we must apply
If we expect successfully to solve The
different problems of our own day
problems which are so largely INDUS
trial. Exactly as it is impossible to de-
|velop a high morality unless we have
as a foundation those qualities which
at least a certain minimum of ma
terial prosperity, so it is impossible per-
|m~anently to keep material prosperity
unless there is back Of it a basis Of
fright living and right thinking. In the
last analysis, of course, the dominant
in obtaining this good conduct
must be the individual character OF the
condition of individual character in the
average citizenship Of the country al.
effort to supply its place by the wisest
Legislation and administration will in
the end prove futile. But given this
average of individual character, then
wise laws and the honest administra-
ton of the laws can do much to supple
'nent it. If either the business world
or the world of labor loses its head. then
ii has lost something which can not be
made good by any governmental effort.
Our faith in the future of h Republic
is firm, becaus we believe that on the
whole and in the long run our people
think clearly and act rightly.
Unquestionably, however, the great
development of industrialism means
that there must ar increase in the
supervision exercised by the govern
over business enterprises. This
supervision should not take the form of
violent and ill-advised interference; and
assuredly there is danger lest liz take
such form if the business leaders Of the
business community confne themselves
to trying to thwart the effort at regu-
lation instead OF guiding it Alright.
such men as the members of this club
should lead in the effort to secure prop
er supervision and regulation Of corpor-
ate activity by the government, not only
because it is for the interest of the
community as a whole that there
should be this supervision and regula-
ton, but because in the long run 1t
will be in the interest above all OF The
very people who often betray alarm and
anger when the proposition is first
made.
Neither this people nor any other free
people will permanently tolerate the use
the vast power conferred by vast
wealth. n especially BY wealth iu its
form. without lodging some
where in the government h still higher
of seeing that this power, In adj