Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-09-09
THE PRESIDENT
ON TEMPERANCE

President ROOSevclt's speech a.
Wilkesbarre, Pa, before the annual
convention Of the Catholic Total Alb
stinence union is one Of the best the
president has made. IL is a whole
some and helpful speech. The Catho
lie Total Abstinence union is doing
a very important work and the prest
dent is 70 be commended for lending
the influence Of his great Office to the
movement.
Strong drink is the fruitful cause
Of an immense amount Of misery, and
total abstinence, while not the only
remedy. Is the surest preventive. The
president has added TO the sum Of hu-
man happiness by his visit to Wilkes
barre
On that occasion Mr.. Roosevelt
spoke as follows;
am particularly glad TO speak TO
this audience Of miners and their
wives and children, and especially 20
speak under the auspices Of this great
temperance society.
In our country the happiness Of all
the rest OF the people depends most Of
all upon tho welfare Of the wage.
worker and the welfare Of the farmer.
II We can secure the welfare Of these
two classes we can be reasonably cer.
tain that the community as a whole
will prosper. And we must never for.
get that the chief factor in securing
tho welfare alike Of wage-worker and
of farmer, as Of everybody else, must
be the man himself.
The only effective way TO help any
body is TO help him help himself.
There are exceptional times when any
one Of us needs outside help, and then
it should be given freely but normal
" each one OF us must depend upon
his own exertions for his own success.
Something can be done by wise legis-
lation and by wise and honest admin
istraiion Of the lawsj that is some
thing can be done by our action taken
In our collective capacity through the
state and the nation.
Something more can be done by com
bination and organization among our
selves In our private capacities as cit
izens, 90 long NJ this combination or
organization is managed with wisdom
and integrity, with insistcnce upon the
rights Of those benefited and yet with
just regard for the rights Of others.
But in tho last analysis tho factor
most influential In determining any
mans own qualities Of his own
foresight, thrift and cour'
age. Whatever tends TO increase his
selfrespeet, whatever tends to help
him overcome the temptations with
which all Of us are surrounded, is the
benefit not only to him but TO the
whole community.
No ono society can do moro to help
tho wage worker than such n temper
,nco society as that which l am now
addressing. IL Ia Of inealeulable con
sequence 10 the man himself that he
should be sober aud temperate, and II
Is Of even more consequence TO his
Nife and his ehildronj for II is a hard
md cruel fact that In this life Of ours
iho aims Of the man are often visited
most heavily upon those whose wei
ARE should be his one special care.
For the drunkard, for the man who
oses his job because he cannot con-
rol or win net control his desire for
liquor and for vicious pleasures, we
iAvo feeling Of anger and contempt
mixed with our pityj but for his un'
ortunato wife and little ones we feel
My pity, and that Of the deepest and
enderost kinA
Everything possible should be done
o encourage the growth Of that spirit
Z self.relianee, self.restraint, self-re-
pect, which, II II only grows enough,
.-t. A. - IL. IN H.. l.. ..rh.., 10 4 {