The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-10-18
itself out, and It l. Theodore Roosevelt
who Ia Its leader.
Clean Business Wanted.

ITSELF out, and It u Theodore Roosevelt
who Ia Its leader.
Clean Business Wanted.
The balance sheet Is the smallest item
OF our appeal. For the American people
are not content that their business should
grow. They intend that their business
snail be clean as well. They are not
content that American civilization shall
% measured by dollars; they mean that
are mot e Ss ~ ed BY Justice They
they mean to make well enough" 'still
better. There Is no such thing as .'wen
enough in the vocabulary of American
,sm. When we reach the stage where
well enough describes our position our
decline will begin, because our progress
will have ended.
There are perhaps twenty bills enacted
Into law In the last five years upon any
one OF which any party in former times
could have successfully appealed for sup
port to the American people. Let us
take three or four of them as examples
and first and greatest of all the law
which established the department Of COM
merce and labor.
The The passage OF that act marked tho
trial affairs: and all American trade and
commerce Is safer and sounder now be-
cause Of the knowledge which that de-
partment gives tho people Of how that
only begun.
ndiIFod0 regulation.
We passed the bill giving the govern
me ment the right to regulate railway rates.
1neodore Roosevelt demanded the enact
ment OF that law. He demanded it be-
cause the American people demanded It
he demanded 1t because 1t is right-be-
cause e. 1t applies the principle Of control
t py the ne government Of all the people Of
mat mighty transportation business which
AFFECTS all the people. do not say that
"a Jaw Is perfect It is but the beginning
it will fail here and there; but year By
year 1t will be improved until finally from
experience 1t will become as perfect AS
any human statute can be. It's import
suits; Its importance 10 in the principle
which it recognizes.
Inc railroads are the most powerful
force IN the industrial development Of the
Iepuouc. In word, the railroads enter
INTO the Industrial. social, political and
even the religious life Of the American
people And that Is why the people have
q rlSnt to voice in their management
that ia why the railroad business is not
private business. Railway freight and
passenger charges are directly tax upon
every ever human n being in the land; and there
fundamental right to see that all are
treated alike and that none are uujustly
taxed. t@@f
Duty Of the Nation.
6u. the people are powerless acting as
individuals. The states are incomp etent
t 20 act as the peoples agents. because the
BUSINESS OF no road In the country is con-
nned to the borders Of any state. but
ramlhed throughout the whole union. And
20 II Is that the nation, as q nation must
taAe 9 hand In the conduct of transport
nations life and without which the nation
could not exist; so 1t Is that the goyern-
Ment OF the nation is the only agent
ss which the American people can
That oil
Ton OF supervising railway business. And
mat 10 why the railway rate law is in its
results l,isu so profoundly importantly be-
gins the practical application of the min
ciple of the control Of the nations gov
eminent over the nations railways.
II this principle is developed we Will
nave nav. no government ownership Of rail-
to own the railways. They want to " own
nothing which they do not have to own
IN self defense. 1 am against national
ment control OF railways.
government ownership is urged only
because 1t will take the railways out Of
politics. But it is not necessary to change
for the European theory OF industrv 10
keep tne railroads out of politics.
Out With Corruption.
Send every corrupt and corrupting lob
rupting railway representative who tries
20 Duy primaries, conventions or, legisla-
lures to jail; send every man who tries
70 esorruptiy influence the nomination and
election of any public officer to jail-this
Is the way to keep the railway and every
other corrupting influence out of our pub
nc ~ NE na,,,+ not government ownership but
the penitentiary is the remedy for crimes
against free institutions.
Inc principle of national control of
railways can be and will be extended to
al nation wide business,
Whi1a 1tvyi5
and control all business enterprises. great
and small, the people, by law, should see
fraud. @N-o "''4Aoue
This is the meaning of the department.
OF commerce and labor law. This is the
meaning of the railroad rate law This
IS the philosophy behind the pure food
lmpotent Democracy.
II the opposition had been in power
would a single one of these great statutes
have l, been enacted? Everybody knows
the opposition would have been SO busy
quarreling with themselves that no prac-
teal legislation would have passed. Ey-
erybody knows that with Bryan or Hearst
nothing but theories would be discussed
and no practical laws enacted. But Theo-
dore Roosevelt's administration will for
ever be known as the administration that
gets things done
And our work is not done. 1t never will
be done as long as conditions demand
change. The work before us is as i'm
portant as the work accomplished There
has got to be an adequate child labor
law In this country. We cannot permit
American citizenship to be debased nv
allowing any man to dwarf the BODY.
brain and soul of American children
Perfect the Tariff Law.
Ihere has got to be some tariff changes.
too. We are protectionists, we republi
cans, and not we republicans alone hut
practically the whole American peonle
Protection Of American industry has be.
come an American principle. No free
trader could destroy 1t il he would. Our
expenses are so immense that the reve-
nue. drawn from orr tariff could not nos
sibly be reduced without bankruptine the
treasury. And that tariff. absolutely
necessary to the working of the govern.
ment ought to be so adjusted as 10 pro-
tect American labor and encourage Amer
lean industry.
No Sacred Schedules.
But no tariff schedule Is immorta,
When conditions change the tariff sched-
ule that was adjusted to that condition
ought also to change. General revision
Is foolish and impossible. Even a had
tariff when stable is better than a gen
eral change; and our present tariff IS not
a had tariff TT jS tho hoot