Omaha daily bee., 1906-10-05

Foreign war Our Union is firmly estab-
hshed. But each generation has its spe-
cia1 and serious dificulties; and we Of
this generation have to struggle with
evils springing from the very material
the very growth and prosperity of which
with justice, we boast The extraordinary
Industrial changes of the last half CEN
teury have produced totally new set of
Conditions, under which new evils -four
ish; and for these new evils new remedies
Come OF these evils can be grappled
with by private effort only; for we never
can afford TO forget that in the last analy-
sis the chief factor is personal success
and indeed,in national greatness, must be
the sturdy. self-relant character of the
indiyidusl citizen. But many of these
evils are of such a nature that no private
effort can avail against them. These
evils. therefore, must be grappled with
governmental action must be exercised by
the several states individually. In yet
others II has become increasingly evident
that no efficient state action is possible,
and that we need through executive iu-
and that We need through executive &C.
10 ncrene t p S& of hs al
government.
II we fail thus to Increase it. we show
our impotence and leave ourselves at the
mercy of those ingenious legal advisers of
the holders of vast corporate wealth, who,
in the; performance of what they regard
as their duty, and to serve the ends of
their. clients, invoke the law at one time
for the confounding of their rivals. and
=
of the law, in order that they themselves
may be left free to work their uubridled
will on these same rivals, or Oh those
public. In the exercise of their profession
and in the service OF their clients these
passage of efficient laws and strive to Sc
cure judicial determinations Of those that
pass which shall emasculate them. They
to compel the due observance of law
yaifke by rich and poor. by great and
small; on the contrary they are. cease
tAesly on the watch to cry out that the
constitution is violated whenever any ef-
fort Is made to invoke the aid OF the ma
dent regulation of railroads, for the Eff
hcient supervision of great. corporations,
or for efficiently securing obedience to
law and similar so-called labor statutes"
The doctrine they preach would make
the cons'itution merely fs the sh 5d OF in
mental paralysis; they treat 1t a. justin
cation for refusing to attempt the remedy
of evil, instead Of as the source of vital
, power necessary for the existence of Il
mighty and ever growing nation.
Pride in Pennsylvanta.
Strong nationalist though am, and firm
though my belief is that there must be a
donal government to deal with questions
Of this kind. ! freely admit that as regards
many matters Of first rate Importance we
must rely purely upon the states for the
Settlement of present conditions. The sew
0ral states must DO their duty or our c1ll-
Eenship can never be put on proper plane
Therefore / most heartily congratulate the
people of the state Of Pennsylvania on
what it's legislature. upon what its govern
year. 1t is a remarkable record of achieve
= Through your Legislature you have aboi-
sshed passes: you have placed the offices
~Yf the secretary Of the commonwealth and
the insurance commissioner upon an honor
able and honest basis of salary only by
sbolishing the fee system; you have passed
n law compelling the officers and employees
OF great cities to attend to the duties for
which they are paid by all the taxpayers.
and to refrain from using the power con:
ferred by their oiloes to influence political
Iicitation or receiving of political htsess-
ineYits by city employees; you have by law
protected the state treasury from depreda-
use only in the public interest: you have
a law FOR the protection of the elective
franchise made tampering with the bal
lot boxes and the casting OF illegal votes ties
profitable; you have provided a primary
election law which guarantees to the vot-
ers free expression in the selection OF
candidates for Office, you have by law
regulated and improved the civil service
systems OF your greatest cities; and.
finally, you have passed law containing
provision which | most earnestly hope
by congress At the coming session. pro-
vision prohibiting the officers of any cor
poration from making contribution or
didate or any political committee for the
payment of any election expenses what
ever. .t.
1t Is surely not too much to say that
this body of substantive legislation marks
an epoch in the history OF the practical
betterment of political conditions, not