New-York tribune., 1906-07-05


Il is false 10 the highest duties, prlnclpies
and privileges OF American citizenship Insie
is wrong and enough 10 fight. right ~ Guy at, -
out. and having cut IL out go your ways 49, W -.
out either hatred or exultation over those az
whose expense IL has been necessary enae ~ ~
should be cut out. There are plenty o. Ntoilss .s
done by men Of great means, and there are
plenty of wrongs done by men OF small means.
Another sentence Of Abraham Lincolns wnicn
human nature IN n1anlind" II a man possesseS
q twisted morality he will show that twisted
morality wherever ne happens 70 be- TX ne Is
not a man of really twisted morals, but an orai-
nary happy lucky individual who does not
think very deeply, he will often DO What Ogsne
not to be done ii nobody brings nome ms l5 uSss
70 him. and IL the chances are such as TO rendef
wrongdoing easy. Show scant mercy 10 the
man Of twisted morality. but remember that tns
of the reformatory than OF the penitentiary.
CONTROL or CORPORATIONS.
This year in Congress our chief task has been
to carry the government forward along tle
course which, think, it must follow CONSISTENT
~ for number OF years 70 cOnne-that IS, ia tiAe
direction Of seeking on behalf OF the people az q
whole through the national government, Whlch
represents the people as q whole, 10 eNtfcist q
measure or supervision colltrol Il a1lu S Ia
over the individuals, ana especlaAiy over -
corporations. OF great wealth, IN SO faI as way
business use of that wealth brings II Within tne
reach OF the federal government. We have ac-
conplished a fair amount, and the reason that
we have done so has been in the first place pc
cause we have not tried to Go too much, ana IN
task absolutely free from any spirit or raIess
or hatred. In any such movement a man VIII
ma lnat ne mas altes Whonl ne uoes NO ess 5rr9
You cannot protect property WITHOUT tlLloliis
that you are protecting the property or some
people who are not very straight. You cannon
war against the abuses OF property Wltilout
finding that there are some people warning pe-
side you whose motives you would frankly re-
pudiate But in each case be sure that you
keep your own motives and your own cOnGucC
straight. When II becomes necessary to curb
a great corporation, curb IT. will do my pest
to help you do it. But ! viii do it in no spirit
OF anger or hatred to the men who Own OF
control that corporation and IL any seek in their
turn to do wrong to the men of means, to do
wrong to the men. who own these corporations,
I will turn around and fight for them in defence
OF their rights. just as hard as 1 fight against
them when ! think they are doing wrong
Distrust as a denlaSOgue the man who talks
only of the wrong done by the men Of wealth
Distrust as a demagogue the man who measures
iniquity by the purse. Measure iniquity by the
heart. whether mans purse be full or empty
partly full partly empty. If the man is
decent man. whether well off or not well off,
stand by him; if he is not decent man, stand
against him. whether he be rich or poor. Stand
against him in no spirit of vengeance, but only
with the resolute purpose to make him act as
decent citizens must act If this republic is to be-
HOW TO BE GOOD CITIZENS.
One more word and then-I think you are
mighty PATIENT will let you go. Remember
that the whole is the sum of the parts. II is
very good thing to come out to Fourth Of July
celebrations and hear what a great country We
have. 1t is mighty poor thing if, after having
felt that glow of pride and virtue. you go home
free from all sense Of responsibility to that par
ticular part of the country which is found with
in the four walls of your own house and In its
immediate neighbOrhood.
The way to be good citizens of this nation.
you friends here, is to he good citizens of Oyster
Bay. 1t does not sound quite as inspiriting TO
be asked to be a good citizen Of the village or
the county as it does to be asked to be good cit
izen of the nation, but you cannot be good
citizen of the nation il you not, in the first
place, a good citizen among your own neigh
A
a good citizen of the town or the county If you
are not a good citizen in your own home frst.
Boy or girl, man or woman, you will not De able
to do right outside of your own home II you have
not got in you the stuff that makes you decent
father or mother, son or daughter, husband or
wife, In your own home
If the man who comes to Fourth Of July
celebration goes home and so conducts himself
that his wife and his children wish beyond any,
thing else that he never did come home you can
guarantee that that man is poor citizen. 1t is
lust the same way with the wife with the
daughter. And now, as for the son, for the young
fellow growing up. the young fellow with an
ambition to make his way in the world. He has
got to make that way in the world by his own
toll and effort. but it won't be worth the making
If those who are nearest and dearest to him do
not feel that his life means what is good and
happy. Your boys must be trained as they grow
up and become men that the mans duty is first
to pull his own weight, to be able to make him
self measurable success 1t is no use for any
man to have lofty aspirations about benefting
mankind If personally he has to depend on his
family for support. The man must support him
but he must not be contented with doing moth
ing but make his way. He must remember
that his every added increment OF strength en-
tails an addition OF duty addition of FespOn-
sibility. First and foremost there Is the duty to
his own family, that he shall so bear himself in
the household to add tn the haDpnesS of
those near him, of those who should be dear to
him; and if he does not do this then no matter
what he is elsewhere. he is bad man and a poor
citizen.
Furthermore. after having done this then II
strength ana success come to him year by year
the need that he shall do his duty by his neigh
bors, by the state by the nation as a whole.
We can achieve for this Republic the success
for which surely think she is destined only by
each of us doing his duty day In and day out,
doing his duty in the way of small things doing
his duty IN the family, doing his duty iIr bust
ness, MS duty to his neighbors and therefore
developing by degrees those qualities which will
enable him TO do his duty to the nation as a
whole.
There is need Of the capacity to do more than
the little duties; there is need for each of us to
him show the qualities of herOism when the need
for heroism arises. But first and foremost there
is need that every American citizen should do
well the ordinary humdrum duties of American
citizenship if our nation is to be placed where
II snail be placed. There is need, o men and
women, that each man and each woman should
be in his or her own home decent husband or
wife decent father mother decent son or
daughter. And only condition Of showing
these qualities in the home qualities like those
IN our dealings with our neShbOTs in our deal
lnss IN the ordinary avOcaions of life will it be
possible for us TO prepare ourselves so that IN
time of need we may rise as our fathers rose
level to the call of whatever crisis NAV trumpet
forth the signal for all that there is in ms I'm
e'Sh resolve and steadfast courage