The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-05
PRESIDENT TALKS
 IN BIG TRANSFORM
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1.)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) eign war. Our Union Is firmly establish ed. But each generation has its special and serious difficulties; and we of this generation have to struggle with evils sprnging from the very material success of which we are so proud from the very growth and prosperity of which, with justice, we boast The extraordinary in- dustrial changes of the last half century have produced a totally new set of con- ditions, under which new evils flourish and for these new evils remedies must be devised.
 Some of these evils can be grappled with by private effort only; for we never can afford to forget that in the last analysis the chief factor in personal sue cess. and indeed in national greatness, must be the sturdy, self-rellant character of the individual citizen But many of these evils are of such nature that no private effort can avail against them. These evils, therefore. must be grappled with by governmental action. In some 1 cases this governmental action must he exercised by the several states individu- ally. In yet others it has become increas- ingly evident that no efficient state action Is possible. and that we need thorough executive action. thorough legislation, and | structlon of law, to increase the power of the federal government.
 If 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 re- gard as their duty, and to serve the ends ] of their clients. invoke the law at one time for the confounding of their rivals,
 
 fication of the law, in order that they i themselves may be left free to work ther 1 unbridled will on these same rivals, or | on those who labor for them, or on tho | general public. In the exercise of their profession and in the service of their clients these astute lawyers strive to pre- vent the passage of efficient laws and strive to secure judicial determinations of those that pass which shall emasculate l them. They do not invoke the constitu ton in order to compel the due obser- vance of law alike by rich and poor. by great and small on the contrary, they are | ceaseessly on the watch to cry out that the constitution is violated whenever any effort is made to invoke the aid or the national government, whither for the eff ficient regulation of railroads, for the ef- ficent supervision of great corporations or for efficiently securing obedience to 
 law and similar so-called labor statutes
 The doctrine they preach would make the constitution merely the shield of in- competence and the excuse for govern mental paralysis; they treat 1t as jus tification for refusing to attempt the remedy of evil instead of as the source of vital power necessary for the exist ence of a mighty and ever-growing na- tion.
 Extend National Power.
 Strong nationalist though l am, and firm though my belief is that there must ! be a wide extension of the power of the l national government to deal with ques- tlons of this kind, I freely admit that as regards many matters of first-rate inn l portance we must rely purely upon the states for the betterment of present con- ditions. The several states must do their duty or our citizenship can never be put on proper plane. Therefore l most heart l fly congratulate the people of the state of Pennsylvania on what its legislature, upon what its government, has accom- plished during this present year. It is a | remarkable record of achievement.
 Through your legislature you have abol- ished passes; you have placed the offices of the secretary of the commonwealth and the insurance commissioner upon an hon orable and honest basis of salary only by abolishing the fee system; you have pass ed law compelling the officers and em- | ployes of great cities to attend to the | duties for which they are paid by all the 1 taxpayers, and to refrain from using the | power conferred by their offices to n- fiuence political campaigns; you have ] prohibited the solicitation or receiving of political assessments by city employees; you have by law protected the state treasury from depreciation and conserved | the public moneys for use only in the public interest; you have by a law for the protection of the elective franchise made tampering with the ballot boxes and the casting of illegal votes so diff ficult as in all probability te be unpro- | fitable; you have provided a primary cleo tion law which guarantees to the voters free expression in the selection of can didates for office; you have by law regu- lated and improved the civil service sys- tems of your greatest cities; and, finally. you have passed law containing pro- vision which l most earnestly hope will in substance be embodied likewise in a law by the Congress at the coming ses- sion-a provision prohibiting the officers of any corporation from making a con tribution of the money of that corporation to any candidate or any political com mittee for the payment of a<y election expense whatever.
 Marks Epoch of Betterment.
 It 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 merely for your state, but for all our