The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-21
national government stand abreast of the foremost State governments.
 Individual Character.

national government stand abreast of
 Tndiyidual sCharacfer.
 have spoken of but one or two laws which. in my judgment it Is ad. visabie to enact as part of the general scheme for making the interference of in securing Justice and fair dealing as between man and man here In the Uni- ted States. Let me add, however that while 1t is necessary to have legisla- tion when conditions arise where we Joint action of all of us. yet that we can never afford to forget that In the last analysis the all-important factor for each of us must be his own indi- thing to have good laws, good institu- tions; but the most necessary of all things is to have high quality of in- dividua1 citizenship. This does not islation. It will be highly disastrous if we permit ourselves to be misled by the pleas of those who see in an unre- stricted indivtdualism the all-sufhcient pauacea of any socialistic system whicif would destroy all individualism, which would root out the fiber of our whole citizenship. In any great movement such as that in which we are engaged, nothing Is more necessary than sanity, than the refusal to be led into extremes by the advocates of the ultra course on either side. Those professed friends of liberty who champion license are the worst foes of liberty and tend ny the 1s, the government back Into the hands oi the men who champion corruption ana tyranny in the name of order. so IL IS with this movement Tor securing Jus tice toward all men. and equality ., lopportunity so far as 1t can be secured bytgovernmental action. The rich man who with hard arrogance declines to consider the rights and the neeas oa poor man who excites or indulges in envy and hatred of those who are bet. ter off, are alike alien to the spirit Q, our national life. Each of them should learn to appreciate the baseness anu degradation of his point of view. as evil in the one case as In the other There exists no more sordin ana un lovely type of social development than A plutocracy. for there is peculiar un- whoiesor1e erless in a social and govern mental ideal where wealth Dy ana oL itself is held up as the greatest gooa The materiaIism of such view, wnetn-. CT 1t finds its expression Tn the nLe oa in ways that are repugnant to every ln- stinct of generosity and or fair deal- ing. or whether 1t finds it's expression in the vapidly useless ana ser ..h s1,.- tune, is contemptible in the eyes or all men capable of a thrill of lofty feei- ing. Where the power of the law can be wisely used to prevent or 10 mlnl- nize the acquisition or business em- niovment of such wealth and to ma it pay by income or inheritance tax lts nYoner share of the burden Of govern ment. I would invoke that power with- out moments hesitation. , o
 Rut while we can accomplish some thing by legislation. legislatlon sIl san naver bA more than part, ana oiteh no more than small part, in the gen erai scheme of moral progress, ano crude or vindictive legislation may at env time bring such progress to hait. Taytain socialistic leaders propose 70 radistribufe the worlds goods ny re- f,,sinr to thrift and energy and indus- trv their proper superiority over 1oily ara Jdien,ss and sullen envy. ouch IaSislatIon would merely. In the Woros ny tha president of Columbia Univer- oitv avreck the worlds efacieney TOT BY BY n,,rnose of redistributing the ...er,ss" aiscor,tent" We should all or us work heart and soul for the req, req, ana nerrnanent betterment whlcn Will iaet anr democratic civilization to htsbsr tevel of safety and usefulness. snch betteTment can come only. oy the s'our steady growth of the spirit wnlch saetas q generous but not sentlmean- tai Justice to each man or nls merits man. and which recognizes the @act that the highest and deepest nap ,Ineas for the individual nes hot Ah saIAshness but in service.