The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-10-03

tiNay 10 parry IS! 10 Nhit-nnt tight can
ever be won except By hltting-aud
We can only hit by means of the Navy.
It IS utterly impossible to improyise
even niakeshlft navy under the cor.
tli,IoRs OF modern warfare. Since the
days OF Napoleon no war between two
great powers has lasted as long as II
would take to build battleshlp, let
alone fleet OF battle ships; and It
takes Just as Ions to train the crew OF
battle ship as It does to build IL
and as regards the most importan:
thing of all. the training OF the ON.
GERS. 1t takes much longer. The Navy
must be built and all Its training Civ.
en- In time Of peace. When once war
has broken out II Is TOO late 10 do any.
thing. We now have good Navy,
not yet large enough for our needs.
but Of excellent material. Where a
navy Is as small as ours. the cardinal
rule mus be that the battle ships shall
rot be separated. This year I am
happy to say that We shall begin
course which hope VIII be steadlis
followed hereafter, that, namely. Of
keeping the battle ship fleet alternate.
Iy in the Pacific and In the Atlantic.
Early III December the fleet will be,
gin its voyage to the Pacific. and II
will number, friends, among its for.
midable fighting craft three great
battle ships. named. respectively. tho
Illinois. the Missouri. and the Ken.
| lucky. II Is u national fleet In every
sense of the term, and Its welfare
shOn!d be. and | firmly believe is. as
much a matter Of pride aud concern
for every man In the farthest interior
of our country as for every man on
the seacoast. a long ocean voyage Is
mighty good training; and not the
least good It will DO will be TO show
Just the points where our naval pro-
grammc needs Strengthening. Incl.
dentally thirl; the voyage will have
one good effect, for. to jGdgc by their
comments on the movement, some ey.
eel'eht people In my own section Of
the country need TO be reminded thas
the Pacific coast Is exactly rs much
part OF this nation as the Atlantic
coast.
So much for foreign affairs. Now
for matter Of domestic policy. Here
In this country We have founded a
great federal democratic republic. II
is government by anil for the people
and therefore 4 genuine democracy;
and the theory OF our Constitution IS
that each ncIshborhood shall be left
to deal with the things that concern
only Itself and which II can most read.
iiy deal with: so that town. county.
CITY. and Stale have their respective
spheres OF duty. while the nation deals
with those matters which concern all
OF us. all of the people. no mattr-
where we dwell. Our democracy il
buscd upon the belief that each indI.
vidu2l ought TO have the largest meas
| lie Of liberty compatible with securing
the rights Of other individuals. that
The average citizen. the plain man
whom we meet In daily life. IS nor.
mally capable of taking care of his
own affairs, and has no desire to
wrong any one else: and yet that II.
The interest Of all there shall be suff.
Gent power lodged somewhere TO pre.
vent wicked people from trampl!n,;
the weak under foot for their own
gain. Our constant cndcavor Is to
maize good working COMPROMISE
whereby We shall secure the full bone.
III o! Individual initiative and respon.
Sibility. while at the same time recor.
nizing that 1t is the function Of n wign
government under modern conditions
not merely to protect life and proper.
ty. but 10 foster the social dcvelop
mcnt of the people so far as this may
be done by maintaining and pronlot-
ing Justice. honesty. and equal rights.
We believe In real. not n sham,
democracy. We believe in democracy
as regards political rights. MS regards
education. and. finally. as regards In
dustrial conditions. By democracy We
understand securing. as far as II hu.
manly possible TO sccarc II. euuali,v
OF Opportunity. equality of the condI
tons under which each man is TO
show the stuff that is In him and TO
achieve the measure Of success TO
which his own force OF mind and char.
aeter en;!:lc him. Rciigiousiy this
means that each man is to have the
right. unhlndercd by the State, TO
worship his Creator as his conscience
dictates. granting freely TO others the
same freedom which he asks for him.
self. Politically We can be said sub.
stanttaiiy to have worked out our
democratic ideals. and the same Is
true. thanks to the common schools.