The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-12-06

Navy-JOuntry'S Foreign POncy.
Tariff Relations With Germany.
Many other Subjects Discussed and
Recommendations Made.
TIC the Senate and House of Represent
ativeS
No nation has greater resources than
ours, and | think it can be truthtully
said that the citizens Of no nation pos
sess greater energy and industrial abil-
ity. In no nation are the fundament-
al business conditions sounder than in
Cu Kat this very moment; and 1t is
focAish when such is the case, for peo-
pie to hoard money instead of keeping
i sound in banks; for it is such hoard
ing thu is the immediate occasion for
moneJ stringency. Moreover, as rule,
the business of our people is conducted
with honesty and prObity, and this ap-
plies alike to farms and factories, to
railroads and banks, to all our legitl-
mate and commercial enterprises.
In any large body of men, however,
there are certain to be some who are
dishonest, and if the conditions are
such that these men prosper Or com
nit their misdeeds with impunity, theii
example is a very evil thing for the
community. Where these men are busl-
ness men of great sagacity and of tenn"
permanent both INSCRIPTIONS and reck-
less, and where the conditions are such
that they act without supervision or
check frDAh public opinion, they delude
DARy innocent people into making in
veNhlents Or embarking in kinds Oe
business that are really unsound When
the misdeeds of these successfully dis
honest men are discovered, suffering
comes not only upon them, but upon
the innocent men whom they misled. It
is a painful awakening, whenever it Oc-
ours; and naturally, when it does oc-
cur those who suffer are apt to for
get that the longer that it was defer
red the more painful it would be. In
the effort to punish the guilty it is
both wise and proper to endeavOr so
far as possible to minimize the distress
of those who have been misled by the
guilty. Yet it is not possible to re-
frain because of sucn distress from
striving to put an end to the misdeeds
that are the ultimate causes Of the suf-
fering, and, as Il means to this end,
where possible to punish those IespOn-
sible for them. There may be honest
differences as to many governmental
policies; but surely there can be no
i h differences as to the need of un-
hfnching perseverance in the war
against successful dishonesty.
In my message to congress on De-
cember 5. 1905, said:
IF the folly of man mars the gener-
al well-being, then those who are in
nocent of the folly will have to pay
part Of " penalty incurred by those
who are guilty of the folly. A panic
brought on by the speculative folly Of
part of the business community would
hurt the whole business community;
but such stoppage of welfare, though It
might be severe, would not be lasting.
In the long run, the enc vital factor
in the permanent prosperity CT the
country is the high individual charac-
ter of the average American worker,
the average American citizen, no mat
ter whether his work be mental or
manual, whether he be farmer or wage
worker, business man or professional
man.
GIN our industrial ard social system
THE interests of all men are so close
,Iy intertwined that the immense ma
Asity Of cases a straight-dealing man,
who by his efficiency, by his integrit!
and industry, benefits himself must
also benefit others. Normally the man
of great productive capacity who be-
comes rich by guiding the labor OF
many other men does so by enabling