The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-06-11
PRESIDENT TALKS
0F LARGE PROBLEMS | |. y
Addresses National Editorial As
ISOLATION at It's Annual Scs-
3@ ga sion at Exposition.
ARE CORDIALLY WELCOMED E! }
Mr.. W.. S Copeland, Presidcnt,of
the Virginia Press Association,
and Others Make Addresses.

II NORFOLK, VA, June 10-Edltors
IRON all sections OF the United States
tnsscmbed IN tho Auditorium Building
ut the jamestown Exposition day.
ljThcy are members Of tho National Edi-
torial Association. which is holding its
annual convention here. Tho chief fen-
ture to- day was the address Of Prcsi-
|, dent Roosevelt at the afternoon scs-
i.sion, followed by u reception IA
Tho President sai2. In part:
II Is, OF course, q mere truism 10 say
4 that no other body OF our countrymcn
WELD MS extensive an influence as those
who write FOR the daily press and tor
tho periodicals. 1t is also q ruism TO
suy that such power Implies tho gravest
responsibility. and the man exercising
II should hold himself accountable, and
should be held by others accountable,
precisely as II he occupied any other
position OF public trust. / do not In
J. however, save that shall permit my.
self to point out one matter where 1t
seems to me that the need OF our people
is vital It Is essential that the man
IN public life and the man who writes
IN the public press shall. both of them,
II they are really good servants Of the
people, DO prompt to assail wrong-doing
and Wickedness. But in thus assailing
wrong-doing and wickedness, there are
two conditions to be fulfilled, because
M unfulnlled. harm and not good Will
result. In the first place, be sure OF
your facts and avoid everything Ike
hysteria or cxagseratlon; for to assail
a decent man for something OF which
i he Is innocent Is to give aid and COM
i fort to every acoundrel. while indulg-
ence in hysterical exaggeration serves
to weaken. not strengthen. the state.
ment OF truth. In the second place,
on conduct and not on the social or
economic position of the Individual
/ with whom you are dealing. There are
good and bad men in every walk OF
2 life, and their being good or bad does
not depend upon whether they have or
do not have large bank accounts Yet
this elemental fact. this fact which We
all accept as sclf-cvident. when we
B think each of us OF the people whom
/ he himself knows In his business and
social relations, Is often completely ig-
nored by certain public men and certain
public writers. p
The men who thus ignore 1t md who
X attack twicJ<edncnY only when found in
T II pnrticulnrg class nrc always unsafe,
and are sometimcs very dnngcrou1,
lenders. Distrust equally the mnn who
+ ~ never ub1e TO discover any vices Of
/ rich men to attack and The mnn who
II c0nfinca hiInself to 4nttackinE the sins
( and shortcomings OF rich men. II IL 1,
4 sure sign OF moral nnd mental Lish0n-
i c.ty In any mnn II, In his public ns-
! snults upon iniquity he IL never able
4
8 tlculnr class; and this whether he IN
able. only to zee the crimes of arro-
Enncc5 and oppression In the rich, or the
crlmeA of envy and violence In the poor
4 lie Is no true American IL he Is a re-
spccter Of persons where right and
wrong nrc concerned, and II he fnils
to dcnOunce the deningoEue no lexs
Z than the corruptIonlxt, to 81 denouncc
alike crimes OF organized greed md
crlnes of brutal violence. n
Two Great 1Iovcl,1e n tx
So much for what have to say to
you in your capacity OF lnolders and
guides of public thought In addition
want to speak to you on two great
movements In our public life, which
feel must necessarily occupy no in.
considerable part OF the time Of our
public men In tho near future. One
OF these Is the question OF, in certain
ways, reshaping our system Of taxa
ton, so as to make 1t bear most heavily
the strain. The other Is the question
OF utilizing the natural resources OF the
nation In the way that viii be or most
benefit to the nation as Whole.
In utilizing and conserving the nat.
ural resources OF the nation. the one
4 characteristic more essential than any
other is foresight. Unfortunately
s foresight is not usually characteristic
is obviously not marked character.
;f8istic of US in tho United States. Yet
/ assuredly It should be the growing ma.
/ ton. with a3,future. which takes the
long look ahead; and no other nation
is growing so rapidly as ours, or has
Z future SO full OF promise. No other
nation enjoys SO wonderful a measure
f OF present prosperity, which can OF
h right be treated as an earnest Of future
success, and for no other are the re.
I wards of foresight so great. SO certain
l and so easily forctold. Yet hitherto
as a nation we have tended to 1.-Two with
an eye single to the present. and have
! permitted the reckless waste and dc
\ struction of much of our natural
wealth sa9
In 1902 the Reclamation Service be
| gan to develop the larger opportunities