The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-03
ROOSEVELT TO THE PEOPLE OF 3 STATES

fashion over the railroads., which, because
or their peculiar position, offer the most
immediate and urgent problem. The Amer
lean people abhor a vacuum. and is de-
termined that this control shall be exer-
cised somewhere; it is most unwise for
the railroads not to recognize this and to
submit to. it as the first requisite of the
situation. When this control is exercised
in some such fashion as it is now exerr
cised over the national banks there will
be no falling off ia business prosperity.
On the contrary. the chances for the aver
age man to do better will be increased.
Undoubtedly there will be much less OPP
individuals not Of the most serupulous
type to anass great fortunes by ~speculat-
ing in and manipulating securities which
are issued without any kind of control or
supervision. But there will be plenty of
room left for ample legitimate reward Toy
business genius, while the chance for the
mar who is not a business genius, but
who is a good, thrifty, ~hard-working citi-
zen, will be better. l do not believe thai
our efforts will have anything butt a bene-
hcial effect upon the permanent prosperity
of the country. and. as a matter of fact,
even as regards any temporary effect, 1
think that any trouble is due fundamen-
tally not TO the fact that the national au-
thorit'es have discovered and corrected
certain abuses, but to the fact that those
abuses We're there to be discovered. 1
think that the excellent people who have
complained of our policy az hurting bust
ness have shown much the same spirit as
the child who regards the dentist and not
tne uicetdteQ t0Ol0 as the real source or
his woe. | am as certain as l can be of
anything that the course we are pursuing
VIII Ultimately help business. for the cor
rupt man of business Is as great a foe to
this country as the corrupt politician.
Both stand on the same evil eminence Of
infamy. Against both it is necessary TO
war. and Il, unfortunately. in either type
of warfare, a few innocent people are
hurt, the responsibility lies not with US,
but with those who have misled them to
their hurt.
-s'Thic 10 q ra1idl.- orou;uu ua4- =
new continent, and in an era of new, COM
pick. and ever-shifting conditions. Often
II Is necessary to devise new methods of
meeting these new conditions. We must
regard the past, but we must not regard
only the past. We must also think of the
future. and while we must learn by ex-
perience, we cannot afford to pay heed
merely to the teachings of experiences.
The great preacher Claiming in his es-
say on The Union spoke with fine in
sight on this very point. In commenting
on the New England statesman Cabot,
whom he greatly admired, ne said that
nevertheless he had too much of the wis
dom Of experience; he wanted what may
be called the wisdom of hope.'' He then
continued in words which have a peculiar
fitness for the conditions Of today: We
apprehend that it Is possible to mako ex-
perience too much our guide. There are
seasons In human affairs, of inward and
outward revolution, when new depths
seem to be broken up in the soul, when
new wants are unfolded in multitudes, and
a new and underlined good Is thirsted for.
These are periods when the principles Of
experience necd to be modified, when hope
and trust and instinct claim a share with
prudence In the guidance of affairs, when
in truth to dare is the highest wisdom.
THESE sentences should be carefully
pondered by those men, often very good
men. who forget that constructive change
offers the best method of avoiding de-
structive change; that reform Is the anti
dote to revolution. and that social re-
form is not the precursor but the proven
tive of socialism"