The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-10-03
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Continued From Rage One)
can only hit by means Of the navy. I'll
is utterly impossible to improvise even |
of modern warfare. Since the days
of Napoleon no war between two great |
powers has lasted as long as it would |
take to build a battleship. let alone 4 |
fleet of batueships: and it takes just
as long TO train the crew of a battle |
ship as 1t does to build it; and as re-
CARDS the most important thing of all.
the training of the officers, it takes
much longer. The navy must he
built and all its training given in time
of peace. When once war has broken
out, it is too late to do anything. 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 must be that
battleships shall not he separated. This
year l am happy to say that we shall
begin a course which l hope will be
steadily followed hereafter. that, name
ly OF keeping the battle-ship fleet al
ternately in the Pacific and in the At
lantic. Early in December the fleet
will begin its voyage to the Pacific,
and it will number, friends. among its
formidable fighting craft three great
battleships, named, respectively. the
Illinois, the Missouri. and the Ken
lucky. 1t is national fleet in every
sense of the term. and its welfare
should be. and l firmly believe is. as
much a matter of pride and concern for
every man in the farthest interior of
our country as for every man on the
seacOast. A long voyage is mighty
good training; and not the least good
it will do will be to show just the
points where our naval program needs
strengthening. incidentally l think
the voyage will have one good effect
for, to judge by their comments on the
movement, some excellent people in
my own section of the country need t.
be reminded that the Pacific coast is
exactly as much a part of this nation
as the Atlantic coast.
A Domestic PoIity.
So much for foreign affairs. Now
for a matter of domestic policy. Here
in this country we have founded {
great federal democratic republic. Il
is a government by and for the people
and therefore a genuine democracy
and the theory Of our constitution i:
that each neighborhood shall be lef
to deal with the things that concern
only itself and which it can most read
lily deal with; so that town, county
city, and state have their respectiv,
spheres of duty, while the nation
deals with those matters which con
Germ all of us, all of the people, NJ
matter where we dwell. Our demo
cracy is based upon the belief tina
each individual ought to have tn,
largest measure of liberty compatibl,
with securing the rights of other indi
viduals, that the average citizen, tn
plain man whom we meet in daily life
is normally capable of taking care O
his own affairs, and has no desire t
wrong any one else: and yet that il
the interest of all there shall be stuff
cient power lodged somewhere to pre
vent wicked people from tramplin
the weak under foot for their ow
gain. Our constant endeavor is t
make good working compromis
whereby we shall secure the full benz
fit of individual initiative and respor
: sibility, while at the same time recos
nizing that it is the function of a wis
government under modern condition
, not merely to protect life and proper
f ty, but to foster the social develoI
ment of the people so far as this ma
be done by maintaining and promo
, ing justice, honesty and equal rights
We believe in a real, not a sham. d.
mocracy. We believe in democrat
as regards political rights, as regard
f education, and, finally. as regards il
dustrial conditions. By democracy W
understand securing, as far as it
humanity possible to secure it, equa
ity of opportunity equality of the col
ditions under which each man is t
: show the stuff that is in him and
. achieve the measure of success
which his own force of mind and cha
acter entitie him. 1t is not in acco
dance with our principles that lite
ally despotic power should be pl
into the hands Of a few men in til
affairs of the industrial world. o.
effort must be for a Just and effe
tive plan of action which. while scr
pulously safeguarding the rights of tt
men Of wealth, shall yet, so far {
is humanity possible, secure under tt
law to all men equality of opportu
ity to make living. 1t is to the i
terest of all of us that the man of e
ceptional business capacity should
amply rewarded: and there is nothir
inconsistent with this in our insis
ence that he shall not be guilty
bribery or extortion, and that tt
rights Of the wageworker and of II
man of small means. who are ther
selves honest and hard working, sha
be scrupulously safeguarded. tt