Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1907-10-05
REACHES ST. LOUIS
Roosevelt's Triumphant voy-
age Down Mississippi.
MEETS MANY STATE GOVERNORS.
President scathes Rich Grafters,
Drawing Illustrations From Fail OF
Roman Empfre--Its Luxurious
EVIL Caused Ruin.

DEa"hnB ILLUSTRATIONS From f'an OF
Roman Empire--Its Luxurious
EVIL Caused Ruin.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 2.-President Roose-
welt arrived here this morning on the
steamer Mississippi He was accom-
panied by Governor Frantz OF Okla
homa and Seth Bullock of the Black
Hills
The chief cause OF the presidents
trip is the movement Sor deep water
way down the Mississippi river to the
gulf OF Mexico. The reception of the
president all along the river was cor
dial in the extreme. He is in excellent
spirits.
President Roosevelt after meeting at
keokuk, Ia, the governors OF Iowa,
Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebras-
ka, both Dakotas, Oregon, Wyoming
and Illinois spoke at Rand park before
a large assembly.
The president said in part:
During the last few years we OF
the United States have been forced to
consider very seriously certain eco.
nomic problems. We have made a be-
ginning ia the attempt to deal with the
relations Of the national government
that is, with the relations of the peo-
pie Of the country-to the huge and
wealthy corporations, controlled for
the most part by few very rich men,
which are engaged In interstate bust
ness, especially the great railway cor
porations. You know my views on this
matter You know that I believe that
the national government I'm the inter
ests Of the people should assume much
the same supervision and control over
the management Of the interstate com
mon carriers that It now exercises over
the national banks. You know further
more that 1 believe that this supervi-
sion and control should be exercised In
spirit OF rigid fairness toward the
corporations, exacting justice from
them on behalf of the people, but Civ
ing them justice in return.
Recently 1 have been reading the
work of the eminent Italian scholar
Ferrero on the history OF the Roman
republic when the life Of the Roman
state had become that Of n complex
and luxurious industrial civilization. 7
am happy TO say that the differences
are more striking than the resem-
dances. and there Is no warrant for
our being drawn into any pessimistic
comparison between the two civiIlza-
lions. But there IS every reason why
we should study carefully the past In
order TO draw from 10 lessons for use
in the present. one Of the most strik-
ing features OF the years which saw
the downfall OF the Roman republic
was the fact that the political life OF
Rome became split between two
camps, one containing the rich who
wished 20 exploit the poor and the
other the poor who wished to plumber
the rich. Naturally under such circum-
stances the public man who was for
the moment successful tended TO be
either violent reactionary or violent
demGgogue. Any such condition OF po-
llucal life IS as hopelessly unhealthy
now as Il was then. ] believe so I'm
pliciuy IN the future of our people be-
cause 1 believe that the average Amer
lean citizen Will no more tolerate GOV
eminent by a mob than he viii toler-
ate government by plutocracy; that
he desires 10 see justice done TO and
justice exacted from rich man and
poor man alike. We arc not trying to
favor any man at the expense OF his
fellows. We are trying to shape things
so that as far as possible each man
shall have a fair chance I'm life-so that
he shall have so FAR as by law this can
be accomplished the chance to show
the stun that there is in him.
1--WE have no intention OF trying TO
work for the impossible and undesira-
BILE end Of giving TO the lazy, the thrift
less, the weak and the vicious the re-
ward that belongs to and in the long
run can only come to the Woodworking.
the thrifty, the resolute and the honest.
But we do wish 20 see that the neces-
sary struggle III life shall be carried on
under genuinely democratic conditions:
that, so far as human action can safely
provide 1t, there shall be On approx
mately fair start; that there shall be
no oppression of the weak and that no
man shall be permitted to acquire or
to use a vast fortune by methods or in
ways that are tortuous and dishonest.
Therefore we need wise laws, and
we need to have them resoIutely ad-
ministered. We can get such laws
and such administration only IL the
people are alive TO their interests. The
other day 1 listened TO an admirable
sermon by Bishop Johnston of western
Texas. His theme was that the vital
element in judging any man should be
his conduct and neither his position
nor his pretensions and, Furthermore.
that freedom could only stay with
people which has the habit Of self mas
terry. AS he said, the price OF liberty
Is not only eternal vigilance, but eter-
nal virtue and, may add, eternal com
mon sense. Each man here knows
that he himself has been able to use
his freedom to advantage only pro-
vided that he could master himself.
that he could control his own passions
and direct his own faculties. Each of
you fathers and mothers here knows
that If your sons are to do well In the
world they must know how to master
themselves. Every man must have a
master. II he is not his own master.
then somebody else will be. This is
just as true OF public life as of private
life.