The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-06-21
ROOSEVELT TO THE EDITORS.
Conserve our Natural Resources
Adopt Inheritance Tax.

In addressing the members of the
National Editorial Association today
President Roosevelt devoted himself
almost wholly to the discussion Of
two questions-the reshaping Of our
system of taxation so as to make it
bear most heavily OH those capable of
supporting the strain, and the utiliza-
tion of the natural resources Of the
nation In the way that will be Of most
benefit to the nation as whole. He
gave more attention to the latter
question than to the former.
Referring in his opening remarks
to the power welded by writers for
newspapers and periodicals, the Pres
idcnt said:
Be Open-Eyed and Impartial.
cit is essential that the man in
public life and the man who writes
in the public press shall both Of them,
if they are really good servants Of
the people, be prompt to assail wrong
doing and wickedness. But in thus
assailing ng-doing and wickedness
there are two conditions to be full
filled, because if unfulfilled harm and
not good will result. In the first place,
be sure of your facts and avoid ev-
erything like hysteria or exaggera.
ton; for to assail a decent man for
something OF which he is innocent
is to give aid and comfort to every
scoundrel while indulgence in hys-
terical exaggeration serves to weaken,
not strengthen, the statement of
truth.
"In The second place, be sure that
you base your judgment on conduct
and not OIL the social or economic
position of the individual with whom
You are dealing. There are good and
bad men in every walk of life, and
their being good or bad does not de-
pend upon whether they have or do
not have large bank accounts. Yet
this elemental fact, this fact which
we all accept as self-evident, when
we think each Of us of the people
whom he himself knows in his bust
ness and social relations, is often
completely ignored by certain public
men and certain public writer's. The
men who thus ignore It and who at
tack wickedness only when found in
a particular class are always unsafe.
and are sometimes very dangerous.
leaders.
"Distru:t equally the man who is
never able to discover any vices of
rich men to attack and the man who
confines himself to attacking the sins
and shortcomings Of rich men. 1t is
sure sign of moral and mental dis
honesty in any man if in his public
assaults upon iniquity he is never
able to see any iniquity save that of
a particular class; and this whether
he is able only to see the crimes of
arrogance and oppression in the rich
or the crimes Of envy and violence
in the poor. He is no true American
if ne is a respecter of persons where
ii mt and wrong are concerned and if
he fails to denounce the demagogue
no less than the corrouptionist. to
dcnouncc alike crimes of organized
greed and crimes Of brutal violence
There i; equal need to denounce the
wealthy man who swIndles investors
Or buys legislators or oppresscs wage,
workers, and the needy man who in
flames class hatrcd or incites mob
violence. We need to hold the scales
of justice even, and to weigh them
down on one side is as bad as to weigl,
them down OH the other
Conserving Our Natural Resources.
Taking up then the two great
movements in public life which he
had selected for discussion, President
Hoosevtl declared that the conser-
vation of our natural resources and
their proper use constitute the funda-
mental problem which mderlics al.
most every other problem Of our ma.
tional life. For this work the one
characteristic which is more essential
| than any other is foresight. But un.
! fortunately foresight is not usually
characteristic Of young and Wig.
orous people and hitheXto as nation
! we have tended to live With an eye
, single to the present and have per-
mitted the reckless waste and des
; truction Of much Of our natura