The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-06-21
THE PRESIDENT TO EDITORS
Roosevelt Delivers a Notable Address
at jamestown, Va.
Speaks Before the Delegates to the National
EDITORIAL Observation-Disclosures Upon
Important National Questions.

AZ II or course a mere trulsm 10 say mat
no other body OF our countrymen WELD as
extensive an Influence as those who write
for the daily press and for tho periodi-
Gals. IL is also a truism 10 say that
such power implies the gravest respon-
siblity. 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 pub
lie trust. do not intend 10 dwell upon
your duties to-day, save that I shall
permit myself 10 point out one matter
where IL seems to me that the need OF
our people is vital II 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. be prompt TO assail wrong
doing and wickedness. But in thus assail-
ing wrongdoing and wickedness. there
are two conditions to be fulfilled. because
III unfulnlled. harm and not good will
result In the first place. be sure OF
your facts and avoid everything like
hysteria or eNaggeration. for 10 assail
a decent man for something OF which he
Is Innocent Is 10 give aid and comfort TO
every scoundrel while Indulgence in hys-
terical eNaggeration serves to weaken.
not strengthen. the statement OF truth
In the second place. be sure that you
base your Judgment 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 life. and their being good or bad
does not depend upon whether they have
or do not have large bank accounts. Yet
this elementa fact. this fact which we all
accept as self-evident. when we think
each OF us Of the people whom he him
self knows In his business and social
relations. Is often com plctely ignored by
certain public men and certain public
writer's. The men who thus ignore IL
and who attack wickedness only when
FOUND in particular class are always
unsafe. and are sometimes very dan
gerous. leaders. Dstrust equally the
man who is never able to discover any
vices OF rich men 10 attack and the man
who confines himself 70 attacking the
sins and shortcomings OF rich men. II
Is a sure sign OF moral and mental dis
honesty in any man II in his public as
saults upon iniquity he IS never able 70
see any iRiquity save that Of a particular
class, and this whether ne is able only to
see the crimes OF arrogance and oppres-
sion I'm the rich or the crimes OF envy
and violence IN the poor.
So much for what l have 10 say To
you in your capacity OF molders and
guides OF public thought. In addition
] want 70 speak 20 you on two great
movements IN our public life which I
feel must necessarily occupy no incon-
men in the near future. One OF these Is
the question OF. IN certain ways re-
shaping our system OF taxation so as TO
make il bear most heavily on those most
capable OF supporting the strain. The
other Is the question OF utilizing the
natural resources of the nation in the
way that will be Of most benefit TO the
nation a whole
Need OF Foresight.
In utilizing and conserving the natural
resources OF the nation the one charac-
terlstic more essential than any other Is
foresight Unfortunately foresight IL
not usually characteristic OF a young and
vigorous people, and IL is obviously not
a marked characteristic OF us IN the
United States Yet assuredly il should be
tho growing nation with future which
takes the long look ahead and no other
nation Is growing so rapidly as ours or
has future so full OF promise. No other
nation enjoys 50 wonderful a measure OF
present prosperity which can OF right
BE- treated as an earnest OF future sue
cess and for no other are the rewards
OF foresight 50 great. 50 certain. and so
easily foretold. Yet hitherto as a nation
We have tended 10 live with an eye single
20 the present. and have permitted the
reckless waste and destruction OF much
OF our natural wealth
The conservation OF our natural re-
sources and their proper use constitute
the fundamental problem which underlies
almost every other problem Of our ma
tional life. Unless we maintain an ade-
quate material basis for our civilization.
we can not maintain the institutions in
which We take 50 great and just a pride;
aud 20 waste and destroy our natural
resources means 10 undermine this ma
terial basis During the last five years
Efforts have been made in several new
directions IN the government service to
fget our people 20 look ahead. 70 exercise
foresight and 20 substitute a planned and
orderly development or our resources in
the place Of "a haphazard striving for
immediate proht The effort has been
pmade through several agencies.
In 1902 the reclamation service began
10 develop the larger opportunities Of the
western half OF our country FOR irriga-
ton The work includes all the states
from the great plains through the Rocky
mountains to tho Pacific slope. II has
been conducted with the clear and def
mite purpose OF using the valuable water
resources OF the public land for the
greatest good for the greatest number Tn
the long run. in other words. for the
purpose OF putting upon the land perma-
nent home makers who Will use and
develop IL for themselves and for their
children and chldrens children. There
mas been opposition. OF course, 10 this
work OF the reclamation service. for we
have been Obliged to antagonize certain
men whose interest II was to exhaust for
their own temporary personal profit nat
ural resources which ought TO be devel-
oped through use. to be conserved
for the permanent common advantage OF
the people as q whole But there will be
no halt IN the work OF preserving the
waters which head in the Rocky noun
tain region so as TO make them OF most
use to the people as a whole. for the
policy is essential 70 our national wei
fare.
Operations OF Land Laws.
The public lands OF the United States
should be utilized In similar fashion. Our
present public land laws were passed
when there was vast surplus OF vacant
public land The chief desire was 20
secure settlers thereon. and comparative
ny slight attention was paid as TO exactly
how the lands were disposed OF in de-
tail In consequence. lax execution OF
the laws became the rule both in tina land
ONCE and In the public mind and land
frauds were common and little noted
This was especially true when a system
originally designed for the fertile and
wcll-watered regions ~ the middle west
was applied to the dryer regions OF tho
great plains and 10 the mountains and
An nj II aur. nofg n 4