Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-10-02
which we Ike To regard as distin
lively American.
SERIOUS ECONOMIC Problems.

/ United States have been forced to con-
slider very seriously certain economic
problems. We have made a beginning
| In the attempt to deal with the rela-
tions 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 busi-
especially the great railway cor
porations. You know my views on
| this matter. You know that ! believe
that the national government, in the
interests of the people, should assume
much the same supervision and con-
troll over the management Of the in
terstate common carriers that II now
exercises over the national banks. |
You know furthermore that | believe
that this supervision and control |
should be exercised in spirit of rigid |
fairness toward the corporations ex-
acting justice from them on behalf OF
the people but giving them Justice in !
return.
United States Compared With Rome !
Recently / 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 a complex |
and luxurious Industrial civilization. | \
am happy to say that the differences |
between that civilization and our own /
are more striking than the resem- !
blances: and there Is no warrant forf
our being draw into any pessimistic !
comparison between the two civiliza-
tons. But there is every reason why |
we should study carefully the past in 4
order TO draw from IL lessons for use l
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 to exploit the poor. and the
other the poor who wished to plunder
the rich Naturally. under such cir
cumstanccs, the public man who was
for the moment successful. tended TO
be either a violent reactionary or a
violent demagogue. Any such condi-
ton Of political life Is as hopelessy
unhealthy now as it was then. | be-
lieve so implicitly in the future Of
our people. because I believe that the
average American citizen will no more
tolerate government by mob than
he will tolerate government by plu-
tocracy. that he desires TO see justice
done TO and justice exacted from rich
man and poor man alike. We are
not trying to favor any man at the
expense Of his fellows.
Fair Chance for Every Man.
We are trying to shape things so
that as far as possible each man shall
have a fair chance in life: so that he
shall p as by law this can
be chance to show
: -..,ie is in him. We
l--.,o. no intention of trying to work
for the impossible and undesirable
end OF giving to the lazy, the thrift
less. the weak, and the vicious. the
reward that belongs to, and in the
long run can only come to. the hard
working, the thrifty the resolute and
the honest But we do wish to see
that the necessary struggle In life
shall be carried on under genuinely
democratic conditions; that. so far as ,
human action can safely provide 10. :
there shall be an approximately fair Z
start, that there shall be no oppres- +
sion 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.
Wise Laws Needed.
Therefore, we need wise laws. and
We need to have them resolutely ad- |
ministered. We can get such laws Il
and such administration only II the
people are alive to their interests.
Need of Eternal Common Sense.
The other day I listened to an ad-
sermon by Bishop Johnston, ;
that the vital element in judging any {
may should he his conduct, and '
neither his position nor his preten- y
siOns: and. furthermore. that freedom u
nould only stay with a people which =
has the habit Of self-mastery. As he =
said. the price Of liberty is not only =
eternal vigilance. but eternal virtue: ,
ana | may add. eternal common !.
iense. Each man here knows that y
he himself has been able to use his >
freedom 10 advantage only provided >
ihat he could master himself that he !.
could control his own passions and
ireef his own faculties Each Of YOU
fathers and mothers here knows that y
{ your sons are to do well in the ~ ~
world they must know how To master :,
themselves. Every man must have =
master. II he Is not his own master =
hen somebody else will be- This is =
Just as true Of public life as of pri- y, y
iate life. II we can not master our :,
selves. control ourselves, then sooner ~
,r later we shall have to submit TO !"
outside control: for there must be
'nntrol somewhere
Nations Destiny In Peoples Hands.
one way Of exercising such control l
s through the laws Of the land. Ours Y
s government Of liberty. but II is
government of that orderly liberty
which comes by and through the hon
'st enforcement of and obedience 10
he law. At intervals during the last
ew months the appeal has been made
o me not to enforce the law against
'ertain wrongdoers OF great wealth
,ecause to do so would interfere with
he business prosperity Of the coun-
ry Under the effects Of that kind OF
right which when sufficiently acute
We call panic. this appeal has been =, 4,
made 20 me even by men who ordi- n
larily behave as decent citizens. One
newspaper which has itself strongly
.dvanced this view gave prominence
q the statement Of a certain man Of
-reat wealth 10 the effect that the So
allied financial weakness was due
ntireiy TO the admitted intention Of
PRESIDENT Roosevelt 10 punish the
arge moneyed interests which nad Is
the laws
No Mercy for Mrongdocrs. lEt
I do not admit that this has been ca
he main cause Of any business trou- r.
les We have had; but it rs possible W,
hat it has been a contributory cause. wi
T so friends. as far as I am con- ha
erned "a must be accepted as a dis ed
greea bic but unavoidable feature in 70
curse Of policy which a. long as | tn
m president will not be changed. In ri
ny great movement for righteous co
ase a. here the forces Of evil are Ia,