The Owosso times., 1908-11-13
ROOSEVELT SCORES,
Points Out the Fatal Weakness
of S0ciaIiStc Schemes.

Proni ncnt Socialists Declare His Stric-
tures Unfair, but Are Confuted by
tho Statements Of Other Members cf
Their Own Party.
Judging from the angry replies Of
Socialists, President Roosevelt must
have struck home in the address In
which he recently paid his respects
to socialism in the following words:
I 1--WE have made this country what 1t
is partly because we have measurably
succeeded In securing In the past
equality Of opportunity. That is very
different from equality Of reward.
II believe emphatically in doing ev-
erythihg that can be done by law or
otherwise to keep the avenue of occu-
patton, Of employment, Of work, Of in.
terest, SO open that there shall be, SO
far as it is humanity possible to achieve
1t, measurable equality Of opportuni-
INEQUALITY Of opportunity for each
man to show the stuff that is In him.
But when 1t comes to reward let him
get what by his energy, foresight, in
telligence, thrift, courage, he is able to
get If the opportunity opens. don't
believe in cuddling any one. would
no more permit the strong to oppress
the weak than to tell q weak man or
a vicious man that he ought by rights
to have the reward due only to the
man who actually earns 1t. Very prop
erly we in this country set our faces
against privilege.
There can be no grosser example
Of privilege than that set before us as
the ideal that every man shall put into
the common fund what he can, which
would mean what he chose, and should
take out whatever he wanted. In 9TH
er words, this theory is that the man
who is vicious, foolish, drag on the
whole community, who contributes less
than his share to the common good.
should take out what is not his, what
he has not earned, that he shall rob
his neighbor Of what that neighbor
has earned.
This particular socialistic ideal would
be to enthrone privilege in one Of its
grossest, crudest, most dishonest, most
harmful and most unjust forms.
Equality Of opportunity to render serv-
ice-yes, will do everything can to
bring 1t about Equality Of reward
no, unless there is also equality Of serv-
ice. II the service Is equal let the re-
ward be equal, but let the reward de-
pend on the service. And, mankind be-
ing composed as 1t is, there will be
inequality Of service for long time
to come, no matter how great the
equality Of opportunity may be, and
just so long as there is inequality Of
service 1t is eminently desirable that
there should be inequality of reward"
The tenor Of the Socialist criticisms
Of this address is shown by the follow.
ing quotations from replies, most Of
which appeared In the New York Even.
ing Call, Socialist organ:
"This peculiar statement of Roose-
velt makes 1t clear that he does not in
the least understand socialism."-Rob
ert Hunter. Millionaire Socialist.
"He Is truly most ignorant concern.
ing tie principles of the most vital
question Of our day. If Mr.. Roosevelt
wishes to abuse socialism he must
learn what socialism is."-Rose Pastor
Stokes. Wife of Another Millionaire
Socialist
"The presidents idea Of socialism is
absurd. But who could expect him to
say anything different? He would
make people believe that Socialists
were communists. AS a matter Of