The Washington herald., 1908-02-10
The Message and Predatory Wealth.

The Message and Predatory Wealth.
Editor The Washington Herald;
The special message of President Roose-
welt to Congress, January 81, 1908, is
state paper of the highest rank and OF
far-reaching effect for the national good.
It will stand with the best of the nation
and be a textbook of the rights Of man.
II is a complete yindication OF his ad-
ministration policies, people-approyed, and
a refutaton of the charges against him
by predatory wealth. 1t viii further en-
dear him to the people whose interests
he has ever championed. 1t is the great
Presidents stand for the idea that the
liberty Of the Individual is a right, not
a privilege: for the rights OF the masses
as opposed to the privilege of the classes;
that the greatest enemy Of the liberty OF
the individual is priyilege-the privilege
conferred by law. the privilege OF mo-
nopoly the privilege OF lawiessness; that
the Individual right of liberty IS liberty
under the law. sought and secured by the
founders of this government and by them,
and the sovereign people ratiyfing. Con-
stitutlon guarahteed; that it is the basis
of our civilization. the civilization OF the
individual for the education Of all. not
a few Of equal rights against privilege.
to which principle of liberty, individual
rights, freedom of opportunity bringing
our material prosperity and progress in
invention. has made our civilization differ
from all which has been-a departure
from which will raise wealth plutocracy
on the ruins of the republic, a going as
others have gone during the flight of
time through all ages.
Arch enemy Of liberty is monopoly,
chief of which are railroad corporations,
plutoeratic managers of which, In answer
to the Presidents turning on the light.
exclaimed. Railroad managers can do
what they please with their railroads. are
a privileged class, above the law, and
not amenablc 10 H. and went their way.
soon TO return begging for mercy stay
ing hand, turning off the light. with
cunning defense and specious argument
for the avoidance of the laws the execu-
ton of which would wreck railroad eX-
tension by causing the people to Withhold
their money, all of which being unavail-
ing, they threatened the President with
downfall, ana have since used every dis
integratiug force 20 do il. even 10 For
aker's folly Ia the Brownsville affair. and
Chancellor Days erratic speeches and
writings In planetary course.
The Presidents attack on corporate
wrongdoing is the nations attack. and il
Is not an attack on legitimate industry.
No man or corporation doing au honest
business need fear the arousing Of the
public conscience against wrongdoing No
one has right 20 complain whose busi-
ness viii not stand the light Of publicity
Yet the criuging cOwaTdly cry Of the
railroad corporation managers went mp
10 turn of the light lest the exposure
would wreck railroad extension in the
awakening of the public conscience.
Railroads are quasi-pubIc beings.
State-charter created for transportation
on the simple-Iife basis Of competition.
In their combination. they destroy compe-
tition for which created, unrestrained.
they carried 1t beyond law the very act
being unlawful Unrestrained, they dis
criminated in rebate rates building and
fostering monopoly In everything worth
while iu the domain Of agricultural min
eral manufacturing, and commercial life.
Uurestrained, their power 20 TX rates
Is ;heir power TO tax, and, In other than
the States hands, 10 destroy. in which
. they have become modern feudal barous,
and the enemy Of the state. President
Roosevelt laid on the restraining hand.
In doing So he aTTayCd against him pred
at0ry wealth. but. against which. and
with him, aligned the sovereign people
and 20 such extent that out Of the hands
Of predatory wealth and its miniOns. into
their own they will take the function OF
PTesideut-makuE so long from them
usurped, and II looks like they will make
Roosevelt President for one more term,
against which there is nOthug-u0 law.
constitutional. written or uuwritten, or
reasonable sentiment.
Predatory wealth understands perfectly
well the policy Of preferring unjust
charges and Offering excuses in order 10
avoid well-foUnded accusation and con-
victi0H of guilt. II is skilled and all
powerful in its agencies 70 influence the
people in its behalf 1t has resolved 90
spare no pains OF cXeTtiou TO destroy Mr.
Roosevelt All who arc opposed To the
Consutution-given power of the regUla-
tiou of commerce among the States. and
the cuTbing OF corporate abuses, are now
united. IN common endeavOr. to defeat
the reelection of President Roosevelt. or
any one who would champion and con-
summGte his policies Of reform. and are
bent on elevating to that high office one
subscryicnt to their viii and pleasure
Should they succeed. there cannot be a
doubt that the most powerful element of
this predatory wealth association would
aftcTward prevail in the conduct Of pub
. Tic affairs, and the good Of the reforms
inauEuraJed by President Roosevelt
would lapse into the abhorrent state ex-
listing when he turned on the light and
exposed its indeceucy. corruption, law
/ lessness, and insolence in seif-exalted
! privileges above law and order. Against
such inauspiCiOus results there is needed
a man OF sagacity. resource. initiative
force, courage, lofty and broad-minded
statesmanship-able safe. sound. "A lead
Ct. in all Of which there is no surer man
than President Roosevelt, tried and not
found wanting In his selection is the
/ best security against the all-powerful and
unlimited resources Of cOnfedeTated
wealth, which the intelligence. candor
virtue, and patriotism of the sovereign
people fully recognize and viii confirm
by their vote
IN this great case OF President Roose~
welt VS. Predatory Wealth. Honesty vs..
| Dishonesty, stand the people on the one
side. against plutocracy on the other;
the one for individual rights. the free
dom of opportunity; the other. for privi-
/ lege. monopoly. The Constitution. that
bulwark Of our liberties. guarantees free
dom OF opportunity in life, property. and
the pursuit Of happiness, but Of what
avail is this constitutional guarantee
without enforcement, and who can and
will enforce il but the President? There
was none before President Roosevelt, in
the forty years since the maTtyTdOm of
God-given Lincoln, strong enough. single
handed, to try II, who, but for the sup
port of the people, must have failed.
President Roosevelt has put his hand
to the plow and cannot, must not, let go
He has turned few straight. broad
well-falling burrows in briery, thorny,