The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-01-23
THE FARMER: JANUARY g, 1909.

l means all of us. The great anth4 aoI, coal strike was settled and the press Ing danger of coal famine averte( because we recognized that the con trol of a public necessity involves 2 duty to the people and that public intervention in the affairs of a public | service corporation is neither to be | resented as usurpation nor permitted as privilege by the corporations, but on the contrary, to be accepted as a 1 duty and exercised as right by the government in the interest of all the people. The efficiency of the army
 and the navy has been increased sc 1 that our people may follow in peace
 the great work of making this country better place for Americans to live in
 and our navy was sent round the world for the same ultimate purpose. All the acts taken by the government during the last seven years and all the poll cies now being pursued by the govern
 ment fit in as parts of consistent whole.
 Measures For Country's Good. Our public land policy has for its aim the use of the public land so that the settlement of homemakers. The pol icy we champion is to serve all the people legitimately and openly, instead of permitting the lands to be convert ed, illegitimately and under cover, to the private benefit of few. Our for est policy was established so that we might use the public forests for the permanent public good, instead of merely for temporary private gain. The reclamation act, under which the desert parts of the public domain are converted to higher uses for the gen. eral benefit, was passed so that more Americans might have homes on the land.
 These policies were enacted into law and have justified their enactment. Others have failed so far to reach the point of action. Among such Is the attempt to secure public control of the open range and thus to convert its benefits to the use of the small man, who is the homemaker. instead of al- lowing 1t to be controlled by a few great cattle and sheep owners.
 The enactment of pure food law was a recognition of the fact that the public welfare outweighs the right to private gain and that no man may poison the people for his private profit. The employers liability bill recognD A the controlling fact that, while -<he employer usually has at stake no more than his profit, the stake of the employee is living for himself and his family.
 For the Benefit of the People.
 We are building the Panama canal, and this means that we are engaged in the giant engineering feat of all time. We are striving to add in all ways to the habitability and beauty of our country. We are striving to hold In the public hands the remaining sup ply of unappropriated coal for the pro- lection and benefit of all the people. We have taken the first steps toward the conservation of our natural re- sources and the betterment of country life and the improvement of our wa terways We stand for the right of every child to childhood free from grinding toll and to an education, for the civic responsibility and decency of every citizen, for prudent foresight in public matters and for fair play in every relation of our national and eco-l homie life In international matters we apply system of diplomacy which puts the obligations of international morality on a level with those that govern the actions of an honest gen. tleman in dealing with his fellow men. Within our own border we stand for truth and honesty in public and in private life, and we war sternly against wrongdoes of every grade.
 The obligations and not the rights of citizenship increase in proportion to the increase of mans wealth or pow CT The time is coming when a man will be judged not by what he has sue ceeded in getting for himself from the comHaon store, but by how we'll he has done his duty as citizen and by what the. ordinary citizen has gained in free dom of opportunity because of his service for the common good. The highest value we know is that of the individual citizen, and the highest jus tice is to give him fair play in the ef- fort to realize the best there is in him.
 Common Sense Wooded.
 The tasks this nation has to do are great tasks. They can only be done at all by our citizens acting together, and they qan be done best of all by the di- rect and simple application of homely common sense.
 The national conservation coElmis- sion wisely confined it's report to the statement of facts and principles, 1eav ing the executive to recommend the specific steps to which these facts and principles inevitably lead. According iy I call your attention to some of the larger features of the situation dis closed by the report and to the action thereby clearly demanded for the gen eral good
 Waters.
 The report says:
 Within recent months it has been rec. ognized and demanded by the people, through many thousand delegates from ferent sections of the country, that the promptly and effectively as a means of ofofy inc ffEy