The Glenwood post., 1909-01-30

able equality OF opportunity the dis
| tribution of rewards will take care
| of itself.
The unchecked existence of monop-
| oily is incompatible with equality of
opportunity. The reason for the ex-
ercise of government control over great
| monopolies is to equalize opportunity.
| We are fighting against privilege. 1t
| was made unlawful for corporations
| to contribute money for election ex-
| penses in order to abridge the power
| of special privilege at the polls. Rail-
road rate control is attempt to Sc
| cure an equality of opportunity for all
| men affected by rail transportation:
| and that means all of us. The great
| anthracite coal strike was settled. and
| the pressing danger of a coal famine
| averted because we recognized that
the control of a public necessity in
| wolves a duty to the people. and that
| public Intervention in the affairs of
| public service corporation is neither
| to be resented as usurpation nor per-
mitted as a privilege by the corpora
| tons, but on the contrary to be ac-
| cepted duty and exercised as
| right by the government in the in
| terest of all the people. The efii-
| cheney of the army and the navy has
| been increased so 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 policies now
| being pursued by the Government fit
| in as parts of consistent whole.
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 recog
| nized the controlling fact that while
the employer usually has at stake no
more than his profit. the stake of the
employe is a living for himself and
his family.
We are building the Panama canal;
and this means that 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 lands the remaining
supply of unappropriated coal, for the
| protection and benefit of all the people.
We have taken the first steps toward
| the conservation of our natural re-
sources. and the betterment of coun-
try life. and the improvement of our
! waterways We stand for the right
| of every child to a childhood free from
| grinding toll and to an education for
the civic responsibility and deccncy
of every citizen, for prudent fore
sight in public matters, and for fair
| play in every relation of our national
| and economic life. In international
matters we apply system of diplo-
| macy which puts the obligations of
| internationa morality on level with
| those that govern the actions of an
| honest gentleman in dealing with his
| fellow men. Within our own border
stand for truth and honesty in public
| and in private life; and we war stern
| ly against wrongdoers Of every grade.
All these efforts are integral parts
of the same attempt, the attempt to
| enthrone justice and righteousness, to
secure freedom of opportunity to all
of our citizens. now and hereafter and
| to set the ultimate interest of all of
us above the temporary interest of
| any individual class. group.
The nation, its government. and its
resources exist. first of all. for the
| American citizen, whatever his creed.
race, or birthplace whether he be rich
or poor educated or ignorant pro-
vided only that he is a good citizen
recognizing his obligations to the ma
ton for the rights and opportunities
which he owes to the nation
The obligations. and not the rights,
of citizenship increase in proportion to
the increase of mans wealth or
power. The time is coming when q
man will be Judged. not by what he
has succeeded in getting for himself
from the common store. but by how
well he has done his duty a citizen
and by what the ordinary citizen has
gained in freedom of opportunity be.
cause of his service for the common
good. The highest value we know is
that of the individual citizen. and the
highest justice vs. to give him fair
play in the effort to realize the best
there is in him.
The tasks this nation has to do
are great tasks. They can only be
done at all by our citizens acting to-
gether and they can be done best of
all by the direct and simple applica
tion of homely common sense. The
application of common sense to common
problems for the common good. under
the guidance of the principles upon
which this republic was based and by
virtue of which II exists. spells per-
petuity for the nation civil and indus
trial liberty for it's citizens, and
freedom of opportunity in the pursuit
of happiness for the plain American
for whom this nation was founded. by
whom IL was preserved. and through
whom alone it can be perpetuated
party differences, higher than class
prejudice. broader than any question
of profit and loss-there is room for
every American who realizes that the
common good stands first"
Accompanying the message are ex-
plantations and recommendations of
work to be done for the future good of
the country. The president says: 1T is
especially important that the develop
ment of water power should be guard
ed with the utmost care both by the
national government and by the states
in order to protect the people against
the upGrowth of monopoly and to in
sure to them fair share in the bene-
fits which will follow the development
of this great asset which belongs to
the people and should be controlled by
them.
Il urge that provision be made for
both protection and more rapid deveI-
opment of the national forests. Other
wise either the increasing use of these
forests by the people must be checke ed
or their protection against fire must
be dangerously weakened II we
compare the actual fire damage on sim
liar areas on private and national for
est lands during the past year, the