The daily sentinel., 1909-06-17
ROOSEVELT is STRENUOUS YET.
(continued f.om F4rsl PAGE

e.
the one time says Mr.. Roosevelt
and the use of the word order al
the other, and ignore the simple fact
that despotism is despotism. tyranny
| tyranny. oppression. oppression
whether committed by one Individual
or by many individuals, by state or
/ by private corporation. All forms
of tyranny and cruelty must alike be
condemned by honest men.
We in this country have been very
fortunate. Thanks to the teaching
and the practice of the men whom
we most revere as leaders, of the men
like Washington and Lincoln, we have
hitherto escaped the twin CULTS of
despotism and mob rule and we have
never been in any danger from the
worst forms of religious bitterness
But we should therefore be all the
more careful. as we deal with our
industrial and social problems, not
to fall into mistakes similar to those
which have brought lasting disaster
on less fortunately situated peoples
First, we must stand firmly on a
basis of good sound ethics. If busi-
ness is hurt by the stern exposure of
crookedness and the result of efforts
to punish the crooked men, then busi-
men are involved in the hurting On
the other hand, we must beware
above all things of being misled by
wicked or foolish men who would
condone homicide and violence. and
apologize for the dynamiter and the
assassin, because, forsooth, they
choose to take the ground that crime
is no crime if the wicked man hap
pens also to have been shiftless
and unthrifty or lazy man who has
never amassed property. 1t is essen
tial that we should wrest the control
of the government out of the hands
of rich men, who use it for unhealthy
purposes and should keep it out of
their hands; and to this end the first
requisite is to provide means ade-
quately to deal with corporations,
which are essential to modern bust
ness, but which under the decisions
of the courts and because of the short
sightedness of the public have been
the chief factor in political and bust
ness debasement.
But it would be just as bad to put
the control of the government into
the hands of demagogues and vision
aries who seek to pander to ignorance
and prejudice by penalizing thrift and
business enterprise and running all
result, the ruin of the entire COM
munity"
Mr., Roosevelt quotes an article by
Stevens, an English Journalist on
conditions in the United States, writ
ten in 1896. in which il was declared
that If individualism is left absolute
ly uncontrolled as modern business
condition, the result will follow that
all power of individual achievement
and individual effort in the average
man Will be crushed out. On this
line Mr.. Roosevelt continues as fol-
lows:
Those who advocate total lack of
regulation. those who advocate law
lesshess in the business world, them
selves give the strongest impulse to
what | believe would be the deaden-
ing movement towards state social
ism.
There must be law to control the
big man and therefore especially the
Dig corporations in the industrial
world, in the interest of our industrial
democracy of today. This law must
pc efficient and therefore it must be
aided by executive officers and not
by lawsuits in the courts. The move
meht for government control of the
great business corporations is no
than movement to put a stop to
violence is a movement against lib
erty The huge irresponsible corpor-
alton which demands liberty from the
supervision of government agents
stands on the same ground as the less
dangerous criminal of the streets who
wishes liberty from police interfer-
ence."
Mr.. Roosevelt closes with a direct
reference to newspapers.
Yet another thing" he says, mo
movement ever has done or ever Will
do good in this country where assault
Is made, not upon evil wherever
found. but simply upon evil as it
happens to be found in a particular
class. The big newspaper, owned or
controlled in Wall street. which is
eVerlastingly preaching about the
iniquity of laboringmen which is
quite willing to hound politicians for
their misdeeds, but which with raw
ing fury defends all the malefactors
OF great wealth. stands on an exact
level with. and neither above nor be-
low that other newspaper whose
attack is on men of wealth, which
declines to condemn or else condemns
in an apologetic. perfunctory and
wholly inefficient manner, outrages
committed by labor. This latter Is
the kind of paper which by torrents
of foul abuse seeks to stir up bitter
class hatred against every man OF
means simply because he is man OF
means, against every man OF wealtn,
whether he is an honest man who by
industry and ability has honorably
won his wealth and who honorably