The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-06-01

the regulation of transportation ana
the waste of natural resources Any
one of these large problems bears the
elements of friction that might have
sent the country on the downward
trend had there not been such patriots
at the helm, of whom Roosevelt is q
| type. The one great problem that
| threatens the peace of our country to.
| day is national unrighteousness
| Wealth and luxury are not threaten
ing except as they are corrupt: trades
unionism is no menace except when
| it is lawless; corporations are in
| themselves of great benefit ex-
cept when they become monopo
listic. The press Yields sovereign
power except when it becomes libel
| Gus to truth and purveys sensation
rather than wisdom To hold these
! forces for the good and the welfare
of the nation requires all the intelli-
gence and patriotism of a united pub
| lie. There is no country in the world
| where public opinion is more author
| itative than in the United States, and
| it is we'll that this is so. Yet while
a united country is our heritage it
| is also the task of every citizen,
community and state to direct that
opinion into the channels of wisdom
and sobriety.
We must recognize that the law is
| the handmaiden of righteousness and
| justice The law that permits Grim
| inaI to go free because of a techni-
cality and not because of lack of evil
dence is not consummately perfect.
We must also recognize that substan-
tial manhood is above political parties
the political party has rendered it's
highest service when as the requisite
machinery, it places in candidacy for
leadership, honest citizens of the
greatest intelligence, integrity and
ability, and the citizen is a true pa
triot to the nation when he attends
the primaries and votes intelligently
on these standards. We must further
realize that directed intelligence in
human affairs is the country's great
est asset. No nation will go down
when wisdom and judgment fills the
place of ignorance and where right
eousness and justice are enthroned.
Our conflicts at arms are often
times looked upon as in the cause of
liberty, and this is true, but as often
do we look upon liberty as the con-
summate object of strife. Liberty,
however, is not final good, but is
means to an end and in order
that we attain it and consummate the
objects of true freedom requires con-
slant vigilance, integrity and rational
action on the part of every citizen of
the State. The value of liberty lies
chiefly in the character of the people
who possess it, and the way it is
used Thus it may be deemed that
the F'ilipinos were not ready for the
freedom they obtained by the conflict
of 1898. Their tutelage under the
Government of the United States
should rebound to their nobleness of
character as well as to promote their
welfare. The charm, sweetness and
interest of life, both for the individual
as well as for the community, do not
lie in ones ability to have ones own
way, but in the range and variety of
resources which life offers in the OPP
portunities for service. 1t often hap
pens that the highest type of liberty
is enjoyed by those who have the
fewest individual prerogatives. There
is less liberty here in Honolulu in
that sense than there is in Wolfville,
Arizona, but the liberty here is worth
more not only to our industries, but
to the comfort, safety and pleasure
of our citizens. 1t requires a patriot
ism to maintain TINS standard of lib
erty as against drifting into the con-
dition of disorganized society.
The other heritage from this sacri-
fee that we commemorate today is
that of industrial opportunity. The
basis of our history as organized per-
meates all phases of our society. War
is invariably followed by periods of
development, and in this development
society is subject to many forms of
evil. Dishonesty, oppression, political
disorder and corruption are the ext
gencies of the upbuilding of our popu-
lation after it has been torn to pieces
by the conflicts of battle, and while it
requires high type of patriotism to
go into the conflict of arms for right
eousness, yet it requires a no less de-
gree of patriotism to fight for right
eousness and industrial prosperity in
the face of the many forms of oppres-
sion and arrangement that confront
U.S.
This is an age of construction.
Chips are flying, hammers are pound
ing. men are climbing ladders Though
it may take years and even genera
tons to consummate our ideals of
industry and citizenship, yet we
are progressing toward the desired
| end. Our country is in the process
OF being made, and this process in
wolves such rapidity of change, I'M
settling of old relations and readjust-
ments of class to class and man to
man that we are likely to see things
| as of an insurmountable bank before
| us and not in the perspective, that
such obstacles really present. The
| object of our industry is not to make
| a few fortunately placed people COM
| Portable, by reserving the best places
| for them, but rather TO produce the
| largest number of strong human
| hands, of generous hearts. of pure
| human lives Without going into
| great detail, it is sufficient to point
/ out some of the agencies that count
for industrial prosperity. First is
| our system of education. In some
! countries the ideal in education is
| largely for culture, in others scholar
| ship predominates in educational eff
| fort. But in the United States the
ideal is, without excluding either Gull