The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1909-08-10


to do for the American people, Is
equality of opportunity for every citi-
zen. No man should have less, and
no man ought to ask for any more.
Equality of opportunity Is the real
object of our laws and institutions.
Our Institutions and our laws are not
valuable in themselves. They are
valuable only because they secure
equally of opportunity for happiness
and welfare for our citizens. An in
stltution or a Jaw is a means, not an
end, a means TO be used for the pub
lie good, to be modified for the pub
lie good. and TO be interpreted for
the public good. One of the great
reasons why President Rooseyelt'sI
administration was of such enormous
value to the plain American was that
he understood what st. Paul meant
when he said: THE letter killeth,
but the spirit giyeth life." To fol-
low bllndly the letter of the law. or
the form of an institution. without
intelligent regard both for its spirit
and for the public welfare, Is very
nearly as dangerous as TO disregard
the law altogether. What we need
Is the use OF the law for the public
good and the construction of it for
the public welfare.
II goes without saying that the law
Is supreme and must be obeyed. Our
civilization rests on obedience to law.
But the law ~ not absolute. IL re-
quires to be construed. Rigid con
struction OF the law works. and must
work. IN the vast majority of cases,
for the benefit of the men who can
hire the best lawyers and who have
the sources Of influence in law-mak-
ing at their command. Strict con-
struction necessarily favOrs the great
interests az against the people, and
In the long run can not do otherwise. |
Wise execution OF the law must con-
plish for the general good. The great
oppressive trusts exist because of
subservlent lawmakers and adroit
legal constructions. Here is the CEN
trail stronghold OF the money power
in the everlasting. conflict of the few
to grab. and the many TO keep or
win the rights they were born with.
Legal teChnicalitles seldom help the
people The people. not the law
should have the benefit of everyl
doubt.
Equality OF opportunity, a square
deal for every man, the protection of
the citizen against the great concen-
trations of capital. the intelligent use
of laws and Institutions for the pub
Tic good. and the conservation Of our
natural resources, not for the trirts.
but for the people; these are real
issues and real problems. Upon such
things as these the perpetuty of this
country as a nation OF homes really
depends We are coming to see that
the simple things are the things 70
work for. More than that, we are
coming TO see that the plain Ameri-
can citizen Is the man to work for.
The imagination Is staggered by the
magnitude of the prize for which we
work. II We succeed. there will exist
upon this continent sane, strong
people. living through the centuries
IN a land subdued and controlled for
the service OF the people. its rightful
masters. owned by the many and not
by the few. II We fail the great in
terests. increasing their control of
our natural resources, will thereby
control the country more and more,
and the rights of the people will fade
into the privileges of concentrated
wealth.
There could be no better illustra-
tion OF the eager, rapid. unwearied
absorption by capital OF the rights
which belong to all the people than
the water power trust. not yet formed
but in rapid process Of formation.
This statement is true, but not UNI
challenged. We are met at every
turn by the indignant denial OF the
water power interests. They tell us
that there is no community of inter
est among them, and yet they appear
year after year at these congresses.
by their paid attorneys. asking for
your influence to help them remove
the few remaining obstacles TO their
perpetual and complete absorption
of the remaining water powers. They
tell us II has no significance that the
general electric interests reacquiring
great groups of water powers In vari-
Gus parts OF the United States, and
dominating the power market In the
region of each group. And whoever
dominates power, dominates all in
dustry. Have you ever seen a few
drops of oil scattered on the water
spreading until they formed a con-
tinuous film, which put an end at
once TO all agitation OF the surface
The time for us ITO agitate this ques-
tion Is now, before the separate cir
Giles of centralized control spread
into the uniform. unbroken, nation
wide covering of a single gigantic
trust. There will be little chance for
mere agitation after that. No man
at all familiar with the situation can
doubt that the time for effective pro-
taot L. Vav.r chnpt uua do mot .,ca