The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-01-22

Ing and promoting the general GOOD.
When necessary the private right must
yield, under due process of law and
with proper compensation, to the vel.
fare of the commonwealth. The man
who serves the community greatly
should be greatly rewarded by the
community. AS there Is great Unequal
tty Of service, so there must be great
inequality Of reward, but no man and
no set Of men should be allowed to
play the game Of competition with
loaded dice.
ALI this is simply good common sense.
The underlying principle OF conserva.
ton has been described as the appli-
cation Of common sense to common
problems for the common good. If the
description is correct, then conserva.
ton is the great fundamental basis for
national efficiency. In this stage OF
the worlds history to be fearless. to be
just and to be efficient are the three
great requirements of national life.
Administrators Aims Defended.
This administration has achieved
some things. It has sought. but hos
not been able, to achieve others. L.
has doubtless made mistakes, but all
1t has done or attempted has been in
the single, consistent effort to secure
and enlarge the rights and opportuni-
ties Of the men and women of the
United States. We are trying to con-
serve what IL good In our social sys-
TEN, and we are striving toward this
end when we endeavor to do away
with what Is bad. Success may be
made too hard for some If it is made
too easy for others. The rewards Of
common industry and thrift may be
too small If the rewards for other and
on the whole less valuable qualities
are made too large, and especially If
the rewards for qualities which are
really, from the public standpoint, un-
desirable are permitted to become too
large.
The unchecked existence Of monop-
oily Is incompatible with equality Of
opportunity. The reason for the exer-
else 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 expenses
in order to abridge the power Of spe-
cial privilege at the polls. Railroad
equality of opportunity for all men at
fected by rail transportation, and that
means all OF us. The great anthracite
coal strike was settled and the press
ing danger of a coal famine averted
because we recognized that the con-
troll Of a public necessity involves
duty to the people and that public
Intervention in the affairs Of public
service corporation is neither to- be
resented as usurpation nor permitted
as a privilege by the corporations, but,
on the contrary, to be accepted as
duty and exercised as a right by the
government in the interest Of all the
people The efficiency of the army
and the navy has been increased SO
that our people may follow in peace
the great work Of making this country
a 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 At In as parts Of a consistent
whole.
Measures For countrys Good.
Our public land policy has for its
aim the use of the public land so that
It will promote local development by
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, illeg1timately 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 It to be controlled by a few
great cattle and sheep owners.
The enactment of a 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
recognized the controlling fact that.
while the 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 Availability 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-