Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-11
JOHN D. EULOGlZED
BY IRRlGATIONIST
CONTINUED from Page One,


but they are too often hidden by false
issues and conventional, unreal think
ing. The easiest way to hide a real
issue always has been. and always will
be, to replace il with a false one.
THE first thing we need in this coun-
try, as President Roosevelt SO we'll set
forth in that great message which told
what he had been trying to do for the
American people, is equality of oppor
should have less, and no man ought to
ask for any more. Equality of oppor-
tunity is the real object Of our laws
and Institutions Our institutions and
our laws are not valuable in them
selves. They are valuable only be-
cause they secure equality of oppor-
tunity for happiness and welfare for
our citizens.
Law Is for Public Good
AN institution or a law is a means,
not an end, a means to be used for
the public good, to be modified for the
public good, and to be interpreted for
the public good. one of the great
reasons why President Roosevelt's ad-
ministration was of such enormous
value to the plain American was that
he understood what St. Paul meant
when he said: THE letter klleth, but
the spirit giveth life To follow blind
ly 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 dan
gerous as to disregard the law alto
gether. What we need is the use Of
the law for the public good, and the
construction of it for the public well
fare.
1T goes without saying that the law
is supreme and must be obeyed, our
civilization rests on obedience to law
But the law is not absolute. 1t re-
quires to be construed. Rigid construc-
tion of the law works and must work,
in the vast majority of cases, for the
benefit of the man who can hire the
best lawyers and who have the sources
of influences IN laWmaking at their
command. Strict construction neces-
sarily faVors the great interests as
against the people and I'm the long run
cannot do otherwise. Wise execution
of the law must consider what the law
ought To accomplish for the general
good. The great oppressive trusts OK
list because of subseTvicnt lawmakers
and adrot legal constructions. Here
is the central 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 teChniCalities seldom help the
people The people, not the law,
should have the benefit of every doubt
Urges Square Deal
Equality of opportunity, square
deal for every man, the protection or
the citizen against the great concen-
trations of capital. the intelligent use
of laws and institutions for the pub
lie good, and the conservation OF our
natural resources, not for the trusts,
but for the people, these are real Is
sues and real problems. Upon Such
things as these the perpetuity Of this
country a Il nation of homes really de-
pends. We are coming to see that the
simple things are the things to work
for More than that We are coming
to see that the plaiu American citizen
is the man to work for. The imagina-
tion is staggered by the magnitude of
the prize for which We work. IL We
succeed, there win exist upon this con-
tinent a sane, strong people, living
through the centuries jim a land sub
dued and controlled for the service of
the people. it's rightful masters, owned
by the many and not by the few. nc
we fail. the great interests, increasing
their control of our natural resources.
viii thereby control the country more
and more, and the rights of the people
viii fade into the privileges of couccn-
trated wealth.
"There could be no better illustatIop
of the eager, rapid, unWcaried absorp-
tlon by capital Of rights which belong
to all the people than the water power
trust not yet formed but i'm rapid pro
cess of formation, This statement Is
true, but not unchaIeuged. We are
met at every turn by the indignant
denial Of the water power interests,
They tell us that there Is no communi-
ty of interest among them, and yet
they appear year aftCr 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 absorp-
tion of the remaining water powers.
Scores General Electric
THEY tell us in has uo significance
that the General Electric interests are
acquiring great groups ot waiter pow
crs in various parts of thc United
States and dominating the power mar
ket in the region of each group And
whoever dominates power, dominates
al industry Have YOU eNor seen
few drops Of oil scattered ON thr
water until they formed a continuous
hlm, which put an end at once to aN
agitation of the surface. The time for
rs to agitate this question is uoN, be-
fore the separate circles of centralized
control spread into the uniform uu-
broken. nationwide covering of sin
gle gigantic trust. There Will be little
chance for mere agitation after that
20 man at all familiar with the situa