Woodruff County news. [volume] (McCrory, Ark.) 1901-1910, 1909-01-28

able equality of opportunity the dis
tribution of rewards will take care
of itself.
"The unchecked existence of monop-
oily is incompatible with equality Of
opportunity. The reason for the ex-
ercfse 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 eX-
penses in order to abridge the power
of special privilege at the polls. Rail-
roau rate control is attempt to Sc
| cure an equality of opportunity for all
| men affected by rail transportation;
| and that means all of us. The great
| anthracite coal strike was settled, and
| the pressing danger of a coal famine
| averted because we recognized that
| the control of public necessity in
| wolves a duty to the people, and that
public intervention in the affairs of a
| public service corporation is neither
| to be resented as usurpatfon nor per-
| mitted as a privilege by the corpora
| tons, but on the contrary to be ac-
| copied as duty and exercised as
| right by the government in the in
| terest of all the people The eff
| cheney of the army and the navy has
| been increased so that our people may
| follow in peace the great work of
! 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 policies now
| being pursued by the Government, fit
| in as parts of a consistent whole.
The enactment of 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 recog
! nized the controlling fact that while
| the employer usually has at stake no
more than his profit, the stake of the
| employee is a living for himself and
| his family.
I'VE 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 liability and beauty Of
! our country. We are striving to hold
! in the public lands the remaining
| supply of unappropriated coal, for the
| protection and benefit of all the people.
| We have taken the first steps toward
| the conservation of our natural re-
| sources. and the betterment of coun-
try life, and the Improvement of our
| waterways. We stand for the right
| of every child to childhood free from
! grinding toll. and to an education; for
| the civic responsibility and decency
of every citizen; for prudent fore
| sight in public matteRs, and for fair
! play in every relation of our national
! and economic life. In international
matters we apply a system of diplo-
| macy which puts the obligations of
| international morality on a level with
those that govern the actions of an
honest gentleman in dealing with his
| fellow-men. Within our own border we
| honesty n
and in private life; and we war stern
| ly against wrongdoers of every grade.
| All these efforts are integral parts
! of the same attempt, the attempt to
| enthrone justice and righteousness. to
| secure freedom of opportunity to all
! of our citizens, now and hereafter, and
to set the ultimate interest of all OF
| us above the temporary interest OF
| any individual. class or group.
The nation, its government, and its
resources exist. first of all for the
American citizen, whatever his creed,
race, or birthplace, whether he be rich
or poor, educated or ignorant. pro-
! vidcd only that he is a good citizen.
recognizing his obligations to the ma
! ton for the rights and opportunities
which he owes to the nation.
THE obligations. and not the rights,
of citizenship increase in proportion to
the increase of a mans wealth or
|
man will be judged, not by what he
has succeeded in getting for himself
| from the common store, but by how
! well he has done his duty as a citizen
! and by what the ordinary citizen has
! gained in freedom of opportunity be-
| cause of his service for the common
/ good. The highest value we know is
| that of the individual citizen, and the
! highest justice is to give him fair
/ play in the effort to realize the best
there is in him.
The tasks this nation has to do
are great tasks They can only be
| done at all by our citizens acting to-
| gether. and they can be done best of
all by the direct and simple applica-
| ton of homely common sense. The
| application of common sense to common
| problems for the common good under
the guidance of the principles upon
which this republic was based and by
| virtue of which it exists. spells per-
petuity for the nation. civil and indus
| trial liberty for it's citizens. and
| freedom of opportunity in the pursuit
| of happiness for the plain American.
for whom this nation was founded by
whom 1T was preserved. and through
| whom alone 1t can be perpetuated
| Upon this piatform-larger than any
party differences. higher than class
! prejudice, broader than any question
OF profit and loss-there is room for
every American who realizes that the
| common good stands first"
Accompanying the message are ex-
plantations and recommendations of
| work to be done for the future good OF
the country. The president says: TT is
| especially important that the develop
| ment of water power should be guard
ed with the utmost care both by the
| national government and by the states
In order to protect the people against
| the upgrowth of monopoly and to in
sure to them a fair share in the bene-
fits which will follow the DEVELOPMENT
of this great asset which belongs to
the people and should be controlled by
| them.
Il urge that provision be made for
both protection and more rapid deveI-
opment of the national forests. other
wise, either the increasing use of these
forests by the people must be checked
or their protection against fire must
! be dangerously weakened If we
| compare the actual fire damage on SIM
liar areas Oh private and national for
est lands during the past year. the
| government fire patrol saved comp,ar