Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1909-01-29

trlbution of rewards will take care
of Itself.
"The unchecked existence of monop-
oily is incompatible with equality OF |
opportunity. The reason for the ex- |
ercise 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 abrldge the power
OF special privilege at the polls. Rail-
road rate control is an 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 n coal famine
averted, because we recognized that
the control of n 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 usurpation nor per-
mitted as a privilege by the corpora
tions, but on the contrary to be ac-
copied as a 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
making this country better place for
Americans to live in. and our navy
was sent round the world for the same
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 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 recog-
nized the controlling fact that while
the employer usually has at stake no
| more than his profit, the stake of the
employe is living for himself and
| his family.
1--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 habitability and beauty of
| our country. We are striving to hold
in the public lands the remaining
| supply of unappropriated COAL for tho
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 n 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
| interna tional 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
stand for truth and honesty in public
and in private life; and we war stern
ly against wrongdoers of every grade.
| All these efforts are integral parts
/ n the nt ba att r.
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-
vided only that he is good citizen
recognizing his obligations to the ma
tion for the rights and opportunities
which he owes to the nation.
The obligations, and not the rights
of citizenship increase in proportion tC
the increase of mans wealth OF
power The time is coming when &
man will be judged, not by what h,
has succeeded in getting for himself
from the common store, but by how
well he has done his duty as citizen
and by what the ordinary citizen ha!
, gained in freedom Of opportunity be
! cause of his service for the common
| good. The highest value we know Il
, that of the Individual citizen. and th
highest justice is to give him fai
: play in the effort to realize the bes
r there is in him.
THE tasks this nation has to d,
; are great tasks. They can only b.
done at all by our citizens acting to
/ not n nd t1nN na In -
all by the direct and simple applica
tion of homely common sense. Tn
application of common sense to common
e problems for the common good unde
the guidance of the principles upol
S | which this republic was based and b.
virtue of which II exists, spells per
petuity for the nation. civil and indus
{ trial liberty for it's citizens, an
!, freedom of opportunity in the pursui
t of happiness for the plain American
for whom this nation was founded. b
d whom 1t was preserved. and throug
. whom alone 1t can be perpetuatet
i Upon this platform-larger than an
s party differences, higher than clas
s prejudice, broader than any questio
( of profit and loss-there is room 70
% every American who realizes that tn
y common good stands first"
d Accompanying the message are ex
plantations and recommendations @
d work to be done for the future good G
: the country. The president says: TT
e especially important that the develop
s ment of water power should be guard
h ed with the utmost care both by tn
/. national government and by the state
o in order to protect the people agains
d the upgrowth of monopoly and to In
/ sure to them a fair share in the bene
n fits which will follow the developme Ell
h of this great asset which belongs
It the people and should be controlled b
= them.
II II urge that provision be made fc
!. both protection and more rapid deve
y opment OF the national forests. Othe,
II wise. either the increasing use of thes
d forests by the people must be checke
y or their protection against fire mu.
o be dangerously weakened II W
r compare the actual fire damage on sin
liar areas on private and national FOL
D. est lands during the past year. II
r government fire patrol saved commeI
II cial timber worth as much as Il
.s total cost of caring for all nations
E, forests at the present rate for abo,
l. ten years
|